Diesel mechanic salary in Kansas City, MO-KS
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Diesel mechanics in the Kansas City, MO-KS area earn a median of $62,570 a year, or $30.08 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $86,650. Across all of Missouri, the median is $59,360, so Kansas City pays 5% more than the state as a whole.
- Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
- $22.20/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 2,890
- After cost of living
- $67,610
- Median hourly pay
- $30.08/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +1%
- vs Missouri median
- +5%
Entry-level to master diesel mechanic pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Entry level | $46,170–$51,080$22.20–$24.56/hr | |
| Experienced mechanic | $62,570$30.08/hr | |
| Master / top earners | $75,520–$86,650$36.31–$41.66/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Kansas City, MO-KS compares
- Kansas City has the highest diesel mechanic median of the 8 Missouri metro areas with published pay.
- Diesel mechanics are more concentrated in the Kansas City area than nationally: 2.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.4 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $86,650, is 1.9 times the 10th-percentile wage, $46,170: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Missouri metro areas
Other trades in Kansas City, MO-KS
Questions
- How much do diesel mechanics make in Kansas City, MO-KS?
- Diesel mechanics in the Kansas City, MO-KS area earn a median of $62,570 a year, or $30.08 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $86,650.
- How much do diesel mechanics make an hour in Kansas City, MO-KS?
- The median hourly wage is $30.08. The middle half earn between $24.56 and $36.31 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do entry-level diesel mechanics make in Kansas City, MO-KS?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.20 an hour ($46,170 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.56.
- Do diesel mechanics make more in Kansas City or St. Louis?
- Pay is about the same: the median is $62,570 in Kansas City and $62,280 in St. Louis.
- How does Kansas City pay compare with the rest of Missouri?
- The Kansas City median of $62,570 is 5% more than the Missouri median of $59,360.
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 28140 (Kansas City, MO-KS). 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 (92.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures