TradeSalary

Diesel mechanic salary in Burlington, NC

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Diesel mechanics in the Burlington, NC area earn a median of $60,680 a year, or $29.17 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $78,360. Statewide, diesel mechanics earn a median of $57,490; Burlington is 6% above it.

Median yearly pay$60,680
Bottom 10% under$40,500Top 10% over$78,360
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$19.47/hr
Jobs in this area
180
After cost of living
$65,110
Median hourly pay
$29.17/hr
vs U.S. median
−2%
vs North Carolina median
+6%
Mean (average) pay
$59,140 a year · $28.43 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 15500, Burlington, NC). 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 Burlington, NC 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$19.47$40,500
25th percentile$23.29$48,430
Median (50th)$29.17$60,680
75th percentile$31.07$64,630
90th percentile$37.67$78,360

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

How Burlington, NC compares

  • Burlington has the highest diesel mechanic median of the 16 North Carolina metro areas with published pay.
  • Diesel mechanics are more concentrated in the Burlington area than nationally: 2.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.4 times the U.S. share.

Other North Carolina metro areas

Other trades in Burlington, NC

Questions

Do diesel mechanics make more in Burlington or Raleigh?
Burlington pays more: the median is $60,680 in Burlington and $60,310 in Raleigh, a 1% 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 15500 (Burlington, NC). 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 (93.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures