Diesel Technician Salary: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
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The median annual wage for Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN was $65,680 in May 2025 (BLS). The middle half of workers earned between $58,080 and $83,900.
Broader occupation Our title "Diesel Technician" is reported by BLS as SOC 49-3031 Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists. BLS groups Diesel Technician within Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately.
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $3,910 above the national median of $61,770 (6.3%).
Annual wages
Diesel Technician, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, annual wages: 10% earned less than $45,830, half earned less than the median of $65,680, 90% earned less than $98,660 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $45,830 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $58,080 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $65,680 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $83,900 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $98,660 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $71,390 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Hourly wages
Diesel Technician, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, hourly wages: 10% earned less than $22.03, half earned less than the median of $31.58, 90% earned less than $47.44 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Hourly wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $22.03 per hour | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $27.93 per hour | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $31.58 per hour | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $40.34 per hour | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $47.44 per hour | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $34.32 per hour | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
National comparison
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $44,530 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $50,540 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $61,770 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $75,470 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $88,740 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $64,320 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 49-3031 Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN.
What BLS wages include. Base pay plus any guaranteed or production-based incentive pay. They leave out overtime, discretionary bonus, benefits, per diem and relocation.
BLS definitions, verbatim
wages
Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
hours
Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly wages by 2,080 hours; for occupations where hourly wages are not published, annual wages were taken directly from the reported survey data.
Which related roles have a different BLS occupation?
A supervisory occupation is not an experience percentile for the craft. Compare the actual responsibilities and the published SOC.
Shop Foreman (49-1011)What do these published wages mean for an offer?
Skilled Trades Headhunters reads the May 2025 figures for Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN as an offer reference, not a quote for a particular candidate. For Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, the published median for SOC 49-3031, Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists, is $65,680 per year. The middle half of the Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage distribution runs from $58,080 to $83,900, a width of $25,820 per year; that spread shows how much published pay varies within the occupation and area, without assigning experience levels.
Against the United States estimate, the Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $3,910 above the national median of $61,770. For Diesel Technician, Kankakee, IL reports $58,230 per year, $7,450 below Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN; For Diesel Technician, Niles, MI reports $59,590 per year, $6,090 below Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. The neighbors used for Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN are the nearest metro representative points with a released median, using Census geography, not a commuting or cost-of-living adjustment.
The highest published medians among the selected national industry rows for Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists, read alongside Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, are Natural Gas Distribution at $103,610 per year (NAICS 221200); Scheduled Air Transportation at $102,280 per year (NAICS 481100); Air Transportation at $99,420 per year (NAICS 481000). Those Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN industry comparisons are national cross-sections, not local industry estimates; BLS does not give us a metro-by-industry wage cut here, and overlapping industry groups should not be added together.
The Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median was $65,240 per year in May 2024, compared with $65,680 in May 2025, a published difference of $440. That Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN comparison is between separate BLS releases, not the raise paid to the same workers or a projection of next year's offer. Read the $65,240 and $65,680 Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN estimates with both dates visible, because the employers and workers represented by the survey can change.
Before offering $65,680 per year for Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, separate overtime, per diem, lodging and mobilization separately; prevailing wage obligations and union scale depend on the assignment and agreement, not a special BLS traveling-worker percentile. The Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN BLS comparison includes ordinary wages and qualifying incentive pay, but leaves overtime, discretionary bonuses, benefits and relocation outside this wage figure. A candidate's take-home pay and the employer's total cost for Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN can therefore differ from the median without either number being an error.
The mapping for Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is broader: BLS groups Diesel Technician within Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately. When calibrating a Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN opening, the work checks include ASE T-series or Master Truck; power-equipment manufacturers/commercial-vehicle manufacturers/commercial-vehicle manufacturers; ask for evidence of that scope instead of using a percentile as a substitute for qualification. A broader occupation can combine jobs that a Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN buyer would screen separately, which is why the badge and SOC remain beside the figures.
Questions about this occupation and area
What does the middle-half band tell a Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN buyer?
Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN has a published middle-half band of $58,080 to $83,900, a width of $25,820 per year, with median $65,680. An offer inside that Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN band is not automatically competitive for every scope; match the required work and the separate pay terms first.
Which areas should I compare before hiring Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
Kankakee, IL and Niles, MI are the nearest published metro reference points used for Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Comparing those Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists tables with the $65,680 Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median does not measure commuting costs or predict what a particular applicant will accept.
Are the industry figures local to Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN uses national industry rows for SOC 49-3031, not local sector-specific wages. Natural Gas Distribution leads the selected sortable rows at $103,610 per year, but that national industry figure is not a quoted offer for Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN.
What changed between the releases for Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN moved from $65,240 in May 2024 to $65,680 in May 2025. These Diesel Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN published medians do not describe an individual raise or establish a future wage trend.
What changed since May 2024
SOC 49-3031. Published annual median: $65,240 (May 2024) and $65,680 (May 2025). These are two BLS releases, not a projection.