What the numbers say
Illinois Electrical Engineers earned a median annual wage of $104,000 in 2024, about 9% below the national median of $114,360. That gap is real, but it narrows almost entirely when you factor in cost of living. Illinois sits at a cost-of-living index of 99.5, essentially at the national baseline, so the $10,360 nominal difference translates to a much smaller real-dollar gap than the headline suggests.
The spread across the pay range is wide. A 10th-percentile electrical engineer in Illinois earned $74,570 in 2024, while a 90th-percentile peer took home $166,000. Top earners make roughly 2.2 times what those starting out make. That gap is common in engineering fields where specialization and years of experience push pay upward over time, but the range here is wide enough to matter when comparing offers or benchmarking a current salary.
The average wage of $114,350 runs about $10,000 above the median. That tells us a subset of higher earners pull the average up, which is worth knowing if you are trying to read the market. The median is the more useful reference point for most people in this field.
BLS projects employment for Electrical Engineers to grow 7.1% between 2024 and 2034, which falls in the faster-than-average category. With 5,820 electrical engineers employed in Illinois in 2024, the state accounts for a meaningful portion of the Midwest's engineering workforce, concentrated partly around manufacturing and infrastructure sectors in the Chicago metro.
Salary distribution
Where Illinois electrical engineers fall on the wage curve.
Shaded band = interquartile range (where most full-time workers fall)
The middle 50% of workers earn between $84,800 and $134,810, with a median of $104,000.
Electrical Engineers in Illinois: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 340 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $107,370. Every figure below is an actual offered salary an employer attested to under federal law.
By DOL wage level
DOL classifies every offer into one of four wage levels based on the role's experience and skill requirements.
| Level | Filings | Median offer |
|---|---|---|
| Level I — entry | 38 | $75,154 |
| Level II — qualified | 108 | $93,122 |
| Level III — experienced | 74 | $120,000 |
| Level IV — fully competent | 58 | $132,912 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Electrical Engineers in Illinois. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caterpillar Inc. | Embedded Software Senior Engineer | 57 | $100,069 |
| Commonwealth Edison, An Exelon Company | Senior Engineer | 15 | $98,613 |
| Deere & Company | Senior Software Engineer | 12 | $127,608 |
| Danfoss, LLC | Electrical Engineering Manager | 8 | $130,000 |
| RIVIAN AUTOMOTIVE, LLC | Sr. Automation Controls Engineer | 7 | $144,430 |
| Rivian Automotive, LLC | Sr. Automation Controls Engineer | 7 | $125,145 |
| Tek Labs, Inc. | Embedded Software Engineer | 7 | $84,302 |
| Yaskawa America, Inc. | Supervisor, Repair | 6 | $95,868 |
| Gotion Illinois New Energy Inc. | Controls Engineer | 6 | $100,000 |
| Milwaukee Electric Tool Corporation | Electrical Engineer II | 6 | $109,460 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Associate Electrical Engineer at Milhouse Engineering & Construction, Inc.$138,362ChicagoDecided Dec 30, 2025I-200-25356-501136
- Senior Software Engineer at Deere & Company$137,700MolineDecided Dec 29, 2025I-200-25353-497462
- Product QC Engineer B at Yaskawa America, Inc.$98,613Buffalo GroveDecided Dec 29, 2025I-200-25353-497386
- Staff Field Quality & Reliability Engineer at RIVIAN AUTOMOTIVE, LLC$156,200NormalDecided Dec 29, 2025I-200-25353-499319
- Electrical Project Designer at Stantec Consulting Services Inc.$133,203ChicagoDecided Dec 22, 2025I-200-25350-484874
- Electrical Engineering Manager at Danfoss, LLC$136,000Loves ParkDecided Dec 19, 2025I-200-25348-480986
- Control Systems Senior Engineer at Caterpillar Inc.$111,675ChillicotheDecided Dec 18, 2025I-200-25345-476974
- Senior Autonomy Engineer at Caterpillar Inc.$111,675ChillicotheDecided Dec 18, 2025I-200-25345-476913
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification. Disclosed wages reflect what employers attested to pay; actual paid wages may differ. Only certified filings are shown — denied and withdrawn cases are excluded.
Electrical Engineers pay by experience level in Illinois
Each band reflects DOL Wage Levels I-IV mapped onto a four-step ladder. Click a level to see the disclosed-wage range for that segment.
