Operating Engineer Salary in Chicago, IL
$37.1K - $46.4K
3% of jobs
$46.4K - $55.7K
4% of jobs
$55.7K - $65K
5% of jobs
$71.3K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$65K - $74.2K
20% of jobs
The median wage is $83.2K / yr.
$74.2K - $83.5K
20% of jobs
$83.5K - $92.8K
19% of jobs
$96.4K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$92.8K - $102.1K
14% of jobs
$102.1K - $111.3K
5% of jobs
$111.3K - $120.6K
5% of jobs
$120.6K - $129.9K
4% of jobs
$129.9K - $139.2K
3% of jobs
$37.1K
$84K
$139.2K
$87,661
/year
$42.14
/hour
Operating Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$85,029
Chicago
Illinois
$87,661
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How much does an Operating Engineer make in Chicago, Illinois?
As of May 28, 2026, the average annual pay for an Operating Engineer in Chicago is $87,661 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $42.14 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,685/week or $7,305/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $139,180 and as low as $37,114, the majority of Operating Engineer salaries currently range between $71,700 (25th percentile) to $96,900 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $121,653 annually in Chicago. The average pay range for an Operating Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 25200), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Operating Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as an Operating Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Operating Engineer Jobs in Chicago
We found a few jobs that pay more than jobs in the Operating Engineer category in Chicago, IL.
For example Google Database Engineer jobs pay as much as $38,132 (43.5%) more than the average Operating Engineer salary of $87,661. If you're qualified, finding work as an Google Database Engineer may help you make more money than that of the average Operating Engineer position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Google Database Engineer | $125,793 | $60.48 |
Applications Engineer | $114,125 | $54.87 |
Facilities Engineer | $91,203 | $43.85 |
Boiler Engineer | $79,578 | $38.26 |
Assistant Developer | $53,000 | $25.48 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
