Statewide pay Government data
Telecom equipment installers in Illinois earn a statewide median of $64,630 a year, 4% above the typical U.S. metro, ranking #25 of 50 states and DC. About 5,760 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near Illinois
See all states on the telecom equipment installers nationwide.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes telecom equipment installer pay for 7 Illinois metros: Bloomington, Champaign, Chicago, Decatur, Peoria, Rockford and Springfield.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| DecaturILLINOIS · IL | $73,410 | $83,022 | 40 |
| ChicagoILLINOIS · IL | $69,820 | $67,397 | 3,480 |
| SpringfieldILLINOIS · IL | $64,410 | $69,448 | 110 |
| RockfordILLINOIS · IL | $62,460 | $67,778 | 70 |
| ChampaignILLINOIS · IL | $61,420 | $66,254 | 100 |
| PeoriaILLINOIS · IL | $59,900 | $65,658 | 140 |
| BloomingtonILLINOIS · IL | $59,750 | $63,878 | 90 |
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
Pay outside the cities Government data
BLS also reports pay for Illinois's rural (nonmetropolitan) regions.
BLS OEWS nonmetropolitan areas, May 2025.
The job (national)
Install, set up, rearrange, or remove switching, distribution, routing, and dialing equipment used in central offices or headends. Service or repair telephone, cable television, Internet, and other communications equipment on customers' property. May install communications equipment or communications wiring in buildings.
Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 3.3% from 2025 to 2035, with about 11,300 openings a year. Typical training: moderate-term on-the-job training.
Nationally, telecom equipment installers have 168 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.9× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is overexertion and repetitive strain.
What the work is like Government data
How often telecom equipment installers 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.
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 telecom equipment installers.
Official Illinois licensing site ↗
Requirements for telecom equipment installers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Cities in Illinois
All trades in Illinois.