SalaryExplorer

SOC 53-7081 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors — Peoria

Peoria, IL · 3 metro areas compared

$59,070 /year
$28.40per hour
60jobs in area
+18.9%vs US median

The median wage for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors in Peoria, IL is $59,070 per year, 18.9% above the national median of $49,690.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $49,69010TH$36,30025TH$48,130MEDIAN$59,07075TH$64,98090TH$75,680

How pay has moved

$68,735$26,5852019202020212022202320242025$59,070
$33,610 in 2019 to $59,070 in 2025, +75.8% 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 more slowly than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+0.9%
Openings per year
16,900
Typical entry-level education
No formal educational credential
On-the-job training
Short-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 Peoria, 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 Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors in Peoria, IL is $59,070 per year, 18.9% above the national median of $49,690. Pay ranges from under $36,300 at the tenth percentile to more than $75,680 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $48,130 to $64,980.

Employment stands at 60, or 0.4 jobs per thousand held locally. Chicago leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $77,470. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 185th of 377 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Peoria, IL · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$36,300−26.9%
25th$48,130−3.1%
Median (50th)$59,070+18.9%
75th$64,980+30.8%
90th$75,680+52.3%
Mean$56,690+14.1%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Illinois

Median annual wage for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Chicago$77,4703,330
2Springfield$60,57080
3Champaign$40,65040

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Peoria run 8.8% below the national average, so the median of $59,070 goes as far as $64,770 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 30.3% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$59,070as reported by BLS

Local price level

91.2US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$64,770US average = 100 · BEA 2024

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

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $59,070 a year, 18.9% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $36,300 to $75,680 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 60 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Chicago, at $77,470.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors in Peoria, IL?

The median annual wage is $59,070, or $28.40 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 $49,690, so pay in Peoria, IL is 18.9% 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 Peoria, IL earns more than $75,680 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $36,300 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 Chicago, at $77,470 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 60 jobs in this occupation in Peoria, 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.