TradeSalary

Diesel mechanic salary in Traverse City, MI

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Diesel mechanics in the Traverse City, MI area earn a median of $63,240 a year, or $30.40 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $77,600 a year. Statewide, diesel mechanics earn a median of $61,420; Traverse City is 3% above it.

Median yearly pay$63,240
Bottom 10% under$45,790Top 10% over$77,600
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$22.02/hr
Jobs in this area
150
After cost of living
$67,730
Median hourly pay
$30.40/hr
vs U.S. median
+2%
vs Michigan median
+3%
Mean (average) pay
$61,320 a year · $29.48 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 45900, Traverse City, MI). Excludes self-employed diesel mechanics. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024. *Starting pay is estimated from the 10th percentile; BLS does not report pay by license level.

Pay by percentile

What diesel mechanics in Traverse City, MI earn at each point of the pay range, May 2025: 10% earn less than the 10th percentile, half earn less than the median, and 10% earn more than the 90th.

PercentileHourlyYearly
10th percentile$22.02$45,790
25th percentile$23.81$49,520
Median (50th)$30.40$63,240
75th percentile$31.58$65,680
90th percentile$37.31$77,600

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.

How Traverse City, MI compares

  • Traverse City ranks 3rd of 16 Michigan metro areas for diesel mechanic pay.
  • Diesel mechanics are more concentrated in the Traverse City area than nationally: 2.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.1 times the U.S. share.

Other Michigan metro areas

Other trades in Traverse City, MI

Questions

Do diesel mechanics make more in Traverse City or Detroit?
Pay is about the same: the median is $63,240 in Traverse City and $63,360 in Detroit.

About this data

Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 49-3031 (Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists), area code 45900 (Traverse City, MI). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed diesel mechanics and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (93.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures