Illinois is the best state for construction workers to make money, study says
Peoria construction workers are among the highest paid in the country, according to a recent study reviewing the best-paying cities for people in that field.
Construction Coverage, an online resource for builders and real estate professionals, analyzes wage and cost-of-living data to determine the area where construction workers earn the most.
The 2025 report found Midwestern states offer some of the best cost-adjusted wages, and ranked Illinois No. 1 in the highest-paying states for construction, listing the cost-adjusted median wage as $79,328. That wage is roughly 40% more than Southern states including Florida, Texas and Georgia, according to the study.
How Central Illinois ranks in this report
The study accounts for cost-adjusted pay, meaning wage figures are higher to account for costs of goods and services in a particular area. The adjustment is meant to offset the costs of inflation and help workers retain the value of their pay as inflation causes prices to rise.
The study puts metropolitan areas into three different lists, separated by categories based on market size: large, midsize and small. Among large markets, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area ranked highest, with a cost-adjusted yearly wage of $80,248; the unadjusted median wage is $82,300, according to the report.
Peoria takes the No. 1 spot on the top midsize metros for construction workers, according to the study, coming in with a cost-adjusted yearly wage of $86,056. Peoria’s unadjusted median wage for construction jobs is $76,260.
Narrowing the list to small markets, Decatur took the second spot on that list, with a median cost-adjusted salary of $85,666; the unadjusted median salary is $74,190. Champaign-Urbana was No. 3, with construction workers earning a cost-adjusted median salary of $83,776; the unadjusted median wage is $76,090.
Midsize metros with highest construction wages
The following salaries are cost-adjusted median wages for construction workers in each area, according to the study.
- Peoria, IL: $86,056
- Urban Honolulu, HI: $73,581
- Trenton-Princeton, NJ: $73,459
- Springfield, MA: $72,281
- Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL: $70,793
- Worcester, MA: $69,862
- Toledo, OH: $69,571
- Vallejo, CA: $69,277
- Anchorage, AK: $68,639
- Canton-Massillon, OH: $68,535
- Flint, MI: $68,282
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA: $68,003
- Madison, WI: $67,745
- Youngstown-Warren, OH: $67,122
- Fort Wayne, IN: $66,481
Illinois leads the way in highest-paying states for construction
The following salaries are cost-adjusted median wage for construction workers in each state, according to the study.
- Illinois: $79,328
- Hawaii: $73,060
- Alaska: $72,841
- Minnesota: $70,923
- Massachusetts: $70,382
- North Dakota: $68,859
- Washington: $68,265
- New Jersey: $66,295
- Wisconsin: $66,780
- Ohio: $66,124
- Indiana: $65,868
- Montana: $65,600
- Missouri: $65,387
- Iowa: $65,249
- Michigan: $64,055