Skilled Wages

Lineman salary in Illinois

Median $51.98 an hour for 3,090 electrical power-line installers and repairers, May 2025, with the union scale by county and the trend since 1999.

$51.98/hrMedian hourly wageIllinois, May data
$108,120/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$35.01 – $62.1310th to 90th percentilehourly range
3,090Jobs countedemployer survey

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

Lineman pay in Illinois: the full range

Wage percentiles, IllinoisMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$20$40$60$80/hrIllinois: 10th $35.01 · 25th $48.85 · median $51.98 · 75th $60.79 · 90th $62.13Illinois$51.98$35.01$62.13United States: 10th $24.74 · 25th $32.34 · median $45.83 · 75th $52.76 · 90th $61.87United States$45.83
Hourly wage percentiles for electrical power-line installers and repairers: Illinois vs United States, May 2025.

Illinois ranks 12th of 51 states for median lineman pay, and 19th once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $51.98). 3,090 electrical power-line installers and repairers work in the state.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry$35.01 – $48.85$72,820 – $101,620roughly the 10th–25th percentile
Journeyman$48.85 – $60.79$101,620 – $126,440the middle half, around the median
Master / foreman / specialist$60.79 – $62.13$126,440 – $129,230the 75th–90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Lineman pay by metro in Illinois

Ranked median wages$0$20$40$60$80/hrChicago: $59.34Chicago$59.34Springfield: $51.27Springfield$51.27St. Louis: $49.98St. Louis$49.98Cape Girardeau: $47.91Cape Girardeau$47.91Davenport: $46.94Davenport$46.94Paducah: $37.75Paducah$37.75
Median hourly wage for electrical power-line installers and repairers by metro area in Illinois, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hr90thJobsvs state
Chicago$35.01$59.34$63.351,83014% above
Springfield$43.06$51.27$55.93801% below
St. Louis$30.74$49.98$57.909104% below
Cape Girardeau$31.89$47.91$50.35508% below
Davenport$35.45$46.94$56.569010% below
Paducah$22.82$37.75$48.987027% below

Lineman wages in Illinois over time

Illinois, 1999-2025IllinoisUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$0$20$40$60200020052010201520202025$51.98Illinois$45.83United States
Median hourly wage for electrical power-line installers and repairers, Illinois vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearIllinois $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$24.14$46.65$20.977,620
2000$25.42$47.52$22.014,920
2001$23.22$42.21$22.706,280
2002$23.90$42.77$23.335,610
2003$17.00$29.74$23.545,060
2004$21.67$36.93$23.615,690
2005$25.69$42.35$24.114,170
2006$26.42$42.19$24.414,180
2007$27.05$42.00$25.273,800
2008$32.40$48.45$26.492,710
2009$30.85$46.29$27.243,140
2010$34.03$50.24$27.902,750
2011$33.73$48.28$28.943,720
2012$37.95$53.21$30.413,670
2013$37.63$52.00$30.854,100
2014$38.99$53.02$31.703,600
2015$36.55$49.65$31.953,200
2016$32.45$43.53$32.702,840
2017$33.60$44.13$33.363,090
2018$40.88$52.41$34.093,320
2019$43.49$54.77$34.864,120
2020$44.29$55.09$36.074,450
2021$47.62$56.58$37.655,590
2022$49.43$54.38$39.594,550
2023$51.22$54.12$41.074,550
2024$50.95$52.29$44.503,670
2025$51.98$51.98$45.833,090

In today's dollars, the median lineman wage in Illinois changed by +4.7% over the last ten years of data.

Union scale and prevailing wage for linemans in Illinois

On federally funded construction in Illinois, contractors must pay linemans at least the Davis-Bacon rate for the county. 8 of the 8 counties with a Building rate use a union contract rate (typical package $99.39 an hour including fringe); the rest use a survey rate (typical —). The market median for the state is $51.98.

Union contract rateSurvey rate
Union / prevailing package, $/hr, ILAdams: —Alexander: —Bond: —Boone: —Brown: —Bureau: —Calhoun: —Carroll: —Cass: —Champaign: —Christian: —Clark: —Clay: —Clinton: —Coles: —Cook: $99.39 (union)Crawford: —Cumberland: —DeKalb: —De Witt: —Douglas: —DuPage: $99.39 (union)Edgar: —Edwards: —Effingham: —Fayette: —Ford: —Franklin: —Fulton: —Gallatin: —Greene: —Grundy: $99.39 (union)Hamilton: —Hancock: —Hardin: —Henderson: —Henry: —Iroquois: —Jackson: —Jasper: —Jefferson: —Jersey: —Jo Daviess: —Johnson: —Kane: $99.39 (union)Kankakee: —Kendall: $99.39 (union)Knox: —Lake: $99.39 (union)LaSalle: —Lawrence: —Lee: —Livingston: —Logan: —McDonough: —McHenry: $99.39 (union)McLean: —Macon: —Macoupin: —Madison: —Marion: —Marshall: —Mason: —Massac: —Menard: —Mercer: —Monroe: —Montgomery: —Morgan: —Moultrie: —Ogle: —Peoria: —Perry: —Piatt: —Pike: —Pope: —Pulaski: —Putnam: —Randolph: —Richland: —Rock Island: —St. Clair: —Saline: —Sangamon: —Schuyler: —Scott: —Shelby: —Stark: —Stephenson: —Tazewell: —Union: —Vermilion: —Wabash: —Warren: —Washington: —Wayne: —White: —Whiteside: —Will: $99.39 (union)Williamson: —Winnebago: —Woodford: —Union / prevailing package, $/hrn/a
Davis-Bacon base + fringe for linemans by county, Building construction. Hatched counties use a survey rate rather than a union contract.
CountyRate sourceBaseFringeTotalDetermination
CookUnion ELEC0009-003 2024-05-26$62.10$37.29$99.39IL20260009
DuPageUnion ELEC0009-002 2024-05-26$62.10$37.29$99.39IL20260008
GrundyUnion ELEC0009-002 2024-05-26$62.10$37.29$99.39IL20260008
KaneUnion ELEC0009-002 2024-05-26$62.10$37.29$99.39IL20260008
KendallUnion ELEC0009-002 2024-05-26$62.10$37.29$99.39IL20260008
LakeUnion ELEC0009-002 2024-05-26$62.10$37.29$99.39IL20260008
McHenryUnion ELEC0009-002 2024-05-26$62.10$37.29$99.39IL20260008
WillUnion ELEC0009-002 2024-05-26$62.10$37.29$99.39IL20260008

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.

Keep comparing

Lineman pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Illinois

Questions this page answers

How much do linemans make in Illinois?

The median lineman in Illinois earned $51.98 an hour ($108,120 a year) in May 2025, 13% above the national median of $45.83. The middle half earn $48.85–$60.79; the top 10% earn more than $62.13.

Where does Illinois rank for lineman pay?

Illinois ranks 12th of 51 states for lineman pay, with a median of $51.98 an hour, and 19th after adjusting for Illinois's cost of living (BEA price parity 100.0, US = 100).

What is the union lineman rate in Illinois?

Davis-Bacon determinations list a union contract rate for linemans in 8 counties, with a typical package of $99.39 an hour including fringe benefits; see the county table above.

How many linemans work in Illinois?

BLS counted 3,090 electrical power-line installers and repairers in Illinois in May 2025, 0.5 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 0.60; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Illinois and metro areas, SOC 49-9051.
  • 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.