Firefighters pay in Illinois
$76,530avg. a year
$36.79 an hour · 18,400 employed
Firefighters in Illinois earn an average of $76,530 a year. That is $12,900 (20%) more than the U.S. average of $63,630. The best-paying metro area is Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN at $80,110.
$78,380Median pay
$36.79Average hourly
+27%Avg. pay since 2020
#7Of 49 states + D.C.
Top-paying Illinois metro areas
Average pay for firefighters by metro area. Swipe to see all 10.
114,560 jobs
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$80,110
$38.52 an hour
2490 jobs
Peoria, IL
$72,600
$34.91 an hour
32,680 jobs
St. Louis, MO-IL
$67,280
$32.34 an hour
4410 jobs
Rockford, IL
$66,870
$32.15 an hour
5340 jobs
Champaign-Urbana, IL
$64,720
$31.12 an hour
6240 jobs
Springfield, IL
$63,810
$30.68 an hour
7170 jobs
Bloomington, IL
$63,070
$30.32 an hour
8120 jobs
Kankakee, IL
$62,900
$30.24 an hour
9410 jobs
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
$62,090
$29.85 an hour
10120 jobs
Decatur, IL
$61,750
$29.69 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Firefighters pay in Illinois, charted
Pay over time
Illinois, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where Illinois firefighters work
Employment by metro area, May 2025
Related jobs in Illinois
Average pay, Illinois, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Questions and answers
How much do firefighters make in Illinois?
The average is $76,530 a year, and the median is $78,380. That is $12,900 (20%) more than the U.S. average of $63,630.
What is the hourly wage in Illinois?
$36.79 an hour on average; the median is $37.68.
Where in Illinois do they earn the most?
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN ($80,110), followed by Peoria, IL ($72,600). The lowest average among 10 metro areas with data is Decatur, IL ($61,750).
How does Illinois rank?
Illinois ranks #7 of 50 states (including D.C.) with published data for this job, by average pay.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 33-2011. State rank compares average pay across states with published data. Metro figures cover metropolitan statistical areas; a metro area can cross state lines. See also the national firefighters page. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.