Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialistss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $64,320 ≈ $31/hr
National median salary $61,770
Total employment 289,960 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth +2.4% About as fast as average
Annual openings 26,500 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 319,900 → 327,700 (+7,800)
Typical entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. Washington$78,790
  2. Hawaii$76,730
  3. Alaska$74,580
  4. Massachusetts$73,640
  5. Maryland$73,300

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. West Virginia$52,690
  2. Alabama$54,120
  3. Arkansas$54,250
  4. Oklahoma$55,650
  5. Mississippi$56,670
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 Washington $78,790 $77,900 $38 +22.5% 7,410
2 Hawaii $76,730 $80,080 $37 +19.3% 690
3 Alaska $74,580 $75,580 $36 +16% 860
4 Massachusetts $73,640 $73,270 $35 +14.5% 4,870
5 Maryland $73,300 $74,790 $35 +14% 3,030
6 New Hampshire $72,860 $71,390 $35 +13.3% 1,040
7 California $72,690 $73,950 $35 +13% 20,940
8 Nevada $71,370 $68,410 $34 +11% 1,990
9 Colorado $71,010 $70,480 $34 +10.4% 4,600
10 New Jersey $70,860 $72,340 $34 +10.2% 8,160
11 New York $70,740 $70,100 $34 +10% 13,230
12 Connecticut $70,200 $67,300 $34 +9.1% 2,860
13 District of Columbia $69,880 $65,200 $34 +8.6% 110
14 Minnesota $69,320 $66,840 $33 +7.8% 7,300
15 Rhode Island $69,320 $67,270 $33 +7.8% 350

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 518 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $88,980 $85,960 720
2 Urban Honolulu, HI $85,040 $78,380 540
3 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA $82,330 $84,730 3,740
4 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $82,100 $81,180 1,730
5 Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA $80,450 $80,200 160
6 Boulder, CO $79,030 $77,740 150
7 Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA $78,960 $78,130 260
8 Paducah, KY-IL $78,900 $76,290 190
9 Bellingham, WA $78,330 $76,440 220
10 Napa, CA $78,070 $79,120 60

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialistss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) $105,370 $102,690 60
2 Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation) $105,370 $102,690 60
3 Natural Gas Distribution $103,610 $101,720 460
4 Scheduled Air Transportation $102,280 $97,850 780
5 Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation $100,660 $93,560 320
6 Air Transportation $99,420 $97,580 780
7 Utilities $99,210 $95,840 3,030
8 Sector 22 - Utilities $99,210 $95,840 3,030
9 Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution $98,940 $95,590 2,510
10 Couriers and Express Delivery Services $95,150 $91,580 4,260
11 Couriers and Messengers $94,860 $89,710 4,500
12 Inland Water Transportation $93,680 $84,910 340

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
57,820
$10-20k
14,498
$20-30k
24,002
$30-40k
35,547
$40-50k
49,117
$50-60k
48,740
$60-70k
48,641
$70-80k
31,631
$80-90k
20,977
$90-100k
12,688
$100-110k
10,219
$110-120k
3,372
$120-130k
2,633
$130-140k
1,511
$140-150k
814
$150-160k
805
$160-170k
285
$170-180k
334
$180-190k
443
$190-200k
35
$200k+
1,303

Pay by age band

16-24
$36,080
25-34
$52,885
35-44
$56,971
45-54
$57,445
55-64
$50,012
65+
$28,155

Education level

Regular high school diploma
$47,041
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$50,667
Associates Degree
$59,443
Some college, but less than 1 year
$56,919
GED or alternative credential
$47,889
Bachelors Degree
$56,805
12th grade - no diploma
$46,693
Grade 11
$40,483
No schooling completed
$34,680
Grade 10
$32,087
Grade 9
$36,936
Grade 8
$38,415
Grade 6
$43,294
Masters Degree
$55,797
Grade 7
$50,136
Professional degree
$34,905
Grade 4
$18,051
Grade 5
$20,936
Doctorate degree
$53,081
Grade 3
$65,080
Grade 2
$40,781
Grade 1
$8,156

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
292,858 · $58,851
Part-time
16,197 · $24,137

Race / ethnicity

White
$49,568
Two or More Races
$45,899
Other
$50,118
Black
$55,091
Asian
$43,066
American Indian
$62,998
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
$10,293
American Indian and Alaska Native tribes specified; or American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified and no other races
$41,721
Alaska Native
$94,981

Top fields of study

Criminal Justice And Fire Protection
$70,450
General Engineering
$33,518
General Business
$101,951
Mechanical Engineering
$68,191
Business Management And Administration
$47,155
Computer Science
$83,274
Accounting
$44,685
Social Science Or History Teacher Education
$52,195

Top Skills

Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).

Repairing
4.0
Troubleshooting
4.0
Operations Monitoring
3.5
Equipment Maintenance
3.4
Critical Thinking
3.3
Quality Control Analysis
3.3
Speaking
3.1
Equipment Selection
3.1
Judgment and Decision Making
3.1
Operation and Control
3.0
Active Listening
3.0
Monitoring
3.0

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists make in the U.S.?

The median bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists salary in the United States is $61,770 per year (mean $64,320), and about 80% earn between $44,530 and $88,740.

How much do bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists make per hour?

Roughly $31 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $64,320 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists the most?

Washington has the highest average pay for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists at $78,790 per year (median $77,900).

What is the job outlook for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists?

Employment is projected to change +2.4% from 2024 to 2034 (About as fast as average), with about 26,500 openings per year.