SOC 53-7064 · Transportation and Material Moving Occupations · May 2025

How much do Packers and Packagers, Hand make in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Packers and Packagers, Hand in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is $36,180. The 10th percentile is $31,570 and the 90th percentile is $47,420. Employment is 17,960.

Median annual wage

$36,180

10th percentile
$31,570
25th percentile
$34,840
Median
$36,180
75th percentile
$40,580
90th percentile
$47,420
Mean
$38,570

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A welder at work with a torch
A welder at a bench, 2014. Photograph by Chetan Menaria. Wikimedia Commons · CC0

Percentile spread

For Packers and Packagers, Hand, the published 10th percentile is $31,570 and the 90th percentile is $47,420. The difference is $15,850, which is 43.8% 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 $34,840 to the 75th at $40,580, covers $5,740.

The mean annual wage is $38,570, which sits above the median of $36,180. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is 0.3% lower than the national median of $36,280 for Packers and Packagers, Hand. In 2024 national prices the local median is $34,924, which is 3.7% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 0.2% higher than the Illinois median of $36,090.

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN covers more than one state. The state comparison uses Illinois, the primary state on the BLS area record.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is 103.595, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $36,180 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Packers and Packagers, Hand at $34,924 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

37 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Packers and Packagers, Hand. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN ranks 16th of 38 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).).

  • Kankakee, IL is 43 miles away, with a median of $32,370 and employment of 120. That median is 10.5% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $33,581, against $34,924 here.
  • Niles, MI is 57 miles away, with a median of $34,270 and employment of 280. That median is 5.3% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $37,101, against $34,924 here.
  • Kenosha, WI is 57 miles away, with a median of $37,810 and employment of 1,040. That median is 4.5% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $37,392, against $34,924 here.

Employment share

Packers and Packagers, Hand accounts for 0.40% of wage-and-salary employment in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (17,960 of 4,513,280). Nationally the occupation is 0.36% of employment (559,820 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.11 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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN · Packers and Packagers, Hand 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 Packers and Packagers, Hand make in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Packers and Packagers, Hand in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is $36,180. The 10th percentile is $31,570 and the 90th percentile is $47,420. Employment is 17,960.

How does that compare with the national median for Packers and Packagers, Hand?

The local median is 0.3% lower than the national median of $36,280.

What is Packers and Packagers, Hand pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is 103.595, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $36,180 is $34,924. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN compare with nearby metros for Packers and Packagers, Hand?

Kankakee, IL is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 43 miles away, at $32,370. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN ranks 16th of 38 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.