Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists in Colorado
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$56,020
after federal, FICA and Colorado tax
Tax takes
$14,460
20.5% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$55,256
Colorado costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Colorado — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$70,480
Kept after tax
$56,020
Worth in national money
$55,256
State rank
9
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Colorado is one of the better-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $70,480, which ranks 9 of 51 states with published figures. That is about 14.1% above the national middle.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 491 occupations Colorado reports figures for, this is number 199.
- Cost of living is unremarkable here. From $70,480, tax leaves $56,020, and adjusting for local prices barely moves it — about $55,256 in comparable terms. Averages run higher here, $71,010, since top earners drag the number up.
- Colorado ranks 9 of 51 states publishing a median for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists, at $70,480 — about 14.1% above the national median. A state's position on nominal pay is the figure wage tables report and the least informative of the three on this page, because it survives neither the tax adjustment nor the price adjustment intact for most occupations.
- In Colorado's occupational distribution, bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists sits at 199 of 491 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Because Colorado sits close to the national price level, the real-terms figure for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists — median $70,480 — tracks the post-tax figure closely: $56,020 retained, $55,256 adjusted. ⚠️ Neither is a wage; the second describes what the first buys. Mean pay of $71,010 exceeds the median, so the upper tail is doing the work.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $47,450 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $70,480 |
| Top tenth earn over | $96,450 |
| This salary | $70,480 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Colorado | $56,020 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $58,413 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$4,854 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $67,079 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$6,366 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 101 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Treat $70,480 as a midpoint for Colorado, not a promise. The tenth percentile is $47,450 and the ninetieth is $96,450 — a wide band, and where you land in it depends on far more than the state.
- In Colorado the take-home figure of $56,020, from $70,480, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 199 of 491 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Colorado, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $55,256, the adjusted value of that $70,480 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 199 of 491 in the state.
- The Colorado median of $70,480 describes the midpoint of a distribution spanning $47,450 to $96,450. Because that spread is typically larger than the interstate spread, a state median is a weak predictor for any individual worker in this occupation.
- Take-home for Colorado is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $56,020 from $70,480. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 199 of 491 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Colorado, so $55,256 — the adjusted value of that $70,480 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 199 of 491 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $47,450 at the tenth percentile, $96,450 at the ninetieth.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
A larger wage in a dearer place is not automatically more. Adjusted for local prices, this pay behaves like $55,256 of national purchasing power.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Colorado then takes its own share, leaving $56,020.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($47,450 to $96,450) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Colorado rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Colorado's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $55,256 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $56,020 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Colorado income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.