SalaryExplorer

SOC 51-3092 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Food Batchmakers — Illinois

Illinois · 5 metro areas compared

$48,130 /year
$23.14per hour
12,320jobs in area
+13.8%vs US median

The median wage for Food Batchmakers in Illinois is $48,130 per year, 13.8% above the national median of $42,290.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $42,29010TH$34,68025TH$39,000MEDIAN$48,13075TH$57,20090TH$61,750

How pay has moved

$51,750$31,8902019202020212022202320242025$48,130
$35,200 in 2019 to $48,130 in 2025, +36.7% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow faster than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+6.9%
Openings per year
24,200
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Illinois.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage for Food Batchmakers in Illinois is $48,130 per year, 13.8% above the national median of $42,290. Half of workers earn between $39,000 and $57,200. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $34,680 and the ninetieth at $61,750.

Employment stands at 12,320, or 2.0 jobs per thousand held locally. Illinois ranks number 5th out of 50 states by median pay for this occupation. Within the state, Decatur records the highest median at $57,880. Of the 747 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 543rd.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Illinois · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$34,680−18.0%
25th$39,000−7.8%
Median (50th)$48,130+13.8%
75th$57,200+35.3%
90th$61,750+46.0%
Mean$48,720+15.2%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Highest-paying metro areas in Illinois

Median annual wage for Food Batchmakers, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Decatur$57,880490
2Rockford$52,500430
3Chicago$47,6608,490
4Peoria$46,770260
5Kankakee$38,270100

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Illinois sit close to the national average, so $48,130 is worth roughly its face value against pay elsewhere.

Published median

$48,130as reported by BLS

Local price level

100.0US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$48,130US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $48,130 a year, 13.8% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $34,680 to $61,750 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 12,320 jobs in this occupation.
  • It ranks 5th of 50 states for this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Decatur, at $57,880.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Food Batchmakers in Illinois?

The median annual wage is $48,130, or $23.14 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $42,290, so pay in Illinois is 13.8% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Illinois earns more than $61,750 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $34,680 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Decatur, at $57,880 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 12,320 jobs in this occupation in Illinois. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.