TradeSalary

Diesel mechanic salary in Houston, TX

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Diesel mechanics in the Houston–Pasadena–The Woodlands, TX area earn a median of $60,770 a year, or $29.22 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $96,650 a year. Across all of Texas, the median is $58,810, so Houston pays 3% more than the state as a whole.

Median yearly pay$60,770
Bottom 10% under$44,960Top 10% over$96,650
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$21.62/hr
Jobs in this area
7,410
After cost of living
$61,610
Median hourly pay
$29.22/hr
vs U.S. median
−2%
vs Texas median
+3%
Mean (average) pay
$64,070 a year · $30.81 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 26420, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX). 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 Houston, TX 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$21.62$44,960
25th percentile$23.95$49,810
Median (50th)$29.22$60,770
75th percentile$35.82$74,500
90th percentile$46.47$96,650

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

How Houston, TX compares

  • Houston ranks 4th of 25 Texas metro areas for diesel mechanic pay.
  • Diesel mechanics are more concentrated in the Houston area than nationally: 2.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.2 times the U.S. share.

Other Texas metro areas

Other trades in Houston, TX

Questions

Do diesel mechanics make more in Houston or Austin?
Pay is about the same: the median is $60,770 in Houston and $61,070 in Austin.

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 26420 (Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX). 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 (98.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures