Generator Technician Salary: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
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The median annual wage for Generator Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN was $114,670 in May 2025 (BLS). The middle half of workers earned between $62,480 and $115,250.
Closest proxy Our title "Generator Technician" is reported by BLS as SOC 49-2092 Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers. Closest proxy: Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers. This published occupation covers only part of Generator Technician; do not treat it as a quoted range for the complete role.
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $58,460 above the national median of $56,210 (104.0%).
Annual wages
Generator Technician, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, annual wages: 10% earned less than $61,750, half earned less than the median of $114,670, 90% earned less than $115,250 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $61,750 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $62,480 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $114,670 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $115,250 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $115,250 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $92,230 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Hourly wages
Generator Technician, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, hourly wages: 10% earned less than $29.69, half earned less than the median of $55.13, 90% earned less than $55.41 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Hourly wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $29.69 per hour | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $30.04 per hour | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $55.13 per hour | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $55.41 per hour | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $55.41 per hour | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $44.34 per hour | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
National comparison
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,100 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $45,190 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $56,210 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $69,090 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $85,200 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $58,610 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 49-2092 Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers, 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.
Other markets
These are other target markets with published figures, not nearby areas.
All Generator Technician figures | All roles in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
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.
Solar Site Foreman (47-1011)What do these published wages mean for an offer?
Skilled Trades Headhunters reads the May 2025 figures for Generator Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN as an offer reference, not a quote for a particular candidate. For Generator Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, the published median for SOC 49-2092, Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers, is $114,670 per year. The middle half of the Generator Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage distribution runs from $62,480 to $115,250, a width of $52,770 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 Generator Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $58,460 above the national median of $56,210. For Generator Technician, Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI reports $81,810 per year, $32,860 below Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN; For Generator Technician, Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI reports $46,410 per year, $68,260 below Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. The neighbors used for Generator Technician 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 Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers, read alongside Generator Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, are Utilities at $76,570 per year (NAICS 22); Utilities at $76,570 per year (NAICS 221000); Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution at $75,460 per year (NAICS 221100). Those Generator Technician 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 Generator Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median was $77,410 per year in May 2024, compared with $114,670 in May 2025, a published difference of $37,260. That Generator Technician 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 $77,410 and $114,670 Generator Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN estimates with both dates visible, because the employers and workers represented by the survey can change.
Before offering $114,670 per year for Generator Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, separate overtime, per diem, lodging and mobilization separately; prevailing wage obligations and union scale depend on the assignment and agreement, not a special BLS traveling-worker percentile. The Generator Technician 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 Generator Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN can therefore differ from the median without either number being an error.
The mapping for Generator Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is proxy: Closest proxy: Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers; This published occupation covers only part of Generator Technician; do not treat it as a quoted range for the complete role. When calibrating a Generator Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN opening, the work checks include EGSA certification; power-equipment manufacturers/power-equipment manufacturers/power-equipment manufacturers/power-equipment manufacturers training; ask for evidence of that scope instead of using a percentile as a substitute for qualification. A broader occupation can combine jobs that a Generator Technician 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 Generator Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN buyer?
Generator Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN has a published middle-half band of $62,480 to $115,250, a width of $52,770 per year, with median $114,670. An offer inside that Generator Technician 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 Generator Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI and Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI are the nearest published metro reference points used for Generator Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Comparing those Electric Motor, Power Tool, and Related Repairers tables with the $114,670 Generator Technician 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 Generator Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
Generator Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN uses national industry rows for SOC 49-2092, not local sector-specific wages. Utilities leads the selected sortable rows at $76,570 per year, but that national industry figure is not a quoted offer for Generator Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN.
What changed between the releases for Generator Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
Generator Technician in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN moved from $77,410 in May 2024 to $114,670 in May 2025. These Generator Technician 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 49-2092. Published annual median: $77,410 (May 2024) and $114,670 (May 2025). These are two BLS releases, not a projection.