Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists in Idaho
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$47,485
after federal, FICA and Idaho tax
Tax takes
$11,745
19.8% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$51,939
Idaho costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Idaho — 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
$59,230
Kept after tax
$47,485
Worth in national money
$51,939
State rank
38
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Pay for this job is on the low side in Idaho. The middle earner gets $59,230. That is 38 of 51 states, and about 4.11% under the national figure. Whether that matters depends on what things cost here.
- Ordinary, locally speaking. This job ranks 216 among 476 occupations Idaho publishes pay for.
- Here is where Idaho does better than its wage suggests. From a median of $59,230 you keep $47,485, and because things cost less here than the national average, that behaves like $51,939 would elsewhere. The average is higher, $60,110, because the best-paid pull it up.
- For bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists, Idaho sits in the lower band at $59,230, ranking 38 of 51 and trailing the national median by about 4.11%. Nominal rankings routinely invert once tax and regional price level are applied, so this position should not be read as the conclusion.
- Position 216 of 476 in Idaho places bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists in the middle of the state's wage distribution. Because within-state and cross-state rankings measure different things, this figure and the national one above should be read together rather than as a single verdict.
- After federal, FICA and Idaho income tax, retained pay for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists on $59,230 is $47,485. Deflating by the state's price level — below the national average — gives $51,939 in national-average terms. ⚠️ That figure is purchasing power, not a wage, and nobody is paid it; it is what the take-home buys. The mean of $60,110 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
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 | $45,960 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $59,230 |
| Top tenth earn over | $77,800 |
| This salary | $59,230 |
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 Idaho | $47,485 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $49,771 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | −$721 |
The raise and the real gain point in opposite directions here.
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 | $56,385 |
|---|---|
| Raise you would need | +$872 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 91 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Idaho earn less than $59,230. The published range is $45,960 up to $77,800, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Idaho's $47,485, worked from $59,230. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 216 of 476.
- One number stands for prices across all of Idaho, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $51,939, the adjusted value of that $59,230 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 216 of 476 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists in Idaho the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $45,960 to $77,800. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- The Idaho take-home of $47,485, on $59,230 for work ranking 216 of 476 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 216 of 476 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Idaho, so $51,939 — the adjusted value of that $59,230 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 216 of 476 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
The range here is narrow. From $45,960 at the bottom tenth to $77,800 at the top, pay for this work clusters rather than spreads.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
More than the figure suggests. Prices in Idaho sit below the national level, so take-home here stretches like $51,939 would elsewhere. The wage is the same; the ground it covers is larger.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Idaho's own levy, $47,485 remains.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($45,960 to $77,800) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Idaho rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Idaho's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $51,939 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $47,485 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Idaho 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.