CNC Machinist Salary: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
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The median annual wage for CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN was $59,520 in May 2025 (BLS). The middle half of workers earned between $47,770 and $68,260.
Broader occupation Our title "CNC Machinist" is reported by BLS as SOC 51-4041 Machinists. BLS groups CNC Machinist within Machinists; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately.
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $770 above the national median of $58,750 (1.3%).
Annual wages
CNC Machinist, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, annual wages: 10% earned less than $38,680, half earned less than the median of $59,520, 90% earned less than $78,990 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $38,680 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $47,770 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $59,520 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $68,260 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $78,990 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $60,510 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Hourly wages
CNC Machinist, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, hourly wages: 10% earned less than $18.60, half earned less than the median of $28.62, 90% earned less than $37.98 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Hourly wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18.60 per hour | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $22.97 per hour | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $28.62 per hour | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $32.82 per hour | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $37.98 per hour | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $29.09 per hour | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
National comparison
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $39,200 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $47,570 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $58,750 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $67,700 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $80,010 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $59,320 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 51-4041 Machinists, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN.
What BLS wages include. Base pay plus any guaranteed or production-based incentive pay. They leave out overtime, discretionary bonus, benefits, per diem and relocation.
BLS definitions, verbatim
wages
Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
hours
Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly wages by 2,080 hours; for occupations where hourly wages are not published, annual wages were taken directly from the reported survey data.
Which related roles have a different BLS occupation?
A supervisory occupation is not an experience percentile for the craft. Compare the actual responsibilities and the published SOC.
Machine Shop Supervisor (51-1011)What do these published wages mean for an offer?
Skilled Trades Headhunters reads the May 2025 figures for CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN as an offer reference, not a quote for a particular candidate. For CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, the published median for SOC 51-4041, Machinists, is $59,520 per year. The middle half of the CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage distribution runs from $47,770 to $68,260, a width of $20,490 per year; that spread shows how much published pay varies within the occupation and area, without assigning experience levels.
Against the United States estimate, the CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $770 above the national median of $58,750. For CNC Machinist, Kankakee, IL reports $47,930 per year, $11,590 below Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN; For CNC Machinist, Niles, MI reports $50,430 per year, $9,090 below Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. The neighbors used for CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN are the nearest metro representative points with a released median, using Census geography, not a commuting or cost-of-living adjustment.
The highest published medians among the selected national industry rows for Machinists, read alongside CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, are Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing at $108,490 per year (NAICS 324000); Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing at $108,490 per year (NAICS 324100); Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution at $105,220 per year (NAICS 221100). Those CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN industry comparisons are national cross-sections, not local industry estimates; BLS does not give us a metro-by-industry wage cut here, and overlapping industry groups should not be added together.
The CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median was $57,470 per year in May 2024, compared with $59,520 in May 2025, a published difference of $2,050. That CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN comparison is between separate BLS releases, not the raise paid to the same workers or a projection of next year's offer. Read the $57,470 and $59,520 CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN estimates with both dates visible, because the employers and workers represented by the survey can change.
Before offering $59,520 per year for CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, separate on-call duties, overtime, travel reimbursement, tool replacement and any truck allowance separately; prevailing wage and union requirements must be checked against the actual assignment. The CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN BLS comparison includes ordinary wages and qualifying incentive pay, but leaves overtime, discretionary bonuses, benefits and relocation outside this wage figure. A candidate's take-home pay and the employer's total cost for CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN can therefore differ from the median without either number being an error.
The mapping for CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is broader: BLS groups CNC Machinist within Machinists; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately. When calibrating a CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN opening, the work checks include Setup vs operate level; industrial robotics/machine-tool manufacturers/machine-tool manufacturers; ask for evidence of that scope instead of using a percentile as a substitute for qualification. A broader occupation can combine jobs that a CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN buyer would screen separately, which is why the badge and SOC remain beside the figures.
Questions about this occupation and area
What does the middle-half band tell a CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN buyer?
CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN has a published middle-half band of $47,770 to $68,260, a width of $20,490 per year, with median $59,520. An offer inside that CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN band is not automatically competitive for every scope; match the required work and the separate pay terms first.
Which areas should I compare before hiring CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
Kankakee, IL and Niles, MI are the nearest published metro reference points used for CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Comparing those Machinists tables with the $59,520 CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median does not measure commuting costs or predict what a particular applicant will accept.
Are the industry figures local to CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN uses national industry rows for SOC 51-4041, not local sector-specific wages. Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing leads the selected sortable rows at $108,490 per year, but that national industry figure is not a quoted offer for CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN.
What changed between the releases for CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN moved from $57,470 in May 2024 to $59,520 in May 2025. These CNC Machinist in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN published medians do not describe an individual raise or establish a future wage trend.
What changed since May 2024
SOC 51-4041. Published annual median: $57,470 (May 2024) and $59,520 (May 2025). These are two BLS releases, not a projection.