Find a Job You Really Want In
Diesel Mechanics are one of the most common jobs in America. Additionally, a significant number of people work as diesel mechanics in every state in the union — it’s not like they are all just concentrated in California or the South.
Since diesel mechanics are such a prominent occupation, we at Zippia wanted to look at where diesel mechanics have it the best: where there are plenty of jobs to go around and people get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into the numbers from the BLS to figure out which states have the best opportunities for diesel mechanics.
After all the numbers had been crunched, we were left with this list of the best of best for America’s diesel mechanics:
So there you have it — Bus And Truck Mechanics And Diesel Engine Specialists is the best of the best when it comes to being a diesel mechanic.
How did Bus And Truck Mechanics And Diesel Engine Specialists end up here and does it really deserve this ranking? Read on to see how we completed our research on the best states for diesel mechanics and for more on the top ten states.
If youâre interested, you can read more about the job scene here:
How we determined the best states to be a diesel mechanic
Here at Zippia, we talk to a lot of people of all different backgrounds looking for jobs. Our research has concluded that there are two common things people want in a job:
- Availability of jobs
- Higher Pay
So in order to find out the best states for diesel mechanics in America we needed to figure out where the jobs are and how well diesel mechanics get paid. This led to the following criteria taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s Occupational Employment Statistics for 2016:
- Location quotient. A measure of how common a job is a given state.
- Average annual salary.
- Average annual salary for entry level work.
- Average annual salary for experienced professionals.
To make all the salary numbers more apples to apples across states, we compared the salary data relative to the state’s cost of living.
Applying this standardization allows us to account for that fact that it costs more to live in certain in states. For example, the average salary for diesel mechanics in California is $52,780 and the average salary in Illinois is $49,050, but the Illinois salary actually goes further in paying for life’s essentials.
In order to develop and overall ranking, we ranked each state for each criteria from 1 to 50 where 1 was the best.
We then averaged all the rankings for a state into a Job Score with the state having the lowest overall Job Score earning the distinction of being the best state for diesel mechanics in America.
So without further ado, let’s get into just what made each state so great for diesel mechanics.
1. Wyoming
Total Jobs: 1,280
Average Annual Salary: $55,150
Average Entry Level Salary: $35,650
Average Experienced Salary: $77,250
Location Quotient: 2.56
2. North Dakota
Total Jobs: 1,850
Average Annual Salary: $51,700
Average Entry Level Salary: $33,700
Average Experienced Salary: $73,380
Location Quotient: 2.4
3. Utah
Total Jobs: 2,860
Average Annual Salary: $47,560
Average Entry Level Salary: $31,290
Average Experienced Salary: $66,990
Location Quotient: 1.15
4. Texas
Total Jobs: 26,320
Average Annual Salary: $45,740
Average Entry Level Salary: $28,420
Average Experienced Salary: $64,260
Location Quotient: 1.24
5. Tennessee
Total Jobs: 6,950
Average Annual Salary: $43,690
Average Entry Level Salary: $27,660
Average Experienced Salary: $62,010
Location Quotient: 1.33
6. Indiana
Total Jobs: 8,120
Average Annual Salary: $42,500
Average Entry Level Salary: $28,180
Average Experienced Salary: $60,270
Location Quotient: 1.5
7. Nevada
Total Jobs: 1,690
Average Annual Salary: $55,300
Average Entry Level Salary: $35,250
Average Experienced Salary: $77,530
Location Quotient: 0.73
8. Alaska
Total Jobs: 870
Average Annual Salary: $62,710
Average Entry Level Salary: $42,960
Average Experienced Salary: $84,900
Location Quotient: 1.48
9. Kansas
Total Jobs: 2,550
Average Annual Salary: $43,890
Average Entry Level Salary: $28,900
Average Experienced Salary: $62,560
Location Quotient: 1.03
10. Washington
Total Jobs: 5,120
Average Annual Salary: $53,200
Average Entry Level Salary: $34,420
Average Experienced Salary: $74,030
Location Quotient: 0.92
There You Have It – The Best States To Be A Diesel Mechanic
If you’re looking to start out your career as a diesel mechanic these are the states that should be at the top of your list. You’ll find high pay, available jobs, and chances for career advancement.
If you’re curious, here are the worst states to be a diesel mechanic in America:
Detailed List Of The Best States For diesel mechanics
| Rank | State | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | $55,150 |
| 2 | North Dakota | $51,700 |
| 3 | Utah | $47,560 |
| 4 | Texas | $45,740 |
| 5 | Tennessee | $43,690 |
| 6 | Indiana | $42,500 |
| 7 | Nevada | $55,300 |
| 8 | Alaska | $62,710 |
| 9 | Kansas | $43,890 |
| 10 | Washington | $53,200 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $48,640 |
| 12 | Nebraska | $43,350 |
| 13 | Illinois | $49,050 |
| 14 | Ohio | $44,460 |
| 15 | Georgia | $44,840 |
| 16 | Michigan | $42,840 |
| 17 | Colorado | $49,560 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $45,360 |
| 19 | Oklahoma | $42,500 |
| 20 | Missouri | $43,710 |
| 21 | Arkansas | $38,720 |
| 22 | Iowa | $41,410 |
| 23 | Alabama | $41,110 |
| 24 | Kentucky | $41,110 |
| 25 | Delaware | $48,880 |
| 26 | Idaho | $40,590 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $43,330 |
| 28 | Florida | $45,750 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $44,540 |
| 30 | Montana | $43,600 |
| 31 | Virginia | $46,030 |
| 32 | Arizona | $43,580 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $42,010 |
| 34 | New Mexico | $42,860 |
| 35 | New Jersey | $54,500 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $37,280 |
| 37 | West Virginia | $38,640 |
| 38 | Pennsylvania | $44,340 |
| 39 | Oregon | $47,130 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $40,430 |
| 41 | Maine | $43,180 |
| 42 | Connecticut | $54,410 |
| 43 | Vermont | $44,880 |
| 44 | New York | $53,190 |
| 45 | New Hampshire | $46,790 |
| 46 | Massachusetts | $54,880 |
| 47 | Maryland | $48,860 |
| 48 | California | $52,780 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $55,510 |
| 50 | Rhode Island | $45,870 |
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
