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Careers in Illinois
Most Popular Careers by City in Illinois:
Job opportunities vary greatly by location. As the tables below clearly show, individual cities and towns offer employment opportunities which differ from those you'll find in other places. Some places feature jobs in technology, some in manufacturing, others in education, etc. Whether choosing a career path or seeking a new job, it pays to consider which careers are favored in the area in which you live or to which are willing to move.
Select the city you want or just browse down this page to see the analysis for each city:
NOTE: A Career Popularity level of 1.0 indicates the national average; a popularity rating of 3.5, for example, indicates that the career is 3.5 times as prevalent locally than it is nationally.
Bloomington Employment and Careers
Ten careers significantly more common in Bloomington and surrounding towns than in most metro areas nationwide.
| Job Title | Mean Local Salary | Local Jobs | Popularity* vs. Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Managers, all other | $77,390 | 1,270 | 7 |
| Office and administrative support workers, all other | $28,790 | 830 | 7 |
| Maintenance workers, machinery | n/a | 180 | 6.1 |
| Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists | $88,670 | 350 | 5.9 |
| All other information and record clerks | $25,420 | 460 | 4.4 |
| Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders | $24,880 | 160 | 4.2 |
| Financial analysts | $73,420 | 480 | 3.8 |
| Computer systems analysts | $93,090 | 950 | 3.6 |
| Teachers and instructors, all other | $26,220 | 760 | 3.3 |
| Marketing managers | $110,100 | 270 | 3.2 |
Champaign Employment and Careers
Ten careers significantly more common in Champaign and surrounding towns than in most metro areas nationwide.
| Job Title | Mean Local Salary | Local Jobs | Popularity* vs. Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooks, all other | $29,670 | 150 | 25.4 |
| Physical scientists, all other | $73,290 | 170 | 18.2 |
| Education, training, and library workers, all other | $54,550 | 520 | 11 |
| Maintenance workers, machinery | $43,800 | 400 | 10 |
| Managers, all other | $89,360 | 1,720 | 7 |
| Food preparation and serving related workers, all other | $28,310 | 120 | 4.6 |
| Community and social service specialists, all other | $31,190 | 290 | 4.5 |
| Mental health and substance abuse social workers | $26,540 | 330 | 4.3 |
| Editors | $41,650 | 270 | 3.7 |
| Legislators | $56,020 | 100 | 3.5 |
Chicago Employment and Careers
Ten careers significantly more common in Chicago and surrounding towns than in most metro areas nationwide.
| Job Title | Mean Local Salary | Local Jobs | Popularity* vs. Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Railroad conductors and yardmasters | $57,630 | 160 | 28.2 |
| Railroad brake, signal, and switch operators | $57,170 | 380 | 24.9 |
| Rail transportation workers, all other | n/a | 400 | 22.1 |
| Rail yard engineers, dinkey operators, and hostlers | $32,740 | 440 | 16.3 |
| Musical instrument repairers and tuners | $44,800 | 350 | 14.9 |
| Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators | n/a | 280 | 11.9 |
| Physicists | $118,810 | 2,670 | 8.3 |
| Rail car repairers | $38,700 | 790 | 7.7 |
| Religious workers, all other | $38,500 | 450 | 7.3 |
| Forest and conservation workers | $46,640 | 180 | 7.1 |
Danville Employment and Careers
Ten careers significantly more common in Danville and surrounding towns than in most metro areas nationwide.
| Job Title | Mean Local Salary | Local Jobs | Popularity* vs. Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education, training, and library workers, all other | $27,410 | 170 | 14.9 |
| Court, municipal, and license clerks | $39,560 | 120 | 8.6 |
| Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | $31,760 | 260 | 7.8 |
| Industrial truck and tractor operators | $32,230 | 550 | 5.9 |
| Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic | $35,670 | 100 | 5.3 |
| Production workers, all other | $27,480 | 160 | 4.6 |
| Helpers--production workers | $24,110 | 250 | 3.7 |
| First-line supervisors/managers of production and operating workers | $49,360 | 350 | 3.6 |
| Human resources, training, and labor relations specialists, all other | $31,070 | 120 | 3.4 |
| Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers | $32,110 | 220 | 3.2 |
Decatur Employment and Careers
Ten careers significantly more common in Decatur and surrounding towns than in most metro areas nationwide.
