Diesel Mechanics in the San Juan area earn a median of $39,690 a year, 34% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #387 of 388 metros for diesel mechanic salaries across the U.S..
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Ponce and Arecibo, but less in Aguadilla.
It's one of 5 Puerto Rico metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide diesel mechanic pay.
Diesel Mechanic pay in San Juan at a glance
- Diesel mechanics in the San Juan, PR metro earn a median $39,690 a year ($19.08 an hour), #387 of 388 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $24,010 and $74,610.
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $581 a month, 18% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
- About 700 diesel mechanics work in the metro.
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among diesel mechanics in San Juan.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for diesel mechanics here is in the bottom 20% of U.S. metros.
San Juan scorecard for diesel mechanics Our calculation
Grades compare San Juan with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($60,355).
Pay over time
The median pay for diesel mechanics in the San Juan area went from $23,960 in 2020 to $39,690 in 2025, up 65.7%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's +32.1% — a real raise.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
Rent in San Juan
Typical rent is $581 a month for a 1-bedroom and $683 for a 2-bedroom.
What diesel mechanics do
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.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Use handtools, such as screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches, pressure gauges, or precision instruments, as well as power tools, such as pneumatic wrenches, lathes, welding equipment, or jacks and hoists.
- Inspect brake systems, steering mechanisms, wheel bearings, and other important parts to ensure that they are in proper operating condition.
- Raise trucks, buses, and heavy parts or equipment using hydraulic jacks or hoists.
- Adjust and reline brakes, align wheels, tighten bolts and screws, and reassemble equipment.
- Attach test instruments to equipment, and read dials and gauges to diagnose malfunctions.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, diesel mechanic jobs are projected to grow 3.6% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 24,400 openings a year. About 6% are self-employed.
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.
Licensing in Puerto Rico Official source
Check with local authorities in Puerto Rico. Check with the building or licensing office where you plan to work.
Requirements for diesel mechanics vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
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.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying PR metros for diesel mechanics
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| PoncePUERTO RICO · PR | $46,280 | — | 60 |
| AreciboPUERTO RICO · PR | $43,920 | — | 40 |
| MayaguezPUERTO RICO · PR | $41,460 | — | 60 |
| San JuanPUERTO RICO · PR | $39,690 | — | 700 |
| AguadillaPUERTO RICO · PR | $30,510 | — | 50 |
See every metro in Puerto Rico.
How much work is there? Government data
Getting to work
The average commute in the San Juan area is 30 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 22% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 82% drive alone, 1% take transit and 6% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
New construction
In 2025 the San Juan area approved permits for 1,546 new homes (1,459 single-family), or 0.8 per 1,000 residents, ranking #371 of 393 metros.
Where to train near San Juan Government data
10 schools in or near San Juan offer vehicle maintenance and repair programs below the bachelor's level, 1 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 $19,157 in their first year out.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mech-Tech College Caguas, PR · Private for-profit | Certificate | $20,396 | 690 | $20,287 |
| Automeca Technical College-Bayamon Bayamon, PR · Private for-profit | Certificate | $14,414 | 299 | $19,157 |
| Caribbean Aviation Training Institute Inc Carolina, PR · Private for-profit | Certificate | $20,613 | 106 | — |
| Automeca Technical College-Caguas Caguas, PR · Private for-profit | Certificate | $15,109 | 85 | $19,157 |
| Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Department of Education-PRAMI Fajardo, PR · Public | Certificate | $13,900 | 71 | — |
| Liceo de Arte y Tecnologia San Juan, PR · Private for-profit | Certificate | $18,900 | 34 | $16,476 |
| Mech-Tech College Caguas, PR · Private for-profit | Associate degree | $20,396 | 23 | — |
| American Technical Institute Bayamon, PR · Private for-profit | Certificate | $11,564 | 22 | $19,112 |
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.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $39,690 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get diesel mechanic pricing & estimate templates →Compare San Juan with another city →
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ToolCheck an offer in San JuanSee where it falls among local diesel mechanics, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolSan Juan budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the San Juan metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank San Juan against every other metro for diesel mechanics. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.
Report a data issue on this page
BEA doesn't publish price levels for San Juan, so real pay isn't shown. The Census doesn't publish one-person business or competition figures for diesel mechanics as a separate industry, so that section is left out.