StateRates

Kankakee salaries

The median worker in the Kankakee, IL metro area earned $45,260 a year in 2024, about $21.76 an hour. That ranks #249 of the 391 metro areas published here, 8.6% below the national median.

Illinois

Median pay $45,260 $21.76 per hour
Vs national -8.6% U.S. $49,500
Workers 42,490 wage and salary
Metro rank #249 of 391 by median pay

What this labour market looks like

Kankakee pays 9.5% less than Illinois as a whole. Metros usually run ahead of their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and the gap is a rough measure of how much of a state's economy sits in its cities.

Unusually concentrated here

Occupations against their national share, 2024
Occupation Concentration Employed Median
Phlebotomists 15.41× 590 $39,380
Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians 10.63× 1,000 $59,960
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders 5.99× 630 $46,160
Nursing Assistants 1.77× 680 $37,350
Registered Nurses 1.63× 1,470 $83,110
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary 1.59× 600 $31,410
Fast Food and Counter Workers 1.38× 1,430 $30,830
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 1.34× 760 $46,260
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 1.29× 550 $55,030
Cashiers 1.26× 1,100 $29,800
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 1.25× 1,020 $35,590
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 1.18× 560 $43,080

Best paid occupations

Highest median pay in Kankakee
Occupation Median Hourly Employed
Medical and Health Services Managers $99,710 $47.94 250
General and Operations Managers $90,310 $43.42 950
Registered Nurses $83,110 $39.96 1,470
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $71,120 $34.19 200
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $65,410 $31.45 280
Accountants and Auditors $63,910 $30.73 220
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $63,390 $30.48 260
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $62,170 $29.89 210
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $62,090 $29.85 380
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $61,760 n/a 470
Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians $59,960 $28.83 1,000
Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel $58,670 $28.21 240
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $58,660 n/a 260
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General $55,030 $26.46 550
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $48,450 n/a 420
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers $47,350 $22.76 250
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $46,260 $22.24 760
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders $46,160 $22.19 630
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $45,870 $22.05 420
Social and Human Service Assistants $45,700 $21.97 220
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics $45,540 $21.89 290
Light Truck Drivers $44,580 $21.43 360
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers $44,500 $21.39 330
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive $43,080 $20.71 560
Customer Service Representatives $40,610 $19.52 530
Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks $39,770 $19.12 280
Phlebotomists $39,380 $18.93 590
Office Clerks, General $39,040 $18.77 630
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators $38,480 $18.50 440
Medical Assistants $37,390 $17.98 230
Nursing Assistants $37,350 $17.96 680
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers $37,050 $17.81 230
Security Guards $36,620 $17.61 320
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants $36,570 $17.58 290
Receptionists and Information Clerks $36,400 $17.50 300
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $36,260 $17.44 370
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria $35,830 $17.23 240
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand $35,590 $17.11 1,020
Home Health and Personal Care Aides $35,280 $16.96 630
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $34,930 $16.79 580
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $34,750 $16.71 310
Cooks, Restaurant $33,430 $16.07 410
Stockers and Order Fillers $32,520 $15.64 860
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary $31,410 n/a 600
Retail Salespersons $30,900 $14.86 1,150
Fast Food and Counter Workers $30,830 $14.82 1,430
Cashiers $29,800 $14.33 1,100
Bartenders $29,120 $14.00 290
Waiters and Waitresses $29,120 $14.00 590

Where most people work

Largest occupations in Kankakee by employment
Occupation Employed Median Hourly
Registered Nurses 1,470 $83,110 $39.96
Fast Food and Counter Workers 1,430 $30,830 $14.82
Retail Salespersons 1,150 $30,900 $14.86
Cashiers 1,100 $29,800 $14.33
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 1,020 $35,590 $17.11
Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians 1,000 $59,960 $28.83
General and Operations Managers 950 $90,310 $43.42
Stockers and Order Fillers 860 $32,520 $15.64
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 760 $46,260 $22.24
Nursing Assistants 680 $37,350 $17.96
Home Health and Personal Care Aides 630 $35,280 $16.96
Office Clerks, General 630 $39,040 $18.77
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders 630 $46,160 $22.19
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary 600 $31,410 n/a
Phlebotomists 590 $39,380 $18.93
Waiters and Waitresses 590 $29,120 $14.00
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 580 $34,930 $16.79
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 560 $43,080 $20.71
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 550 $55,030 $26.46
Customer Service Representatives 530 $40,610 $19.52

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates. Wage and salary workers only, excluding the self-employed.

Other Illinois metro areas

Kankakee pay: common questions

What is the average salary in Kankakee?

The median across all occupations is $45,260, or $21.76 an hour, covering 42,490 wage and salary workers. The mean is $56,280, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.

Does Kankakee pay more than the rest of Illinois?

No. The metro median of $45,260 is 9.5% below the Illinois median of $50,000. Metropolitan areas usually pay more than their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and usually cost more to live in for the same reason.

Which jobs pay best in Kankakee?

Medical and Health Services Managers ($99,710), General and Operations Managers ($90,310), Registered Nurses ($83,110). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.

What is Kankakee unusually full of?

Phlebotomists, at 15.41× the national concentration. Location quotient is a better description of a local economy than its biggest employers, which are retail and food service almost everywhere.