Best Cities for Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialistss

Cities ranked by purchasing power — where bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialistss get the most value from their salary after accounting for cost of living. A score above 1.00 means better than national average.

How we calculate this: City Score = (Local Salary ÷ National Median) ÷ (Local Cost ÷ National Avg Cost). A score of 1.20 means 20% better purchasing power than average.

#	Location	Score	Raw Salary	Adjusted Salary	Rent/Income
1	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WIMetro	1.20	$73,730	$74,101	24%
2	San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CAMetro	1.20	$88,980	$74,027	42%
3	HawaiiState	1.18	$80,080	$72,800	36%
4	WashingtonState	1.18	$77,900	$72,600	29%
5	AlaskaState	1.17	$75,580	$72,464	22%
6	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WAMetro	1.17	$82,330	$72,030	32%
7	North DakotaState	1.16	$66,110	$71,393	18%
8	Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MDMetro	1.14	$74,470	$70,388	27%
9	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MIMetro	1.12	$63,360	$69,474	23%
10	MarylandState	1.11	$74,790	$68,489	27%
11	NevadaState	1.11	$68,410	$68,273	25%
12	MinnesotaState	1.10	$66,840	$68,204	23%
13	WisconsinState	1.10	$62,450	$67,660	21%
14	MassachusettsState	1.09	$73,270	$67,530	37%
15	New HampshireState	1.09	$71,390	$67,349	27%
16	Kansas City, MO-KSMetro	1.09	$62,570	$67,425	25%
17	CaliforniaState	1.08	$73,950	$66,802	37%
18	ColoradoState	1.08	$70,480	$66,869	31%
19	IndianaState	1.08	$60,610	$66,972	21%
20	IowaState	1.08	$59,680	$66,906	19%
21	MichiganState	1.08	$61,420	$66,544	22%
22	MissouriState	1.08	$59,360	$66,998	21%
23	New JerseyState	1.08	$72,340	$66,489	30%
24	OhioState	1.08	$60,470	$66,892	21%
25	Rhode IslandState	1.08	$67,270	$66,935	27%
26	Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NHMetro	1.08	$75,770	$66,758	40%
27	Columbus, OHMetro	1.08	$62,190	$66,513	25%
28	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CAMetro	1.08	$77,380	$66,421	35%
29	Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WAMetro	1.08	$71,990	$66,781	30%
30	IllinoisState	1.07	$64,340	$66,057	24%
31	KansasState	1.07	$59,460	$66,067	21%
32	WyomingState	1.07	$61,580	$66,215	19%
33	GeorgiaState	1.06	$61,370	$65,707	28%
34	Pittsburgh, PAMetro	1.06	$60,280	$65,168	23%
35	LouisianaState	1.05	$58,680	$65,128	21%
36	NebraskaState	1.05	$59,140	$64,634	21%
37	TennesseeState	1.05	$59,190	$64,689	25%
38	MississippiState	1.04	$54,360	$64,104	20%
39	South CarolinaState	1.04	$59,330	$64,489	25%
40	South DakotaState	1.04	$58,120	$64,009	20%
41	UtahState	1.04	$64,350	$64,222	28%
42	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GAMetro	1.04	$62,270	$64,329	31%
43	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WVMetro	1.04	$72,580	$64,344	33%
44	PennsylvaniaState	1.03	$61,740	$63,649	25%
45	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TXMetro	1.03	$58,620	$63,717	27%
46	DelawareState	1.02	$63,590	$62,960	26%
47	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SCMetro	1.02	$60,300	$62,944	30%
48	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TNMetro	1.02	$60,760	$63,160	31%
49	ConnecticutState	1.01	$67,300	$62,546	28%
50	KentuckyState	1.01	$55,480	$62,689	21%
51	MontanaState	1.01	$59,990	$62,230	23%
52	New YorkState	1.01	$70,100	$62,311	32%
53	OklahomaState	1.01	$55,340	$62,531	21%
54	OregonState	1.01	$63,970	$62,107	30%
55	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TXMetro	1.01	$60,390	$62,130	31%
56	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MDMetro	1.01	$64,550	$62,367	30%
57	TexasState	1.00	$58,810	$61,517	28%
58	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FLMetro	1.00	$61,060	$61,990	34%
59	ArizonaState	0.99	$61,680	$61,130	29%
60	IdahoState	0.99	$59,230	$61,378	24%
61	MaineState	0.99	$60,850	$60,972	26%
62	North CarolinaState	0.99	$57,490	$60,900	27%
63	ArkansasState	0.98	$52,330	$60,637	20%
64	New MexicoState	0.98	$55,910	$60,772	22%
65	FloridaState	0.96	$60,490	$59,596	34%
66	VirginiaState	0.96	$61,090	$59,024	31%
67	AlabamaState	0.94	$50,470	$57,945	23%
68	VermontState	0.94	$59,390	$57,941	29%
69	District of ColumbiaState	0.92	$65,200	$57,043	39%
70	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FLMetro	0.92	$61,340	$56,535	40%
71	West VirginiaState	0.90	$46,610	$55,356	22%

Data Sources: Salary: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS). Cost of Living: BEA Regional Price Parities (2024). Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FY2025).