| Job Title | Mean Local Salary | Local Jobs | Popularity* vs. Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineers, all other | $92,430 | 1,460 | 29.6 |
| Assemblers and fabricators, all other | $42,790 | 1,810 | 23.8 |
| Education, training, and library workers, all other | $22,600 | 300 | 13.5 |
| Industrial engineers | $65,220 | 470 | 7.6 |
| Engineering managers | $141,270 | 400 | 6.9 |
| Managers, all other | n/a | 580 | 5 |
| Teachers and instructors, all other | n/a | 680 | 4.6 |
| Logisticians | $45,940 | 140 | 4.5 |
| Highway maintenance workers | $39,920 | 110 | 4.1 |
| Computer-controlled machine tool operators, metal and plastic | $54,250 | 140 | 3.8 |
Kankakee Employment and Careers
Ten careers significantly more common in Kankakee and surrounding towns than in most metro areas nationwide.
| Job Title | Mean Local Salary | Local Jobs | Popularity* vs. Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Production workers, all other | $27,790 | 680 | 12.9 |
| Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders | $39,150 | 310 | 10.7 |
| Chemical technicians | $48,430 | 120 | 8.2 |
| Fire fighters | $41,600 | 320 | 5.3 |
| Healthcare support workers, all other | n/a | 220 | 5 |
| Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education | $49,020 | 900 | 3.9 |
| Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants | $23,510 | 1,060 | 3.3 |
| Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors | $22,340 | 170 | 3 |
| Maintenance and repair workers, general | $32,810 | 880 | 2.9 |
| Cooks, institution and cafeteria | $22,090 | 210 | 2.7 |
Peoria Employment and Careers
Ten careers significantly more common in Peoria and surrounding towns than in most metro areas nationwide.
| Job Title | Mean Local Salary | Local Jobs | Popularity* vs. Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation | $29,850 | 180 | 15.1 |
| Designers, all other | $36,530 | 110 | 12.7 |
| Agricultural equipment operators | $25,310 | 140 | 11.5 |
| Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers | $33,020 | 3,080 | 7.4 |
| Highway maintenance workers | $44,090 | 690 | 6.3 |
| Legislators | n/a | 340 | 6.3 |
| Food preparation and serving related workers, all other | $21,600 | 250 | 5.1 |
| Production workers, all other | $31,240 | 1,280 | 4.7 |
| Conveyor operators and tenders | $26,170 | 110 | 4.2 |
| Funeral attendants | $22,600 | 100 | 3.8 |
Rockford Employment and Careers
Ten careers significantly more common in Rockford and surrounding towns than in most metro areas nationwide.
| Job Title | Mean Local Salary | Local Jobs | Popularity* vs. Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lathe and turning machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | $31,830 | 640 | 13.2 |
| Milling and planing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | $37,490 | 250 | 12.9 |
| Machinists | $39,410 | 4,810 | 11.5 |
| Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | $34,250 | 220 | 8.6 |
| Metal-refining furnace operators and tenders | $36,080 | 100 | 8.4 |
| Welding, soldering, and brazing machine setters, operators, and tenders | n/a | 250 | 6.7 |
| Plating and coating machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | $28,160 | 230 | 6.3 |
| Tool and die makers | $47,220 | 510 | 6.3 |
| Heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic | $32,480 | 100 | 5.6 |
| Sales and related workers, all other | $28,900 | 840 | 5.4 |
Springfield Employment and Careers
Ten careers significantly more common in Springfield and surrounding towns than in most metro areas nationwide.
| Job Title | Mean Local Salary | Local Jobs | Popularity* vs. Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers | $53,230 | 250 | 60.1 |
| Office and administrative support workers, all other | $33,040 | 2,080 | 11.6 |
| Social workers, all other | $49,400 | 310 | 7.1 |
| Administrative services managers | $56,660 | 990 | 5.3 |
| Chief executives | n/a | 1,000 | 4.8 |
| Environmental engineers | $72,830 | 170 | 4.7 |
| Meter readers, utilities | $29,490 | 100 | 4.2 |
| Cardiovascular technologists and technicians | $47,030 | 130 | 4.1 |
| Floral designers | $21,690 | 150 | 4 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical workers, all other | $64,310 | 140 | 3.9 |
* A Career Popularity level of 1.0 indicates the national average; a popularity rating of 3.5, for example, indicates that the career is 3.5 times as prevalent locally than it is nationally.
Analysis (above) provided by CityTownInfo.com, based on data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and the US Census.