Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Salary in Illinois
At $40,550 a year, the median for laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand in Illinois is close to the national median of $40,240 (+1%); Illinois ranks 26th of 51 states by median. That is 22% less than the median across all occupations in Illinois ($51,960). Among neighbouring states, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kentucky and Indiana pay more (up to $44,610 in Wisconsin) and Missouri pays less (down to $39,080 in Missouri). Illinois employs 195,390 laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand, 32.0 per 1,000 jobs, the 3rd largest count of any state. A location quotient of 1.69 means the occupation is more concentrated in Illinois than nationally.
Illinois vs the United States, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| Illinois | Hourly | $15.28 | $17.26 | $19.50 | $22.87 | $26.84 | $20.66 | 195,390 | 32.04 | 1.69 |
| Annual | $31,780 | $35,890 | $40,550 | $47,560 | $55,840 | $42,960 | ||||
| United States | Hourly | $15.03 | $17.35 | $19.35 | $22.56 | $26.51 | $20.32 | 2,950,280 | – | – |
| Annual | $31,270 | $36,090 | $40,240 | $46,920 | $55,140 | $42,260 | ||||
- Rank by median
- 26th of 51 states
- Rank by employment
- 3rd of 51 states
- Location quotient
- 1.69
- Jobs per 1,000
- 32.04
Ranks count the 50 states and DC with a published value. The location quotient is the occupation's share of Illinois's employment divided by its national share; 1.00 means the same share as the nation. Take-home pay at these wages: FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Metropolitan areas in Illinois
12 metropolitan areas and 4 nonmetropolitan areas touching Illinois publish a row for laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand, sorted by median. Areas crossing a state line are listed under every state they touch; a linked metro has its own profile.
| Area | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decatur, IL | $22.12 | $46,010 | $36,380 | $58,490 | 1,430 | 31.30 | 1.65 |
| Rockford, IL | $21.25 | $44,200 | $33,420 | $50,410 | 5,940 | 43.15 | 2.27 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | $20.66 | $42,980 | $32,960 | $56,670 | 4,370 | 24.23 | 1.28 |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL | $20.18 | $41,970 | $32,760 | $52,830 | 1,960 | 18.56 | 0.98 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $20.09 | $41,780 | $31,770 | $55,780 | 21,340 | 15.91 | 0.84 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $19.50 | $40,550 | $31,860 | $56,440 | 157,920 | 34.99 | 1.84 |
| Springfield, IL | $18.35 | $38,160 | $31,200 | $50,020 | 1,300 | 12.85 | 0.68 |
| Paducah, KY-IL | $18.32 | $38,110 | $29,070 | $47,990 | 940 | 18.75 | 0.99 |
| Peoria, IL | $17.99 | $37,420 | $31,740 | $49,760 | 2,750 | 16.59 | 0.87 |
| Kankakee, IL | $17.84 | $37,110 | $31,200 | $48,040 | 1,190 | 28.01 | 1.48 |
| Bloomington, IL | $17.60 | $36,610 | $31,200 | $53,030 | 960 | 10.93 | 0.58 |
| Cape Girardeau, MO-IL | $17.51 | $36,430 | $29,670 | $50,820 | 600 | 13.36 | 0.70 |
| East Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area | $21.21 | $44,120 | $31,860 | $54,640 | 3,280 | 22.91 | 1.21 |
| West Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area | $20.44 | $42,520 | $31,760 | $55,590 | 3,650 | 21.54 | 1.14 |
| Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area | $20.08 | $41,770 | $32,440 | $56,240 | 3,460 | 27.27 | 1.44 |
| South Illinois nonmetropolitan area | $20.02 | $41,650 | $32,760 | $57,870 | 2,580 | 18.30 | 0.96 |
Neighbouring states
See the national page for Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand (every state ranked) and the Illinois wage profile (every occupation in the state).
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS Illinois estimates.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.