SOC 47-2073 · Construction and Extraction Occupations · May 2025
How much do Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators make in Kankakee, IL?
In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators in Kankakee, IL is $94,270. The 10th percentile is $60,520 and the 90th percentile is $122,720. Employment is 90.
Median annual wage
$94,270
- 10th percentile
- $60,520
- 25th percentile
- $71,120
- Median
- $94,270
- 75th percentile
- $119,460
- 90th percentile
- $122,720
- Mean
- $90,890
Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Percentile spread
For Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators, the published 10th percentile is $60,520 and the 90th percentile is $122,720. The difference is $62,200, which is 66.0% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.
The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $71,120 to the 75th at $119,460, covers $48,340.
The mean annual wage is $90,890, which sits below the median of $94,270. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.
National and state comparison
The Kankakee, IL median is 57.5% higher than the national median of $59,850 for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators. In 2024 national prices the local median is $97,797, which is 63.4% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.
It is 3.6% lower than the Illinois median of $97,740.
Price-adjusted pay
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Kankakee, IL is 96.394, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $94,270 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators at $97,797 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.
Nearby metros
36 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators. Kankakee, IL ranks 7th of 37 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is 43 miles away, with a median of $103,100 and employment of 7,930. That median is 9.4% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $99,522, against $97,797 here.
- Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN is 63 miles away, with a median of $83,460 and employment of 340. That median is 11.5% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $89,329, against $97,797 here.
- Michigan City-La Porte, IN is 64 miles away, with a median of $98,120 and employment of 170. That median is 4.1% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $107,022, against $97,797 here.
Employment share
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators accounts for 0.21% of wage-and-salary employment in Kankakee, IL (90 of 42,340). Nationally the occupation is 0.31% of employment (478,090 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.69 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.
Highest-paying jobs in Kankakee, IL · Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices
Questions this page answers
How much do Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators make in Kankakee, IL?
In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators in Kankakee, IL is $94,270. The 10th percentile is $60,520 and the 90th percentile is $122,720. Employment is 90.
How does that compare with the national median for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators?
The local median is 57.5% higher than the national median of $59,850.
What is Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators pay in Kankakee, IL after local prices?
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Kankakee, IL is 96.394, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $94,270 is $97,797. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.
How does Kankakee, IL compare with nearby metros for Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators?
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 43 miles away, at $103,100. Kankakee, IL ranks 7th of 37 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.