SalaryExplorer

SOC 49-2022 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers — Decatur

Decatur, IL · 6 metro areas compared

$73,410 /year
$35.29per hour
40jobs in area
+14.9%vs US median

In Decatur, IL the median wage for Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers is $73,410 a year, which is 14.9% higher than the national figure of $63,890.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $63,89010TH$39,120MEDIAN$73,41075TH$81,32090TH$100,140

How pay has moved

$87,273$55,33820192020202120242025$73,410
$60,760 in 2019 to $73,410 in 2025, +20.8% 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 decline

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
-4.2%
Openings per year
13,200
Typical entry-level education
Postsecondary nondegree award
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 Decatur, 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

In Decatur, IL the median wage for Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers is $73,410 a year, which is 14.9% higher than the national figure of $63,890. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $45,640 and $81,320. The lowest tenth earn under $39,120, while the highest tenth earn more than $100,140.

The area has 40 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.8 of every thousand jobs. Within the state, Chicago records the highest median at $69,820. Of the 184 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 53rd.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Decatur, IL · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$39,120−38.8%
25th$45,640−28.6%
Median (50th)$73,410+14.9%
75th$81,320+27.3%
90th$100,140+56.7%
Mean$68,820+7.7%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Illinois

Median annual wage for Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Chicago$69,8203,480
2Springfield$64,410110
3Rockford$62,46070
4Champaign$61,420100
5Peoria$59,900140
6Bloomington$59,75090

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Decatur run 11.6% below the national average, so the median of $73,410 goes as far as $83,043 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 30.0% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$73,410as reported by BLS

Local price level

88.4US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$83,043US average = 100 · BEA 2024

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

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $73,410 a year, 14.9% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $39,120 to $100,140 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 40 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Chicago, at $69,820.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers in Decatur, IL?

The median annual wage is $73,410, or $35.29 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 $63,890, so pay in Decatur, IL is 14.9% 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 Decatur, IL earns more than $100,140 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $39,120 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 $69,820 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 40 jobs in this occupation in Decatur, 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.