TradeSalary

Diesel mechanic salary in Wisconsin

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Diesel mechanics in Wisconsin earn a median of $62,450 a year, or $30.02 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $82,210. Nationally the median is $61,770, so Wisconsin pays 1% more than the U.S. overall and ranks 21st of 51.

Median yearly pay$62,450
Bottom 10% under$45,250Top 10% over$82,210
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$21.76/hr
Jobs in Wisconsin
6,750
After cost of living
$66,370
Median hourly pay
$30.02/hr
vs U.S. median
+1%
Rank among states
21st of 51
Mean (average) pay
$64,150 a year · $30.84 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 55). 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 Wisconsin 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$21.76$45,250
25th percentile$25.02$52,040
Median (50th)$30.02$62,450
75th percentile$35.96$74,800
90th percentile$39.52$82,210

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

Pay over time

The median diesel mechanic wage in Wisconsin rose 26.5%, from $49,380 in May 2021 to $62,450 in May 2025. Prices rose 19.4% over the same period, so after inflation it rose 5.9%.

YearMedian a yearMedian an hour
May 2021$49,380$23.74/hr
May 2022$56,740$27.28/hr
May 2023$59,420$28.57/hr
May 2024$60,190$28.94/hr
May 2025$62,450$30.02/hr

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, each May release; inflation from the BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U, May of each year). BLS cautions against reading much into year-to-year changes, so we compare the first and last years. How we compare years

How Wisconsin compares

  • Diesel mechanics are more concentrated in Wisconsin than nationally: 2.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.2 times the U.S. share.

Pay by metro area

See all Wisconsin metro areas

Rural Wisconsin

  • Western Wisconsin$63,160
  • South Central Wisconsin$61,720
  • Northeastern Wisconsin$61,090
  • Northwestern Wisconsin$59,950

Other trades in Wisconsin

Bidding federal work? Davis-Bacon prevailing wage rates in Wisconsin list what contractors must pay diesel mechanics on federal and federally assisted jobs, county by county.

Questions

Where in Wisconsin do diesel mechanics earn the most?
Among Wisconsin metro areas, Minneapolis–St. Paul–Bloomington has the highest median at $73,730 a year, and Wausau the lowest at $59,350.

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 55. 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 (94.1, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures