Diesel mechanic salary in Columbia, SC
Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Diesel mechanics in the Columbia, SC area earn a median of $60,320 a year, or $29.00 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $94,860. Statewide, diesel mechanics earn a median of $59,330; Columbia is 2% above it.
- Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
- $22.03/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 520
- After cost of living
- $64,400
- Median hourly pay
- $29.00/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −2%
- vs South Carolina median
- +2%
- Mean (average) pay
- $62,250 a year · $29.93 an hour
Pay by percentile
What diesel mechanics in Columbia, 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 | $22.03 | $45,830 |
| 25th percentile | $23.75 | $49,400 |
| Median (50th) | $29.00 | $60,320 |
| 75th percentile | $33.17 | $68,990 |
| 90th percentile | $45.60 | $94,860 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.
How Columbia, SC compares
- Columbia ranks 3rd of 10 South Carolina metro areas for diesel mechanic pay.
- Diesel mechanics are less concentrated in the Columbia area than nationally: 1.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.71 times the U.S. share.
Other South Carolina metro areas
Other trades in Columbia, SC
Questions
- Do diesel mechanics make more in Columbia or Charleston?
- Charleston pays more: the median is $60,320 in Columbia and $61,000 in Charleston, 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 17900 (Columbia, 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 (93.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures