How much do welders make an hour in Kankakee, IL?

The median hourly wage is $22.82. The middle half earn between $19.47 and $28.17 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)

What do apprentice welders make in Kankakee, IL?

BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.42 an hour ($36,230 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $19.47.

Do welders make more in Kankakee or Peoria?

Peoria pays more: the median is $47,460 in Kankakee and $58,960 in Peoria, a 20% difference.

How does Kankakee pay compare with the rest of Illinois?

The Kankakee median of $47,460 is 8% less than the Illinois median of $51,320.

Welder salary in Kankakee, IL

Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025

Welders in the Kankakee, IL area earn a median of $47,460 a year, or $22.82 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $71,110 a year. Statewide, welders earn a median of $51,320; Kankakee is 8% below it.

Median yearly pay$47,460

Bottom 10% under$36,230Top 10% over$71,110

Apprentice starting pay (estimate): $17.42/hr
Jobs in this area: 230
After cost of living: $49,240
Median hourly pay: $22.82/hr
vs U.S. median: −12%
vs Illinois median: −8%

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (area 28100, Kankakee, IL). Excludes self-employed welders. Cost of living: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024. *Starting pay is estimated from the 10th percentile; BLS does not report pay by license level.

Entry-level to top welder pay

Stage	Yearly pay	Hourly pay
Entry level	$36,230–$40,490$17.42–$19.47/hr
Experienced welder	$47,460$22.82/hr
Top earners	$58,590–$71,110$28.17–$34.19/hr

Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.

How Kankakee, IL compares

Kankakee ranks 11th of 12 Illinois metro areas for welder pay.
Welders are more concentrated in the Kankakee area than nationally: 5.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 2.0 times the U.S. share.
The 90th-percentile wage, $71,110, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $36,230: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.

Other Illinois metro areas

Other trades in Kankakee, IL

Electrician HVAC technician Plumber

Questions

How much do welders make in Kankakee, IL?: Welders in the Kankakee, IL area earn a median of $47,460 a year, or $22.82 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The highest-paid 10% make over $71,110 a year.
How much do welders make an hour in Kankakee, IL?: The median hourly wage is $22.82. The middle half earn between $19.47 and $28.17 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
What do apprentice welders make in Kankakee, IL?: BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $17.42 an hour ($36,230 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $19.47.
Do welders make more in Kankakee or Peoria?: Peoria pays more: the median is $47,460 in Kankakee and $58,960 in Peoria, a 20% difference.
How does Kankakee pay compare with the rest of Illinois?: The Kankakee median of $47,460 is 8% less than the Illinois median of $51,320.

About this data

Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 51-4121 (Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers), area code 28100 (Kankakee, IL). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed welders 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 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures