How much do diesel mechanics make an hour in Missoula, MT?

The median hourly wage is $29.51. The middle half earn between $24.80 and $33.77 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do entry-level diesel mechanics make in Missoula, MT?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.10 an hour ($45,970 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.80.

Do diesel mechanics make more in Missoula or Helena?

Helena pays more: the median is $61,380 in Missoula and $64,110 in Helena, a 4% difference.

How does Missoula pay compare with the rest of Montana?

The Missoula median of $61,380 is 2% more than the Montana median of $59,990.

Diesel mechanic salary in Missoula, MT

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Diesel mechanics in the Missoula, MT area earn a median of $61,380 a year, or $29.51 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $75,620. Across all of Montana, the median is $59,990, so Missoula pays 2% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$61,380

Bottom 10% under$45,970Top 10% over$75,620

Entry-level starting pay (estimate): $22.10/hr
Jobs in this area: 140
After cost of living: $63,640
Median hourly pay: $29.51/hr
vs U.S. median: −1%
vs Montana median: +2%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 33540, Missoula, MT). 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.

Entry-level to master diesel mechanic pay

Stage	Yearly pay	Hourly pay
Entry level	$45,970–$51,590$22.10–$24.80/hr
Experienced mechanic	$61,380$29.51/hr
Master / top earners	$70,250–$75,620$33.77–$36.36/hr

Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.

How Missoula, MT compares

Missoula ranks 3rd of 5 Montana metro areas for diesel mechanic pay.
Diesel mechanics hold about the same share of jobs in the Missoula area as nationally: 2.0 of every 1,000 jobs.
The 90th-percentile wage, $75,620, is 1.6 times the 10th-percentile wage, $45,970: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Montana metro areas

Other trades in Missoula, MT

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Plumber Carpenter Heavy equipment operator Auto mechanic Roofer

Questions

How much do diesel mechanics make in Missoula, MT?: Diesel mechanics in the Missoula, MT area earn a median of $61,380 a year, or $29.51 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $75,620.
How much do diesel mechanics make an hour in Missoula, MT?: The median hourly wage is $29.51. The middle half earn between $24.80 and $33.77 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do entry-level diesel mechanics make in Missoula, MT?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.10 an hour ($45,970 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.80.
Do diesel mechanics make more in Missoula or Helena?: Helena pays more: the median is $61,380 in Missoula and $64,110 in Helena, a 4% difference.
How does Missoula pay compare with the rest of Montana?: The Missoula median of $61,380 is 2% more than the Montana median of $59,990.

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 33540 (Missoula, MT). 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 (96.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures