Electrician Salaries in Illinois

Electricians in Illinois earned the 4th highest average salary in the country as of 2015, while electrician in two cities of Illinois earned exceptionally high wages according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS):

  • Rockford—6th highest average salary in the country
  • Elgin—10th highest average salary in the country

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The state of Illinois expects that the number of jobs for electricians will grow by more than 2,800 in the ten-year period ending in 2022 (Illinois Department of Employment Security).

Demand is strong for skilled electricians and other types of construction professionals. In fact, 85% of the construction firms in Illinois surveyed by the Associated General Contractors of America in 2015 expected that it would be either hard now or continue to be hard to find qualified workers.

Chicago in particular is a hotbed of construction activity, and the city had the 3rd highest number of jobs for electricians of any metropolitan area in the country according to the BLS.

Crain’s Chicago Business described “good times” for the city’s construction industry in an article published in December 2015. Major construction projects in Chicago offer significant opportunities for electricians and other people who work in the construction industry. Large-scale construction projects underway in Chicago in 2016 include:

  • A 390-unit high-rise apartment building in the Gold Coast
  • Two high-rises totaling 748 apartments in River North

High-profile projects for Chicago that are in the planning stages include:

  • The $400 million Lucas Museum of Narrative Art
  • The $1 billion 93-story Wanda Vista Tower on the Chicago River
  • The Barack Obama Presidential Center
  • A $500 million outpatient center by Rush University Medical Center
  • A Hyde Park trauma center for the University of Chicago Medicine

Salaries for Residential Electricians Throughout Illinois

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides the range of salaries earned by electricians in urban and rural parts of Illinois. Highly skilled master electricians can expect to earn salaries at the highest end of these ranges (2015):

Area name
Employment
Annual mean wage
Bloomington IL
220
70320
Carbondale-Marion IL
210
63890
Champaign-Urbana IL
420
62140
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights IL Metropolitan Division
13700
73750
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN-WI
19330
73370
Danville IL
110
58950
Decatur IL
Estimate not released
28840
Elgin IL Metropolitan Division
770
74930
Kankakee IL
110
65970
Lake County-Kenosha County IL-WI Metropolitan Division
1170
73030
Peoria IL
930
63560
Rockford IL
620
76680
Springfield IL
310
66350
Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area
670
53870
West Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area
590
55490
East Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area
560
51710
South Illinois nonmetropolitan area
300
64150

Salaries for Specialty Electricians in the Major Cities of Illinois

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides salaries for a number of different types of specialized electricians that work in the major cities of Illinois (2015). Those with the most education and experience tend to earn salaries at the upper end of the ranges shown here:

Electrical and Electronics Repairers Specializing in Commercial and Industrial Equipment:

  • Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $53,200 – $85,860
  • Elgin: $49,890 – $86,280
  • Lake County-Kenosha County: $56,920 – $78,700
  • Peoria: $59,210 – $71,670
  • Rockford: $55,000 – $77,190

Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers:

  • Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $71,640 – $95,870
  • Lake County/Kenosha County: $64,280 – $88,210
  • Peoria: $72,020 – $92,610
  • Springfield: $87,330 – $99,240

Electronic Home Entertainment Equipment Installers and Repairers:

  • Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $53,160 – $77,510
  • Lake County-Kenosha County: $50,040 – $67,050

Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers:

  • Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $45,520 – $72,850
  • Peoria: $58,870 – $91,760

Electrical and Electronics Repairers Specializing in Transportation Equipment:

  • Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $62,550 – $94,700

Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers Specializing in Motor Vehicles:

  • Chicago-Naperville-Elgin: $39,070 – $66,660

The statewide average for electricians in these specialized roles is shown in the table below:

Area name
Employment
Annual mean wage
Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers / Transportation Equipment
910
55760
Electrical and Electronics Repairers Commercial and Industrial Equipment
1930
54450
Electrical and Electronics Repairers Powerhouse Substation and Relay
900
69750
Electronic Equipment Installers and Repairers Motor Vehicles
300
40340
Electronic Home Entertainment Equipment Installers and Repairers
1250
49920
Security and Fire Alarm Systems Installers
1810
47320
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers
3200
73080

Salaries for Electrician Apprentices in Chicago and Lake/Kenosha Counties

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides salary data for the occupational classification for “Electrician’s Helpers” in two of the major metropolitan areas of Illinois. This information is shown here to represent the wages earned during an electrical apprenticeship; 2015:

Area name
Employment
Annual mean wage
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights IL Metropolitan Division
410
33620
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN-WI
540
34150
Lake County-Kenosha County IL-WI Metropolitan Division
Estimate not released
39370

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