SOC 49-9052 · Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro

Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers Salary in Chicago, IL

The average salary for telecommunications line installers and repairers in Chicago, Illinois is $75,990 a year ($36.54 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $79,590: half of the 1,620 people in this job in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is about the same as the U.S. average for this job ($73,940).

$75,990average per year

$36.54 / hourMedian $79,590Take-home ≈ $58,669

  • $34K10th
  • $55K25th
  • $80KMedian
  • $99K75th
  • $103K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

1,620people in this job
+3%vs U.S. average
#1 of 5Illinois metros
104cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers pay range in Chicago

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $33,820 a year or less, while the top 10% make $102,750 or more. The middle half of telecommunications line installers and repairers in Chicago earn between $54,670 and $98,700.

  • $34K10th
  • $55K25th
  • $80KMedian
  • $99K75th
  • $103K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$75,990$6,332$36.53
Median$79,590$6,632$38.26
Entry level (25th percentile)$54,670$4,556$26.28
Experienced (75th percentile)$98,700$8,225$47.45

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year. Hourly to annual salary.

Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers pay in Chicago vs. Illinois and the U.S.

Telecommunications line installers and repairers in Chicago earn 7% more than the Illinois average ($70,890) and about the same as the U.S. average ($73,940). At the median the gap is +7% against the U.S. median of $74,330.

AreaAverageMedian10th pct.90th pct.Jobs
Chicago$75,990$79,590$33,820$102,7501,620
Illinois$70,890$70,700$33,810$100,1402,460
United States$73,940$74,330$45,310$103,68097,720

State and U.S. rows: BLS statewide and national estimates, May 2025, which include rural areas.

Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers salary after taxes in Chicago

On the average salary of $75,990, a single filer in Chicago takes home about $58,669 a year, or $4,889 a month and $2,256 every two weeks. Taxes take 23% of gross pay.

The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area crosses state lines, so take-home pay depends on the state where you work:

StatePer yearPer month
Working in IN$60,039$5,003
Working in IL$58,669$4,889

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).

Illinois paycheck calculator: try your own salary

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Is Chicago a good place for telecommunications line installers and repairers? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Chicago area are 4% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 103.6), so the average $75,990 buys what about $73,353 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.5 times the median wage of all jobs in Chicago ($54,720). A typical home costs $353,998, or 4.7 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $75,990 is worth in another city

Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers salary in other Illinois cities

Chicago ranks 1st of 5 Illinois metro areas for this job, the best-paid in the state.

All Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers salaries in Illinois

Highest-paying cities for telecommunications line installers and repairers

San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($105,730).

Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers salary by city

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Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers salary in Chicago: questions

How much do telecommunications line installers and repairers make an hour in Chicago?

$36.54 an hour on average, and $38.26 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level telecommunications line installers and repairers salary in Chicago?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $33,820 a year and the 25th percentile is $54,670, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the telecommunications line installers and repairers take-home pay in Chicago?

About $58,669 a year ($4,889 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $75,990.

Do telecommunications line installers and repairers earn more in Chicago than elsewhere?

The average here is about the same as the U.S. average for this job ($73,940).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 49-9052; area Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (16980). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 7.2%.
  • U.S. and statewide figures: BLS OEWS national and state estimates, May 2025, every employer including rural areas.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).
  • Job concentration: location quotient 0.57, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.57).

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