Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
$96,370avg. a year
$46.33 an hour · 7,930 employed
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earn an average of $96,370 a year. That is $5,870 (6%) more than the Illinois average of $90,500. The U.S. average is $66,290.
$103,100Median pay
$46.33Average hourly
+6%vs. Illinois average
7,930Jobs in this metro
Other Illinois metro areas
Average pay for operating engineers and other construction equipment operators in other Illinois metro areas. Swipe to see all 11.
1100 jobs
Decatur, IL
$91,810
$44.14 an hour
290 jobs
Kankakee, IL
$90,890
$43.70 an hour
3260 jobs
Rockford, IL
$89,540
$43.05 an hour
4180 jobs
Bloomington, IL
$88,190
$42.40 an hour
5160 jobs
Champaign-Urbana, IL
$85,380
$41.05 an hour
6210 jobs
Springfield, IL
$83,790
$40.28 an hour
7330 jobs
Peoria, IL
$79,120
$38.04 an hour
84,190 jobs
St. Louis, MO-IL
$77,930
$37.47 an hour
9570 jobs
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
$68,940
$33.14 an hour
10130 jobs
Cape Girardeau, MO-IL
$64,600
$31.06 an hour
11460 jobs
Paducah, KY-IL
$60,380
$29.03 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.
How Chicago-Naperville-Elgin compares
Pay range: metro vs. state vs. U.S.
Annual wage percentiles, May 2025
This metroIllinoisU.S.
Illinois metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 · this metro highlighted
Related jobs in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
| Job | Avg. pay in this metro |
|---|---|
| Construction Laborers | $69,180 |
| Electricians | $94,450 |
| Carpenters | $83,110 |
| Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | $96,430 |
| Painters, Construction and Maintenance | $70,720 |
| Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers | $81,520 |
Questions and answers
How much do operating engineers and other construction equipment operators make in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
The average is $96,370 a year, and the median is $103,100. About 7,930 people work in this job in the metro area.
Is that more than the Illinois average?
That is $5,870 (6%) more than the Illinois average of $90,500.
Is this job common in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
It makes up 1.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the metro area, 0.57 times the national share.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, occupation code 47-2073. Metro area: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metropolitan statistical area (BLS area code 16980). Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.