Statewide pay Government data
Diesel mechanics in Michigan earn a statewide median of $61,420 a year, 2% above the typical U.S. metro, ranking #25 of 50 states and DC. About 9,020 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near Michigan
See all states on the diesel mechanics nationwide.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes diesel mechanic pay for 15 Michigan metros. The highest-paying is Ann Arbor at $65,770, followed by Detroit and Traverse City.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ann ArborMICHIGAN · MI | $65,770 | $65,196 | 220 |
| DetroitMICHIGAN · MI | $63,360 | $63,172 | 3,820 |
| Traverse CityMICHIGAN · MI | $63,240 | $67,729 | 150 |
| JacksonMICHIGAN · MI | $63,030 | $68,676 | 90 |
| FlintMICHIGAN · MI | $61,780 | $66,406 | 170 |
| LansingMICHIGAN · MI | $61,740 | $64,996 | 400 |
| MidlandMICHIGAN · MI | $61,380 | $66,775 | 40 |
| Grand RapidsMICHIGAN · MI | $61,240 | $64,095 | 1,550 |
| Bay CityMICHIGAN · MI | $60,530 | $65,850 | 90 |
| KalamazooMICHIGAN · MI | $60,200 | $63,475 | 230 |
| NilesMICHIGAN · MI | $59,590 | $64,512 | 90 |
| SaginawMICHIGAN · MI | $59,000 | $64,913 | 190 |
| Battle CreekMICHIGAN · MI | $58,810 | $64,954 | 130 |
| MonroeMICHIGAN · MI | $58,240 | $62,294 | 160 |
| MuskegonMICHIGAN · MI | $55,700 | $60,204 | 100 |
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
Pay outside the cities Government data
BLS also reports pay for Michigan's rural (nonmetropolitan) regions.
BLS OEWS nonmetropolitan areas, May 2025.
The job (national)
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul buses and trucks, or maintain and repair any type of diesel engines. Includes mechanics working primarily with automobile or marine diesel engines.
Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 3.6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 24,400 openings a year. Typical training: long-term on-the-job training.
Nationally, diesel mechanics have 163 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.9× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
What the work is like Government data
How often diesel mechanics deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes medium preparation (vocational training or an apprenticeship, often 1–2+ years).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Registered apprenticeships Government data
Of diesel mechanic apprentices in Michigan who finished or left a registered program in fiscal years 2020–2024, 56% completed (U.S.: 66%), about 17 graduates a year. The typical program runs 8,000 hours, about 4 years of full-time work. Union programs had a 81% completion rate, compared with 18% for non-union programs. Search open registered programs near you on the official Apprenticeship Finder.
U.S. Department of Labor, RAPIDS apprentice records (Completion Rate Analysis), FY2020–2024 exits.
Serious injuries & deaths reported to OSHA Government data
Michigan runs its own workplace-safety program (an OSHA State Plan), so its injury reports aren't in the federal dataset. Nationally, in states federal OSHA covers, truck and auto repair shops filed 277 severe injury reports from 2015 to 2024; the most common cause was contact with objects and equipment (55%). OSHA also opened 3 fatality investigations at truck and auto repair shops in Michigan over the same years (federal and state programs).
OSHA Severe Injury Reports, January 2015–December 2024 (states under federal OSHA only).
Fatality investigations: OSHA Fatality Inspection Data, events 2015–2024, all states.
Where to train in Michigan Government data
29 schools in Michigan offer vehicle maintenance and repair programs below the bachelor's level, 24 of them at public colleges. Many people in this trade learn through an apprenticeship instead; a program can shorten it or get you hired as a helper.
Where published, graduates earned a median of $56,106 in their first year out.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Universal Technical Institute-Canton Canton, MI · Private for-profit | Certificate | $28,897 | 242 | $50,370 |
| Lansing Community College Lansing, MI · Public | Certificate | $14,420 | 102 | $61,282 |
| Wayne County Community College District Detroit, MI · Public | Certificate | $13,454 | 72 | — |
| Washtenaw Community College Ann Arbor, MI · Public | Certificate | $13,528 | 52 | — |
| Kalamazoo Valley Community College Kalamazoo, MI · Public | Certificate | $12,174 | 48 | — |
| Macomb Community College Warren, MI · Public | Certificate | $13,418 | 46 | — |
| School of Missionary Aviation Technology Ionia, MI · Private nonprofit | Certificate | $19,829 | 29 | $59,164 |
| Lansing Community College Lansing, MI · Public | Associate degree | $14,420 | 29 | $53,876 |
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (data updated October 2026). Cost is the school's average yearly cost of attendance before financial aid; earnings are the median for graduates one year after finishing, shown only where the school has enough graduates to publish. “—” means not published.
Licensing in Michigan Official source
The main state licensing office in Michigan is the LARA Bureau of Construction Codes. It can point you to the right license for diesel mechanics.
Official Michigan licensing site ↗
Requirements for diesel mechanics vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Union membership
In 2025, 13.0% of wage and salary workers in Michigan were union members, above the U.S. rate of about 10% (#14 of 51 states and D.C.), and 14.2% were covered by a union contract. These figures cover all jobs in the state, not only diesel mechanics.
BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.
Cities in Michigan
All trades in Michigan.