How much do elevator installers make in Illinois in 2026?

Elevator installers in Illinois earn some of the highest wages in the skilled trades. The median annual wage is $133,690, which works out to roughly $64.27 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That figure sits well above most other construction trades in the state, reflecting the specialized licensing, technical knowledge, and physical demands the work requires.

The full spread tells you a lot about where you can land. The 25th percentile comes in at $94,850 a year, or about $45.60 an hour. That's typically where newer mechanics and apprentices completing their training land before they build a full book of experience. The 75th percentile reaches $160,450 annually, around $77.14 an hour. Workers at that level usually combine years of field experience with specialized skills — high-rise hydraulic systems, complex modernization projects, or supervisory roles on large commercial jobs.

Illinois is a major market for this trade. Chicago and the surrounding metro area drive the bulk of demand, with dense commercial construction, hospital and high-rise residential projects, and an older elevator stock that requires constant modernization and maintenance. Downstate markets in cities like Rockford, Peoria, and Springfield generate work too, though the volume is lower and competition for the top-tier jobs is tighter. If you're willing to work in the Chicago metro, you have the best shot at landing projects that push your hours and skills toward the higher end of the range.

Overtime is a genuine income driver for elevator mechanics. When a building deadline is tight or a unit goes down unexpectedly, installers are called back. Even modest overtime — say, five to ten hours a week averaged across the year — can add $12,000 to $20,000 to your annual take-home on top of a base salary near the median.

The path into the trade in Illinois runs through an apprenticeship program, typically lasting five years. Apprentices earn a percentage of journeyman scale that rises with each year completed, so your first-year earnings will be meaningfully below the 25th percentile, while a fourth- or fifth-year apprentice may be close to or at it. After completing the apprenticeship and logging enough hours, mechanics are eligible for licensing — Illinois requires elevator mechanics to hold a state license, which is a hard requirement you need to plan for early.

Modernization work has become a larger share of the job mix in Illinois. Chicago's building stock includes a large number of elevators installed decades ago, and owners are required by code to bring them up to current safety standards on a rolling basis. Mechanics who specialize in modernization — controller upgrades, door operator replacements, drive system conversions — are consistently in demand and can often command wages at the upper end of the range.

Some elevator installers in Illinois work under a collective bargaining agreement; others are employed directly by independent contractors or building owners. If you are working under a union contract, your pay rate and benefit contributions are set by your local agreement — check that document directly for your specific scale and fringe package. This page does not have union contract data and makes no comparison between union and non-union pay rates for this trade and state.

The BLS OEWS data behind these figures (May 2025) captures base wages and salaries but does not include employer contributions to health insurance, pension plans, or annuity funds. For elevator installers, those benefits can represent significant additional compensation per hour worked. When you're comparing offers or evaluating a job change, factor in the full package, not just the hourly rate on the stub.

To move toward the 75th percentile, the clearest levers are tenure on complex commercial and high-rise projects, picking up controller and drive system certifications, and positioning yourself in the Chicago metro where the largest and most technically demanding jobs concentrate. Supervisory experience — leading a crew on a multi-unit install — also tends to push hourly rates above the median for qualified mechanics.

All wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025.