Diesel mechanic salary in Reading, PA
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Diesel mechanics in the Reading, PA area earn a median of $68,640 a year, or $33.00 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $77,510. That's 11% more than the Pennsylvania median of $61,740.
- Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
- $23.45/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 710
- After cost of living
- $70,720
- Median hourly pay
- $33.00/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +11%
- vs Pennsylvania median
- +11%
- Mean (average) pay
- $65,850 a year · $31.66 an hour
Pay by percentile
What diesel mechanics in Reading, PA 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.
| Percentile | Hourly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $23.45 | $48,770 |
| 25th percentile | $27.93 | $58,100 |
| Median (50th) | $33.00 | $68,640 |
| 75th percentile | $37.27 | $77,510 |
| 90th percentile | $37.27 | $77,510 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.
How Reading, PA compares
- Reading has the highest diesel mechanic median of the 16 Pennsylvania metro areas with published pay.
- Diesel mechanics are more concentrated in the Reading area than nationally: 4.1 of every 1,000 jobs, 2.2 times the U.S. share.
Other Pennsylvania metro areas
Other trades in Reading, PA
Questions
- Do diesel mechanics make more in Reading or Philadelphia?
- Reading pays more: the median is $68,640 in Reading and $64,550 in Philadelphia, a 6% 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 39740 (Reading, PA). 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 (97.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures