Skilled Wages

Boilermaker salary in Illinois

Median $47.95 an hour for 110 boilermakers, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$47.95/hrMedian hourly wageIllinois, May data
$99,730/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$40.24 – $56.3810th to 90th percentilehourly range
110Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-09-28

Boilermaker pay in Illinois: the full range

Wage percentiles, IllinoisMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$20$30$40$50$60/hrIllinois: 10th $40.24 · 25th $43.04 · median $47.95 · 75th $49.72 · 90th $56.38Illinois$47.95$40.24$56.38United States: 10th $24.28 · 25th $31.13 · median $36.74 · 75th $45.88 · 90th $53.06United States$36.74
Hourly wage percentiles for boilermakers: Illinois vs United States, May 2025.

Illinois ranks 4th of 37 states for median boilermaker pay, and 6th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $47.95). 110 boilermakers work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$40.24 – $43.04$83,690 – $89,520roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$43.04 – $49.72$89,520 – $103,430the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$49.72 – $56.38$103,430 – $117,270the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Boilermaker pay by metro in Illinois

Ranked median wages$0$20$40$60/hrChicago: $52.71Chicago$52.71St. Louis: $45.50St. Louis$45.50
Median hourly wage for boilermakers by metro area in Illinois, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Chicago$38.18$52.71$56.579010% above
St. Louis$38.04$45.50$61.65405% below

Boilermaker wages in Illinois over time

Illinois, 1999-2025IllinoisUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$0$20$40$60200020052010201520202025$47.95Illinois$36.74United States
Median hourly wage for boilermakers, Illinois vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearIllinois $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$21.93$42.38$18.091,130
2000$15.06$28.16$17.801,300
2001$22.46$40.83$19.061,630
2002$24.42$43.70$20.171,730
2003$25.92$45.35$20.791,620
2004$28.84$49.15$21.681,220
2005$32.07$52.87$23.101,260
2006$28.15$44.95$22.58990
2007$32.66$50.71$24.381,110
2008$32.08$47.97$25.131,440
2009$31.95$47.95$26.971,910
2010$29.59$43.69$26.271,330
2011$29.38$42.05$27.361,400
2012$34.18$47.93$27.19750
2013$34.93$48.27$27.74670
2014$32.82$44.63$28.78950
2015$29.68$40.31$28.90920
2016$29.56$39.65$29.84—
2017$37.29$48.98$29.93340
2018$32.39$41.53$29.8880
2020——$31.42510
2021$48.13$57.18$30.91220
2022$48.92$53.82$32.1780
2023$43.62$46.09$34.20150
2024$45.84$47.05$35.26150
2025$47.95$47.95$36.74110

In today's dollars, the median boilermaker wage in Illinois changed by +18.9% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for boilermakers in Illinois

