Childcare Workers pay in Illinois
$36,560avg. a year
$17.58 an hour · 23,900 employed
Childcare Workers in Illinois earn an average of $36,560 a year. That is $1,530 (4%) more than the U.S. average of $35,030. The best-paying metro area is Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN at $37,220.
$35,830Median pay
$17.58Average hourly
+34%Avg. pay since 2020
#15Of 50 states + D.C.
Top-paying Illinois metro areas
Average pay for childcare workers by metro area. Swipe to see all 12.
117,540 jobs
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$37,220
$17.89 an hour
2100 jobs
Decatur, IL
$35,350
$16.99 an hour
3380 jobs
Springfield, IL
$35,130
$16.89 an hour
4530 jobs
Champaign-Urbana, IL
$35,060
$16.86 an hour
55,710 jobs
St. Louis, MO-IL
$34,490
$16.58 an hour
6520 jobs
Bloomington, IL
$34,430
$16.55 an hour
7500 jobs
Rockford, IL
$34,280
$16.48 an hour
8600 jobs
Peoria, IL
$34,030
$16.36 an hour
9210 jobs
Kankakee, IL
$33,920
$16.31 an hour
10810 jobs
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
$32,640
$15.69 an hour
11140 jobs
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
$31,350
$15.07 an hour
1290 jobs
Paducah, KY-IL
$27,300
$13.13 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Childcare Workers pay in Illinois, charted
Pay over time
Illinois, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where Illinois childcare workers work
Employment by metro area, May 2025
Related jobs in Illinois
Average pay, Illinois, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Questions and answers
How much do childcare workers make in Illinois?
The average is $36,560 a year, and the median is $35,830. That is $1,530 (4%) more than the U.S. average of $35,030.
What is the hourly wage in Illinois?
$17.58 an hour on average; the median is $17.23.
Where in Illinois do they earn the most?
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN ($37,220), followed by Decatur, IL ($35,350). The lowest average among 12 metro areas with data is Paducah, KY-IL ($27,300).
How does Illinois rank?
Illinois ranks #15 of 51 states (including D.C.) with published data for this job, by average pay.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 39-9011. State rank compares average pay across states with published data. Metro figures cover metropolitan statistical areas; a metro area can cross state lines. See also the national childcare workers page. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.