Do plumbers make more in Rockford or Chicago?

Chicago pays more: the median is $94,230 in Rockford and $103,380 in Chicago, a 9% difference.

Plumber salary in Rockford, IL

Updated September 27, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Plumbers in the Rockford, IL area earn a median of $94,230 a year, or $45.31 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $120,140 a year. Statewide, plumbers earn a median of $99,950; Rockford is 6% below it.

Median yearly pay$94,230

Bottom 10% under$50,930Top 10% over$120,140

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $24.48/hr
Jobs in this area: 440
After cost of living: $102,250
Median hourly pay: $45.31/hr
vs U.S. median: +48%
vs Illinois median: −6%
Mean (average) pay: $89,830 a year · $43.19 an hour

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 40420, Rockford, IL). Excludes self-employed plumbers. 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 plumbers in Rockford, 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.

Percentile	Hourly	Yearly
10th percentile	$24.48	$50,930
25th percentile	$30.80	$64,060
Median (50th)	$45.31	$94,230
75th percentile	$56.91	$118,370
90th percentile	$57.76	$120,140

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

How Rockford, IL compares

Rockford ranks 4th of 12 Illinois metro areas for plumber pay.
Plumbers hold about the same share of jobs in the Rockford area as nationally: 3.2 of every 1,000 jobs.

Other Illinois metro areas

Other trades in Rockford, IL

Electrician HVAC technician Welder Diesel mechanic Carpenter Heavy equipment operator Auto mechanic Roofer Ironworker Millwright

Questions

Do plumbers make more in Rockford or Chicago?: Chicago pays more: the median is $94,230 in Rockford and $103,380 in Chicago, a 9% difference.

About this data

Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 47-2152 (Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters), area code 40420 (Rockford, IL). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed plumbers 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 (92.2, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 27, 2026. How we calculate these figures