Diesel mechanic salary in Charleston, SC
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Diesel mechanics in the Charleston–North Charleston, SC area earn a median of $61,000 a year, or $29.33 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $79,340 a year. Statewide, diesel mechanics earn a median of $59,330; Charleston is 3% above it.
- Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
- $22.38/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 540
- After cost of living
- $60,420
- Median hourly pay
- $29.33/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −1%
- vs South Carolina median
- +3%
- Mean (average) pay
- $61,410 a year · $29.52 an hour
Pay by percentile
What diesel mechanics in Charleston, SC 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 | $22.38 | $46,550 |
| 25th percentile | $24.43 | $50,820 |
| Median (50th) | $29.33 | $61,000 |
| 75th percentile | $31.90 | $66,350 |
| 90th percentile | $38.14 | $79,340 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.
How Charleston, SC compares
- Charleston has the highest diesel mechanic median of the 10 South Carolina metro areas with published pay.
- Diesel mechanics are less concentrated in the Charleston area than nationally: 1.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.74 times the U.S. share.
Other South Carolina metro areas
Other trades in Charleston, SC
Questions
- Do diesel mechanics make more in Charleston or Spartanburg?
- Pay is about the same: the median is $61,000 in Charleston and $60,750 in Spartanburg.
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 16700 (Charleston-North Charleston, SC). 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 (101.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures