Electricians in the Kankakee area earn a median of $105,500 a year, 69% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #1 of 390 metros for electrician salaries across the U.S..
Within driving distance, the same work pays less in Chicago.
It's one of 8 Illinois metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide electrician pay.
Electrician pay in Kankakee at a glance
- Electricians in the Kankakee, IL metro earn a median $105,500 a year ($50.72 an hour), #1 of 390 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $59,390 and $111,490.
- After local prices, that median buys what $109,447 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,031 a month, 12% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for electricians here is in the top 20% of U.S. metros, and also in the top 20% once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (5.5%) and the population is shrinking (-1.7% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 35 one-person electrical contracting businesses averaging $75,829 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $115/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Kankakee scorecard for electricians Our calculation
Grades compare Kankakee with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($62,440).
Pay over time
The median pay for electricians in the Kankakee area went from $93,280 in 2020 to $105,500 in 2025, up 13.1%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -9.8% — a real pay cut.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Kankakee Our calculation
Prices in Kankakee run 4% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $109,447 would in a typical place, ranking #2 of 385 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
Want the full picture? Build a Kankakee budget on this pay from this pay, local rent and prices.
What electricians do
Install, maintain, and repair electrical wiring, equipment, and fixtures. Ensure that work is in accordance with relevant codes. May install or service street lights, intercom systems, or electrical control systems.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Prepare sketches or follow blueprints to determine the location of wiring or equipment and to ensure conformance to building and safety codes.
- Place conduit, pipes, or tubing, inside designated partitions, walls, or other concealed areas, and pull insulated wires or cables through the conduit to complete circuits between boxes.
- Work from ladders, scaffolds, or roofs to install, maintain, or repair electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures.
- Use a variety of tools or equipment, such as power construction equipment, measuring devices, power tools, and testing equipment, such as oscilloscopes, ammeters, or test lamps.
- Assemble, install, test, or maintain electrical or electronic wiring, equipment, appliances, apparatus, or fixtures, using hand tools or power tools.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, electrician jobs are projected to grow 9.2% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 72,700 openings a year. About 7% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often electricians deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes medium preparation (vocational training or an apprenticeship, often 1–2+ years).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Getting started: registered apprenticeship Government data
Most electricians train through a paid apprenticeship: you work and earn under experienced pros while taking classes, and pay usually rises as you progress. 727,586 people were active registered apprentices nationwide in FY2026, up 87% since FY2016, and construction is the largest field with 290,043 of them (40%), according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Search apprenticeship openings near Kankakee ↗Find training programs & sponsors ↗
Official U.S. Department of Labor tools at Apprenticeship.gov. Counts: DOL Apprentices by State dashboard, FY2026 (all occupations).
Licensing in Illinois Official source
The main state licensing office in Illinois is the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Most trades (including general contractors and electricians) are licensed locally; plumbers are licensed by the state health department. It can point you to the right license for electricians.
Official Illinois licensing site ↗
Requirements for electricians vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, electricians have 97 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, about the same as all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying IL metros for electricians
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| KankakeeILLINOIS · IL | $105,500 | $109,447 | 140 |
| ChicagoILLINOIS · IL | $102,350 | $98,798 | 17,720 |
| ChampaignILLINOIS · IL | $100,320 | $108,215 | 410 |
| RockfordILLINOIS · IL | $93,280 | $101,222 | 370 |
| SpringfieldILLINOIS · IL | $84,780 | $91,412 | 330 |
| DecaturILLINOIS · IL | $81,020 | $91,629 | 400 |
| PeoriaILLINOIS · IL | $80,460 | $88,194 | 880 |
| BloomingtonILLINOIS · IL | $79,430 | $84,918 | 330 |
See every metro in Illinois.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Kankakee area's unemployment rate was 5.5% in 2025 (all workers, not just electricians), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 6.7% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Kankakee area is 25 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 17% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 77% drive alone, 1% take transit and 9% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Kankakee area's population shrank 1.7% from 2020 to 2025 (107,402 → 105,525), ranking #357 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). More people moved out than in (net -1,093).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Kankakee
The Kankakee area has about 45,535 homes. 62% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is older than most; 8% were built in 2010 or later. Older homes often need more repair, replacement and upgrade work. 71% of households own their home, and the median home value is $213,300.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Kankakee are down 19% from 2021 to 2025 (140 → 113).
In 2025 the Kankakee area approved permits for 113 new homes (92 single-family), or 1.1 per 1,000 residents, ranking #354 of 393 metros, a slower building market than most.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 35 one-person businesses (no employees) in electrical contracting, averaging $75,829 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Kankakee compares among the best cities to start an electrician business.
They compete with 19 electrical contracting companies that have employees (about 129 workers in total). 58% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Working outdoors in Kankakee Government data
In an average year, Kankakee has 21 days at 90°F or hotter (fewer than most metros; typical metro 33), 129 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 70 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more, and 21 inches of snow. Summer afternoons average 83°F and winter nights 19°F. That matters for electricians: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Kankakee Metro Wastewater, IL station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $105,500 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get electrician pricing & estimate templates →Compare Kankakee with another city →
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ToolBest cities for electriciansRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in KankakeeSee where it falls among local electricians, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolKankakee budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Kankakee metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Kankakee against every other metro for electricians. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.