TradeSalary

Auto mechanic salary in Kankakee, IL

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Auto mechanics in the Kankakee, IL area earn a median of $45,190 a year, or $21.73 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $80,100. That's 8% less than the Illinois median of $49,170.

Median yearly pay$45,190
Bottom 10% under$31,200Top 10% over$80,100
Entry-level starting pay (estimate)
$15.00/hr
Jobs in this area
320
After cost of living
$46,880
Median hourly pay
$21.73/hr
vs U.S. median
−11%
vs Illinois median
−8%
Mean (average) pay
$50,850 a year · $24.45 an hour
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 28100, Kankakee, IL). Excludes self-employed auto mechanics. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024. *Starting pay is estimated from the 10th percentile; BLS does not report pay by license level.

Pay by percentile

What auto mechanics in Kankakee, IL earn at each point of the pay range, May 2025: 10% earn less than the 10th percentile, half earn less than the median, and 10% earn more than the 90th.

PercentileHourlyYearly
10th percentile$15.00$31,200
25th percentile$17.33$36,040
Median (50th)$21.73$45,190
75th percentile$28.58$59,440
90th percentile$38.51$80,100

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. BLS yearly figures are the hourly wage times 2,080 hours.

How Kankakee, IL compares

  • Kankakee ranks 11th of 12 Illinois metro areas for auto mechanic pay.
  • Auto mechanics are more concentrated in the Kankakee area than nationally: 7.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.7 times the U.S. share.

Other Illinois metro areas

Other trades in Kankakee, IL

Questions

Do auto mechanics make more in Kankakee or St. Louis?
St. Louis pays more: the median is $45,190 in Kankakee and $58,190 in St. Louis, a 22% difference.

About this data

Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 49-3023 (Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics), area code 28100 (Kankakee, IL). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed auto mechanics and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (96.4, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures