SalaryExplorer

SOC 29-1122 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Occupational Therapists — Kankakee

Kankakee, IL · 6 metro areas compared

$79,620 /year
$38.28per hour
40jobs in area
−20.6%vs US median

The median wage for Occupational Therapists in Kankakee, IL is $79,620 per year, 20.6% below the national median of $100,330.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $100,33010TH$56,37025TH$71,000MEDIAN$79,62075TH$105,03090TH$118,240

How pay has moved

$101,360$73,460201920212022202320242025$79,620
$96,710 in 2019 to $79,620 in 2025, -17.7% 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 much faster than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+13.8%
Openings per year
10,200
Typical entry-level education
Master's degree

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 Kankakee, IL.

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 Occupational Therapists in Kankakee, IL is $79,620 per year, 20.6% below the national median of $100,330. Half of workers earn between $71,000 and $105,030. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $56,370 and the ninetieth at $118,240.

The area has 40 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 1.0 of every thousand jobs. Within the state, Springfield records the highest median at $102,810. Of the 183 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 37th.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Kankakee, IL · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$56,370−43.8%
25th$71,000−29.2%
Median (50th)$79,620−20.6%
75th$105,030+4.7%
90th$118,240+17.9%
Mean$87,200−13.1%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Illinois

Median annual wage for Occupational Therapists, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Springfield$102,810100
2Chicago$99,8605,960
3Peoria$96,920190
4Rockford$96,620130
5Bloomington$90,06080
6Champaign$80,040120

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Kankakee run 3.6% below the national average, so the median of $79,620 goes as far as $82,593 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 17.7% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$79,620as reported by BLS

Local price level

96.4US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$82,593US average = 100 · BEA 2024

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

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $79,620 a year, 20.6% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $56,370 to $118,240 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 40 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Springfield, at $102,810.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Occupational Therapists in Kankakee, IL?

The median annual wage is $79,620, or $38.28 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 $100,330, so pay in Kankakee, IL is 20.6% lower. 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 Kankakee, IL earns more than $118,240 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $56,370 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 Springfield, at $102,810 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 40 jobs in this occupation in Kankakee, IL. 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.