Electrical Engineers specialties in Illinois
Real specialty titles employers file for, clustered from 183 certified offers. The most common variant is Electrical Engineer at a median of $98,613.
| Specialty | Top employer | Filings | Median offer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Engineer | SBA Acquisition Group | 54 | $98,613 |
| Senior Engineer | Commonwealth Edison, An Exelon Company | 31 | $106,893 |
| Embedded Software Senior Engineer | Caterpillar Inc. | 15 | $100,069 |
| Project Engineer | Traton R&D US LLC | 15 | $118,214 |
| Controls Engineer | Gotion Illinois New Energy Inc. | 14 | $84,651 |
| Electronic Systems Verification & Validation Engineer | Caterpillar Inc. | 12 | $91,978 |
| Control Systems Senior Engineer | Caterpillar Inc. | 10 | $98,550 |
| Design Engineer | Caterpillar Inc. | 8 | $106,097 |
| Senior Software Engineer | Deere & Company | 7 | $127,608 |
| Senior Electronic Component Engineer | Caterpillar Inc. | 6 | $100,069 |
| Sr. Automation Controls Engineer | Rivian Automotive, LLC | 6 | $124,940 |
| Electrical Design Engineer | Midsys Inc | 5 | $85,405 |
Specialties with 10 or more filings link to a dedicated breakdown.
Electrical Engineers in Illinois, by industry
Median offered wage across 334 certified filings, grouped by NAICS industry sector. Manufacturing leads with a median of $110,460.
| Industry | Largest employer | Filings | Median offer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | Caterpillar Inc. | 170 | $110,460 |
| Professional services | Gotion Illinois New Energy Inc. | 89 | $104,000 |
| Technology and software | Tek Labs, Inc. | 42 | $96,837 |
| Energy and utilities | Commonwealth Edison, An Exelon Company | 27 | $110,000 |
| Retail and wholesale | Medline Industries, LP. | 5 | $146,574 |
| Healthcare | QTC Management, Inc. | 1 | $140,000 |
Sectors with at least 25 filings link to a dedicated page with full distribution and sample employer breakdown.
Wage trend
Median annual wage in Illinois over the past 2 BLS OES releases. Real values are CPI-adjusted to 2024 dollars.
Typical entry
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
None
On-the-job training
None
Top skills (O*NET)
- 4.7 / 5
Engineering and Technology
Knowledge
- 4.7 / 5
Computers and Electronics
Knowledge
- 4.1 / 5
Writing
Basic skill
- 4.1 / 5
Written Comprehension
Ability
- 4.1 / 5
Written Expression
Ability
- 4.1 / 5
Design
Knowledge
- 4.0 / 5
Critical Thinking
Cross-functional
- 4.0 / 5
Oral Comprehension
Ability
Common tasks (O*NET)
- 01
Design, implement, maintain, or improve electrical instruments, equipment, facilities, components, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, or domestic purposes.
- 02
Oversee project production efforts to assure projects are completed on time and within budget.
- 03
Direct or coordinate manufacturing, construction, installation, maintenance, support, documentation, or testing activities to ensure compliance with specifications, codes, or customer requirements.
- 04
Perform detailed calculations to compute and establish manufacturing, construction, or installation standards or specifications.
- 05
Operate computer-assisted engineering or design software or equipment to perform engineering tasks.
- 06
Confer with engineers, customers, or others to discuss existing or potential engineering projects or products.
- 07
Investigate or test vendors' or competitors' products.
- 08
Collect data relating to commercial or residential development, population, or power system interconnection to determine operating efficiency of electrical systems.
10-year outlook
Growth 2024 → 2034
+7.1%
Projected annual openings
—
BLS outlook
Growing faster than average
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034 cycle.
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Metro-level salary data for electrical engineers in major Illinois metropolitan areas.
- Chicago$109,010
Compare Electrical Engineers pay across nearby states
Frequently asked questions
- What is the median salary for Electrical Engineers in Illinois?
- According to BLS Occupational Employment Statistics, the median annual wage for Electrical Engineers in Illinois is $104,000.
- How does Illinois compare to the national median for Electrical Engineers?
- The Illinois median is -9.1% versus the BLS national figure of $114,360.
- What is the salary range for Electrical Engineers in Illinois?
- BLS reports the 10th-percentile annual wage at $74,570 and the 90th-percentile at $166,000, which captures most full-time workers in the role.
- Is Electrical Engineers a growing field?
- BLS Employment Projections show employment growing by 7.1% over the projection cycle. See the 10-year outlook section above for details.
- What education is required for Electrical Engineers?
- BLS lists the typical entry-level education as Bachelor's degree. Many employers also weigh prior experience and credentials.
Information on this page is for general educational purposes only. It is not career, financial, or tax advice. Wage data reflects BLS estimates for the reference year shown and may not match individual offers, employer-specific ranges, or current market conditions. Confirm with a licensed professional before making career or compensation decisions.