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Map of Illinois showing 8 metro areas with skilled trade pay data
Illinois: 8 metros with trade pay data

Rigger pay in Illinois

Statewide and by city · BLS, May 2025

$81,860statewide median a year
$39.36median an hour
#9of 43 states
120riggers employed statewide

Statewide pay Government data

Riggers in Illinois earn a statewide median of $81,860 a year, 35% above the typical U.S. metro, ranking #9 of 43 states. About 120 people work in the trade statewide.

Statewide pay range

$60,910Entry · 10th$68,21025th$81,860Median$83,29075th$85,910Top · 90th

States ranked near Illinois

California$85,730
Hawaii$84,410
New Jersey$82,130
Illinois$81,860
Nevada$81,720
North Dakota$77,890
Washington$77,100

See all states on the riggers nationwide.

Pay by city Government data

BLS publishes rigger pay for 1 Illinois metro: Chicago.

MetroMedian payReal payJobs
ChicagoILLINOIS · IL$81,860$79,019100

Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate

The job (national)

Blueprint-style drawing of a steel frame with a fillet weld in progress, illustrating rigger work in Illinois
Rigger pay in Illinois: $81,860 statewide median, BLS May 2025.

Set up or repair rigging for construction projects, manufacturing plants, logging yards, ships and shipyards, or for the entertainment industry.

Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 3.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,700 openings a year. Typical training: moderate-term on-the-job training.

Nationally, riggers have 79 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 falls, slips and trips.

What the work is like Government data

How often riggers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.

Outdoors, in all kinds of weatherVery often
Indoors with heating and air conditioningOccasionally
Very hot or cold conditionsVery often
Working at heightsSometimes
Climbing ladders, scaffolds or polesSometimes
Cramped spaces and awkward positionsOften
Loud noiseVery often
Hazardous conditionsSometimes
Standing, bending, kneeling and walkingOften
SittingRarely

Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).

O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.

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 riggers.

Official Illinois licensing site ↗

Requirements for riggers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.

Union membership

In 2025, 13.1% of wage and salary workers in Illinois were union members, above the U.S. rate of about 10% (#12 of 51 states and D.C.), and 14.0% were covered by a union contract. These figures cover all jobs in the state, not only riggers.

BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.

Cities in Illinois

ChicagoILLINOIS · IL-0.0%population since 2020 · 4.7% unemployment

All trades in Illinois.

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