On federally funded construction in Illinois, contractors must pay boilermakers at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 102 of the 102 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $80.80 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $47.95.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, ILAdams: $80.80 (union)Alexander: $77.99 (union)Bond: $80.80 (union)Boone: $80.80 (union)Brown: $80.80 (union)Bureau: $80.80 (union)Calhoun: $80.80 (union)Carroll: $80.80 (union)Cass: $80.80 (union)Champaign: $77.99 (union)Christian: $77.99 (union)Clark: $77.99 (union)Clay: $77.99 (union)Clinton: $80.80 (union)Coles: $77.99 (union)Cook: $91.64 (union)Crawford: $77.99 (union)Cumberland: $77.99 (union)DeKalb: $80.80 (union)De Witt: $77.99 (union)Douglas: $77.99 (union)DuPage: $91.64 (union)Edgar: $77.99 (union)Edwards: $77.99 (union)Effingham: $77.99 (union)Fayette: $77.99 (union)Ford: $77.99 (union)Franklin: $77.99 (union)Fulton: $80.80 (union)Gallatin: $77.99 (union)Greene: $80.80 (union)Grundy: $91.64 (union)Hamilton: $77.99 (union)Hancock: $80.80 (union)Hardin: $77.99 (union)Henderson: $80.80 (union)Henry: $80.80 (union)Iroquois: $77.99 (union)Jackson: $77.99 (union)Jasper: $77.99 (union)Jefferson: $77.99 (union)Jersey: $80.80 (union)Jo Daviess: $80.80 (union)Johnson: $77.99 (union)Kane: $91.64 (union)Kankakee: $91.64 (union)Kendall: $91.64 (union)Knox: $80.80 (union)Lake: $91.64 (union)LaSalle: $80.80 (union)Lawrence: $77.99 (union)Lee: $80.80 (union)Livingston: $80.80 (union)Logan: $80.80 (union)McDonough: $80.80 (union)McHenry: $91.64 (union)McLean: $80.80 (union)Macon: $80.80 (union)Macoupin: $80.80 (union)Madison: $80.80 (union)Marion: $77.99 (union)Marshall: $80.80 (union)Mason: $80.80 (union)Massac: $77.99 (union)Menard: $80.80 (union)Mercer: $80.80 (union)Monroe: $80.80 (union)Montgomery: $80.80 (union)Morgan: $80.80 (union)Moultrie: $77.99 (union)Ogle: $80.80 (union)Peoria: $77.99 (union)Perry: $77.99 (union)Piatt: $77.99 (union)Pike: $80.80 (union)Pope: $77.99 (union)Pulaski: $77.99 (union)Putnam: $80.80 (union)Randolph: $80.80 (union)Richland: $77.99 (union)Rock Island: $80.80 (union)St. Clair: $80.80 (union)Saline: $77.99 (union)Sangamon: $80.80 (union)Schuyler: $80.80 (union)Scott: $80.80 (union)Shelby: $77.99 (union)Stark: $80.80 (union)Stephenson: $80.80 (union)Tazewell: $77.99 (union)Union: $77.99 (union)Vermilion: $77.99 (union)Wabash: $77.99 (union)Warren: $80.80 (union)Washington: $80.80 (union)Wayne: $77.99 (union)White: $77.99 (union)Whiteside: $80.80 (union)Will: $91.64 (union)Williamson: $77.99 (union)Winnebago: $80.80 (union)Woodford: $80.80 (union)Union / prevailing package, $/hr$80.80
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for boilermakers by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
Market median vs prevailing wage by countyMarket medianPrevailing (union)$40$60$80$100/hrKankakee (Illinois): market median $47.95, prevailing (union) $91.64, gap +$43.69Kankakee (Illinois)+$43.69Cook (Chicago): market median $52.71, prevailing (union) $91.64, gap +$38.93Cook (Chicago)+$38.93Bond (St. Louis): market median $45.50, prevailing (union) $80.80, gap +$35.30Bond (St. Louis)+$35.30
Market median (BLS metro wage) vs the Davis-Bacon package (base + fringe) for boilermakers, metro counties in Illinois.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
CookUnion BOIL0001-001 2024-05-01$53.10$38.54$91.64IL20260009
DuPageUnion BOIL0001-003 2024-05-01$53.10$38.54$91.64IL20260008
GrundyUnion BOIL0001-003 2024-05-01$53.10$38.54$91.64IL20260008
KaneUnion BOIL0001-003 2024-05-01$53.10$38.54$91.64IL20260008
KankakeeUnion BOIL0001-001 2024-05-01$53.10$38.54$91.64IL20260006
KendallUnion BOIL0001-003 2024-05-01$53.10$38.54$91.64IL20260008
LakeUnion BOIL0001-003 2024-05-01$53.10$38.54$91.64IL20260008
McHenryUnion BOIL0001-003 2024-05-01$53.10$38.54$91.64IL20260008
WillUnion BOIL0001-003 2024-05-01$53.10$38.54$91.64IL20260008
AdamsUnion BOIL0363-003 2025-01-01$45.50$35.30$80.80IL20260001
BondUnion BOIL0363-003 2025-01-01$45.50$35.30$80.80IL20260001
BooneUnion BOIL0363-003 2025-01-01$45.50$35.30$80.80IL20260001
BrownUnion BOIL0363-003 2025-01-01$45.50$35.30$80.80IL20260001
BureauUnion BOIL0363-003 2025-01-01$45.50$35.30$80.80IL20260001
CalhounUnion BOIL0363-003 2025-01-01$45.50$35.30$80.80IL20260001

Building construction type, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Residential, Heavy and Highway rates differ; look them up on the Illinois prevailing wage page. This is not the official wage determination.

Is construction work growing in Illinois?

271.6kConstruction jobsIllinois, 2026-08
+6.6%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-2026150k200k250k300k350k19901995200020052010201520202025272kAug 2026
Construction employment in Illinois (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Contractor pay by county

Average pay at specialty trade contractors establishments by county (all employees, not just boilermakers), from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.

CountyEmployeesAverage annual payAvg weekly wage
DuPage County22,002$102,132$1,964
Cook County49,027$97,576$1,876
Stephenson County982$96,066$1,847
Will County10,689$94,755$1,822
Saline County371$91,633$1,762
Kane County9,205$89,994$1,731
LaSalle County950$89,622$1,723
Winnebago County3,472$89,234$1,716
Lake County8,568$86,971$1,673
Grundy County759$85,203$1,639
Henry County870$84,653$1,628
Hancock County178$83,461$1,605

Keep comparing

Boilermaker pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Illinois

Questions this page answers

How much do boilermakers make in Illinois?

The median boilermaker in Illinois earned $47.95 an hour ($99,730 a year) in May 2025, 31% above the national median of $36.74. The middle half earn $43.04–$49.72; the top 10% earn more than $56.38.

Where does Illinois rank for boilermaker pay?

Illinois ranks 4th of 37 states for boilermaker pay, with a median of $47.95 an hour, and 6th after adjusting for Illinois's cost of living (BEA price parity 100.0, US = 100).

What is the union boilermaker rate in Illinois?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for boilermakers in 102 counties, with a typical package of $80.80 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many boilermakers work in Illinois?

BLS counted 110 boilermakers in Illinois in May 2025, 0.0 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.27; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Illinois and metro areas, SOC 47-2011.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-08.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-09-28. Not the official determination.