Industrial Machinery Mechanics in the Chicago area earn a median of $75,800 a year, 19% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #48 of 388 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays less in Kankakee.
Chicago scorecard for industrial machinery mechanics Our calculation
Grades compare Chicago 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 ($63,865).
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Chicago Our calculation
Prices in the Chicago area run 4% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $73,170 would in a typical place, ranking #99 of 382 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. 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.
What industrial machinery mechanics do
Repair, install, adjust, or maintain industrial production and processing machinery or refinery and pipeline distribution systems. May also install, dismantle, or move machinery and heavy equipment according to plans.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Repair or maintain the operating condition of industrial production or processing machinery or equipment.
- Repair or replace broken or malfunctioning components of machinery or equipment.
- Clean, lubricate, or adjust parts, equipment, or machinery.
- Disassemble machinery or equipment to remove parts and make repairs.
- Reassemble equipment after completion of inspections, testing, or repairs.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, industrial machinery mechanic jobs are projected to grow 17.8% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 44,400 openings a year. About 1% are self-employed.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, industrial machinery mechanics have 54 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 38% below the rate for 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 industrial machinery mechanics
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChicagoILLINOIS · IL | $75,800 | $73,170 | 8,710 |
| DecaturILLINOIS · IL | $75,380 | $85,250 | 160 |
| PeoriaILLINOIS · IL | $74,780 | $81,968 | 880 |
| ChampaignILLINOIS · IL | $74,420 | $80,277 | 70 |
| SpringfieldILLINOIS · IL | $73,000 | $78,710 | 70 |
| RockfordILLINOIS · IL | $72,000 | $78,130 | 320 |
| KankakeeILLINOIS · IL | $62,410 | $64,745 | 130 |
See every metro in Illinois.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Chicago area's unemployment rate was 4.7% in 2025 (all workers, not just industrial machinery mechanics), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 6.2% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Chicago area is 31 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 24% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 62% drive alone, 9% take transit and 15% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
New construction
New-home permits in Chicago are down 15% from 2021 to 2025 (18,511 → 15,778).
In 2025 the Chicago area approved permits for 15,778 new homes (9,497 single-family), or 1.7 per 1,000 residents, ranking #318 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 794 one-person businesses (no employees) in industrial machinery repair, averaging $97,384 a year in revenue before expenses.
They compete with 607 industrial machinery repair companies that have employees (about 7,581 workers in total). 57% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $75,800 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
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 industrial machinery mechanic pricing & estimate templates →Compare Chicago with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.