Lineman salary in Illinois
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Linemen in Illinois earn a median of $108,120 a year, or $51.98 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $129,230 a year. That's 13% more than the national median of $95,320, 12th of 51 states and DC.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $35.01/hr
- Jobs in Illinois
- 3,090
- After cost of living
- $108,170
- Median hourly pay
- $51.98/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +13%
- Rank among states
- 12th of 51
Apprentice and journeyman lineman pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $72,820–$101,620$35.01–$48.85/hr | |
| Journeyman | $108,120$51.98/hr | |
| Top earners | $126,440–$129,230$60.79–$62.13/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Illinois compares
- Linemen are less concentrated in Illinois than nationally: 0.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.60 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $129,230, is 1.8 times the 10th-percentile wage, $72,820: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Pay by metro area
Rural Illinois
- Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area$110,930
- West Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area$106,580
- East Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area$105,310
- South Illinois nonmetropolitan area$104,820
Other trades in Illinois
Questions
- How much do linemen make in Illinois?
- Linemen in Illinois earn a median of $108,120 a year, or $51.98 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $129,230 a year.
- How much do linemen make an hour in Illinois?
- The median hourly wage is $51.98. The middle half earn between $48.85 and $60.79 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice linemen make in Illinois?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $35.01 an hour ($72,820 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $48.85.
- How much does a journeyman lineman make in Illinois?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $108,120 a year ($51.98 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $126,440–$129,230.
- Where in Illinois do linemen earn the most?
- Among Illinois metro areas, Chicago–Naperville–Elgin has the highest median at $123,430 a year, and Paducah the lowest at $78,510.
- Do linemen in Illinois earn more than the national average?
- The Illinois median of $108,120 is 13% more than the U.S. median of $95,320. Prices in Illinois run 0% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $108,170 would nationally.
About this data
Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 49-9051 (Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers), area code 17. BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed linemen 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 (100.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures