TradeSalary

Diesel mechanic salary in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Diesel mechanics in the Philadelphia–Camden–Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area earn a median of $64,550 a year, or $31.04 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $87,700 a year. That's 5% more than the Pennsylvania median of $61,740.

Median yearly pay$64,550
Bottom 10% under$47,380Top 10% over$87,700
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$22.78/hr
Jobs in this area
4,490
After cost of living
$62,940
Median hourly pay
$31.04/hr
vs U.S. median
+5%
vs Pennsylvania median
+5%
Mean (average) pay
$66,580 a year · $32.01 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 37980, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD). 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 Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD 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$22.78$47,380
25th percentile$26.85$55,850
Median (50th)$31.04$64,550
75th percentile$36.91$76,770
90th percentile$42.16$87,700

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

How Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD compares

  • Philadelphia ranks 2nd of 16 Pennsylvania metro areas for diesel mechanic pay.
  • Diesel mechanics are less concentrated in the Philadelphia area than nationally: 1.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.83 times the U.S. share.

Other Pennsylvania metro areas

Other trades in Philadelphia, PA-NJ-DE-MD

Questions

Do diesel mechanics make more in Philadelphia or Allentown?
Philadelphia pays more: the median is $64,550 in Philadelphia and $64,110 in Allentown, 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 37980 (Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD). 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 (102.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures