What do skilled trades pay in Illinois in 2026?
Median pay for 29 skilled trades in Illinois (BLS OEWS May 2025).
In 2026, the highest-paying skilled trades in Illinois are Elevator Installer (~$133,690) and Taper (~$113,180), across 29 trades tracked (BLS OEWS May 2025). Last updated June 2026.
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Which trade is best in Illinois?
Different trades win on different measures — here's the top on each. Pick the one that matters to you.
Highest median pay
Elevator Installer
$133,690
Most jobs
Construction Laborer
35,940 jobs
Biggest union premium
Electrician
+$10,680 (+11%)
Across 29 trades: $49,590–$133,690 (median $77,900).
Illinois tracks 29 skilled trades on TradesPays, giving you one of the broader state-level pictures available. At the top sits the Elevator Installer at $133,690 — a trade that's consistently the highest earner in most states where it's tracked. Taper ($113,180), Power-Line Worker ($108,120), Ironworker ($101,850), and Insulation Worker ($100,400) round out the five-figure-plus leaders. On the other end, Pipelayers come in at $49,590 — a real gap that reflects the difference between entry-tier site work and the most specialized installation trades. Every number here is from BLS OEWS May 2025 data. TradesPays pulls straight from that source — no interpolation, no modeled estimates. What you see is what the survey measured.
Trades ranked by pay in Illinois
| # | Trade | Median |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elevator Installer | $133,690 |
| 2 | Taper | $113,180 |
| 3 | Power-Line Worker | $108,120 |
| 4 | Ironworker | $101,850 |
| 5 | Insulation Worker | $100,400 |
| 6 | Plumberunion $108,160 | $99,950 |
| 7 | Boilermaker | $99,730 |
| 8 | Electricianunion $110,240 | $99,560 |
| 9 | Construction Equipment Operator | $97,740 |
| 10 | Plasterer | $93,790 |
See all 29
| 11 | Brickmason | $89,980 |
| 12 | Sheet Metal Worker | $86,630 |
| 13 | Carpenter | $79,000 |
| 14 | Cement Mason | $78,170 |
| 15 | Roofer | $77,900 |
| 16 | HVAC Technician | $77,410 |
| 17 | Industrial Machinery Mechanic | $76,200 |
| 18 | Telecom Line Installer | $70,700 |
| 19 | Floor Layer | $69,880 |
| 20 | Tile & Stone Setter | $67,160 |
| 21 | Millwright | $66,640 |
| 22 | Drywall Installer | $63,180 |
| 23 | Glazier | $61,840 |
| 24 | Hazardous Materials Removal Worker | $61,330 |
| 25 | Painter | $61,260 |
| 26 | Construction Laborer | $60,690 |
| 27 | Solar Installer | $59,630 |
| 28 | Welder | $51,320 |
| 29 | Pipelayer | $49,590 |
Where is the union premium biggest in Illinois?
Named locals and the premium over the BLS all-worker median.
| Trade | Union scale | Premium vs BLS | Local |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrician | $110,240 | +$10,680 (+11%) | IBEW Local 134 (Chicago) journeyman scale |
| Plumber | $108,160 | +$8,210 (+8%) | UA Local 130 (Chicago) journeyman scale |
Union data is partial for Illinois (2 of 29 trades) — submitting your pay helps build complete data for Illinois.
Union landscape in Illinois
Two of the most well-documented union wage premiums in Illinois belong to electricians and plumbers working under Chicago-area agreements. Electricians covered by IBEW Local 134 (Chicago) at journeyman scale earn $10,680 above the statewide BLS figure for the trade. Plumbers under UA Local 130 (Chicago) journeyman scale come in $8,210 above the statewide number. Those aren't trivial bumps — on an electrician's base, $10,680 is real money over a career. Both IBEW and UA have significant footprints in Illinois beyond Chicago, with locals covering downstate regions as well, though TradesPays currently reports the journeyman scale figures for Local 134 and Local 130 specifically. If you're working outside the Chicago metro, your local's scale may differ — check directly with your local for the applicable wage determination. Union scale premiums like these typically reflect negotiated wages plus the structure of a collective bargaining agreement, which can also include benefit packages not captured in the base wage figure. The BLS statewide numbers, by contrast, cover all employment — union and non-union — so the gap you see here is the union lift above that blended average, not a comparison against non-union wages alone. That distinction matters when you're sizing up what a union card is actually worth in this state.
Cost-of-living context
Every dollar figure on this page is a nominal BLS wage — meaning it hasn't been adjusted for what that dollar actually buys in Illinois versus anywhere else. That's an important limitation to be straight about. Illinois, and Chicago in particular, carries a higher cost of living than much of the country — housing, property taxes, and everyday expenses all run above national median levels in the metro. A $133,690 Elevator Installer wage looks strong on paper, and it is strong, but $133,690 in the Chicago metro doesn't stretch as far as the same number would in a lower-cost state. TradesPays does not apply cost-of-living indices to these figures because doing so would require us to make assumptions about where exactly you live and work within the state — and those assumptions would introduce more error than clarity. What you can do: use the nominal figures here as a starting point for your own comparison. If you're weighing a job offer in Illinois against one in another state, factor in housing costs, state income tax (Illinois has a flat 4.95% individual rate), and commute costs for your specific situation. The BLS numbers give you an apples-to-apples wage comparison across trades and states. The cost side of the equation is yours to run for your own zip code.
Trades in Illinois: FAQ
- How many trades does TradesPays track in Illinois?
- TradesPays currently tracks 29 skilled trades at the Illinois state level, all sourced from BLS OEWS May 2025 data.
- What is the highest-paying skilled trade in Illinois?
- Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 data, Elevator Installer is the top earner in Illinois at $133,690.
- What is the lowest-paying trade tracked in Illinois?
- Pipelayer is the lowest-paying trade in the Illinois dataset at $49,590, according to BLS OEWS May 2025.
- How much more do union electricians make in Illinois compared to the statewide average?
- Electricians working under IBEW Local 134 (Chicago) journeyman scale earn $10,680 above the statewide BLS figure for electricians in Illinois.
- Does TradesPays break out wages by city or metro area within Illinois?
- Not currently. The figures on TradesPays are statewide BLS averages. Metro-level breakdowns — for Chicago, Springfield, or other areas — are not available on the site at this time.
- Are these wages adjusted for Illinois's cost of living?
- No. All figures are nominal BLS dollars. Illinois, especially the Chicago metro, has above-average costs, so take that into account when comparing wages across states. TradesPays doesn't apply COL adjustments because the assumptions required would vary significantly by your specific location within the state.
- Does TradesPays split out apprentice, journeyman, and master wages for Illinois trades?
- For most trades, no — the BLS OEWS figures are blended across experience levels. The exception is the union scale figures shown for IBEW Local 134 and UA Local 130, which are specifically journeyman scale rates.
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