Electrical Engineers in Illinois. BLS OES + DOL OFLC + reader-reported submissions. How this is built →
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 $87,360 and $131,960, with a median of $107,860.
Electrical Engineers in Illinois: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 392 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $110,000. 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 | 51 | $78,749 |
| Level II — qualified | 135 | $95,000 |
| Level III — experienced | 98 | $120,585 |
| Level IV — fully competent | 88 | $134,000 |
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 | 61 | $100,069 |
| Commonwealth Edison, An Exelon Company | Senior Engineer | 16 | $98,613 |
| Rivian Automotive, LLC | Sr. Automation Controls Engineer | 13 | $135,000 |
| Deere & Company | Engineer Product II - Embedded Software | 12 | $127,608 |
| Danfoss, LLC | Electrical Engineering Manager | 8 | $130,000 |
| CATERPILLAR INC. | CONTROL SYSTEMS SENIOR ENGINEER | 7 | $107,099 |
| Gotion Illinois New Energy Inc. | Controls Engineer | 7 | $115,000 |
| RIVIAN AUTOMOTIVE, LLC | Sr. Automation Controls Engineer | 7 | $144,430 |
| Tek Labs, Inc. | Embedded Software Engineer | 7 | $84,302 |
| Yaskawa America, Inc. | Supervisor, Repair | 7 | $98,613 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Project Engineer--Protection at SEL Engineering Services, Inc.$151,871Fairview HeightsWage Level IVDecided —I-200-26084-729614
- ELETRICAL ENGINEER at WELLS PLUMBING AND HEATING SUPPLIES, INC.$99,840CHICAGOWage Level IIDecided —I-200-26085-730850
- Electrical Engineer at KCS Corporation$98,613SchaumburgWage Level IIDecided Mar 31, 2026I-200-26084-727454
- Electrical Engineer at Cintal, Inc.$86,320PeoriaWage Level IIDecided Mar 27, 2026I-200-26080-720336
- Senior Autonomy Project Team Lead at Caterpillar Inc$111,675ChillicotheWage Level IVDecided Mar 25, 2026I-200-26077-713579
- Battery Test and Validation Engineer II at Rivian Automotive, LLC$92,000NormalWage Level IDecided Mar 23, 2026I-200-26075-705985
- Senior Engineer at S&C ELECTRIC COMPANY$148,238ChicagoWage Level IIDecided Mar 19, 2026I-200-26071-700159
- Senior Project Engineer at Jupiter Power LLC$180,000ChicagoWage Level IIIDecided Mar 19, 2026I-200-26071-699039
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.
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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 214 certified offers. The most common variant is Electrical Engineer at a median of $98,613.
| Specialty | Top employer | Filings | Median offer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Engineer | BURNS & MCDONNELL ENGINEERING COMPANY, INC. | 65 | $98,613 |
| Senior Engineer | Commonwealth Edison, An Exelon Company | 33 | $105,000 |
| Project Engineer | Traton R&D US LLC | 21 | $128,407 |
| Embedded Software Senior Engineer | Caterpillar Inc. | 18 | $100,069 |
| Controls Engineer | Gotion Illinois New Energy Inc. | 17 | $85,000 |
| Control Systems Senior Engineer | Caterpillar Inc. | 12 | $98,550 |
| Electronic Systems Verification & Validation Engineer | Caterpillar Inc. | 12 | $91,978 |
| Sr. Automation Controls Engineer | Rivian Automotive, LLC | 9 | $134,285 |
| Design Engineer | Caterpillar Inc. | 8 | $106,097 |
| Senior Electronic Component Engineer | Caterpillar Inc. | 7 | $100,069 |
| Senior Software Engineer | Deere & Company | 7 | $127,608 |
| General Engineer | Commonwealth Edison, An Exelon Company | 5 | $93,122 |
Specialties with 10 or more filings link to a dedicated breakdown.
Electrical Engineers in Illinois, by industry
Median offered wage across 384 certified filings, grouped by NAICS industry sector. Manufacturing leads with a median of $111,675.
| Industry | Largest employer | Filings | Median offer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | Caterpillar Inc. | 191 | $111,675 |
| Professional services | Gotion Illinois New Energy Inc. | 105 | $106,080 |
| Technology and software | Tek Labs, Inc. | 51 | $93,330 |
| Energy and utilities | Commonwealth Edison, An Exelon Company | 29 | $110,000 |
| Retail and wholesale | Medline Industries, LP. | 7 | $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 3 BLS OES releases. Real values are CPI-adjusted to 2025 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$113,520
Compare Electrical Engineers pay across nearby states
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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 $107,860.
- How does Illinois compare to the national median for Electrical Engineers?
- The Illinois median is -6.2% versus the BLS national figure of $114,971.
- What is the salary range for Electrical Engineers in Illinois?
- BLS reports the 10th-percentile annual wage at $75,470 and the 90th-percentile at $164,290, 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.