TradeSalary

Diesel mechanic salary in Watertown, NY

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Diesel mechanics in the Watertown–Fort Drum, NY area earn a median of $60,210 a year, or $28.95 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $79,200. Statewide, diesel mechanics earn a median of $70,100; Watertown is 14% below it.

Median yearly pay$60,210
Bottom 10% under$45,950Top 10% over$79,200
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$22.09/hr
Jobs in this area
80
After cost of living
$68,660
Median hourly pay
$28.95/hr
vs U.S. median
−3%
vs New York median
−14%
Mean (average) pay
$62,700 a year · $30.14 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 48060, Watertown-Fort Drum, NY). 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 Watertown, NY 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$22.09$45,950
25th percentile$27.14$56,450
Median (50th)$28.95$60,210
75th percentile$33.91$70,530
90th percentile$38.08$79,200

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

How Watertown, NY compares

  • Watertown ranks 10th of 13 New York metro areas for diesel mechanic pay.
  • Diesel mechanics are more concentrated in the Watertown area than nationally: 2.0 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.1 times the U.S. share.

Other New York metro areas

Other trades in Watertown, NY

Questions

Do diesel mechanics make more in Watertown or New York?
New York pays more: the median is $60,210 in Watertown and $75,780 in New York, a 21% difference.

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 48060 (Watertown-Fort Drum, NY). 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 (87.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures