By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
According to two new reports by Construction Coverage, Illinois ranked 48th out of 50 U.S. states for new home construction last year while leading the nation in construction worker pay.
Analysts at Construction Coverage looked at wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and cost-of-living data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis to determine where in the country construction workers earn the most when local price differences are taken into account.
Michael Stromberg, head of Engineering & Data Analytics at Construction Coverage, said construction workers in Illinois have the highest median wages in the country after adjusting for cost-of-living metrics.
“That’s coming in at over $79,000 per year. For reference, that’s nearly 12% more than the next-highest neighboring Midwest state, Minnesota, at just over $70,000 annually. That’s also 50% more than the median wage for all workers in Illinois at roughly $50,000 per year,” Stromberg told The Center Square.
Without the cost-of-living adjustment factored in, Stromberg said Hawaii’s construction workers earn higher median wages than Illinois workers, but Hawaii’s high cost of living resulted in Illinois’ elevation to the top spot.
Stromberg said the trends hold true at the local level.
“The Chicago metropolitan area ranks first among large metros for construction worker pay. The Peoria metropolitan area ranks first among mid-size metros, and Decatur and Champaign rank second and third respectively among small metropolitan areas. So, from a personal income perspective, Illinois is an attractive state to work in for construction workers,” Stromberg said.
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