Janitorial Wage Benchmarks

Janitorial Wages in Illinois (2026)

Illinois janitors earn a statewide median of $17.80/hr — $2.80/hr above the $15.00 state floor — while Chicago's July 2026 minimum wage of $17.05/hr and SEIU Local 1's Chicagoland CBA covering 8,000+ workers push downtown Class A office cleaners into the $19–$22/hr range.

CurrentStatute: BLS OEWS May 2024 (SOC 37-2011) + 820 ILCS 105/4 (Illinois Minimum Wage Law; $15.00/hr statewide effective Jan 1, 2025; no increase scheduled for Jan 2026)Effective: $15.00/hr statewide effective January 1, 2025 (no further scheduled increase as of Q2 2026); Cook County: $15.40/hr effective July 1, 2026; Chicago: $17.05/hr effective July 1, 2026Last reviewed: Q2 2026
State
Illinois
Governing Statute
BLS OEWS May 2024 (SOC 37-2011) + 820 ILCS 105/4 (Illinois Minimum Wage Law; $15.00/hr statewide effective Jan 1, 2025; no increase scheduled for Jan 2026)
BLS OEWS May 2024, SOC 37-2011; O*NET LocalWages_37-2011.00_IL (BLS 2024 data); 820 ILCS 105/4 (IL min wage $15.00); Cook County min wage $15.40 eff July 1, 2026; Chicago min wage $17.05 eff July 1, 2026; SEIU Local 1 Chicagoland CBA April 2024 (8,000+ members); NCCI class 9014 Illinois
Enforcement Agency
Illinois Department of Labor; DOL Wage & Hour Division, Chicago District Office; Cook County and City of Chicago enforce local ordinances independently
Civil Penalty
Back wages + 2% per month on unpaid wages under 820 ILCS 105/12; civil penalties $500–$2,500/violation; Cook County and Chicago have independent penalty structures

Illinois janitorial workers earn a statewide mean and median hourly wage of $17.80 (BLS OEWS May 2024, SOC 37-2011 — O*NET LocalWages IL), placing the state meaningfully above the national median of $17.27/hr. The Illinois statewide minimum wage of $15.00/hr (effective January 1, 2025; 820 ILCS 105/4) provides a floor $2.80/hr below the median, with Chicago's local ordinance stepping up to $17.05/hr on July 1, 2026 — effectively making Chicago's city minimum the single most relevant wage floor for the state's largest cleaning market. SEIU Local 1's Chicagoland CBA (April 2024) locks in wage growth for approximately 8,000+ commercial janitors through 2027.

Statewide Wage Overview (BLS OEWS May 2024, SOC 37-2011)

The statewide mean equals the median at $17.80/hr, consistent with a balanced distribution influenced by the Chicago metro's large union-organized sector and the downstate markets' lower wage structure. Illinois employs approximately 115,000–125,000 janitors, with roughly 65% concentrated in the Chicago–Naperville–Elgin MSA. The Chicago metro's SEIU Local 1 pattern bargaining elevates the statewide median significantly above what pure market forces would produce in downstate Illinois.

Wage Percentile Distribution (BLS OEWS May 2024)

Percentile Hourly Wage
10th percentile $14.62/hr
25th percentile $16.33/hr
50th percentile (median) $17.80/hr
75th percentile $21.09/hr
90th percentile $23.83/hr

The 10th percentile at $14.62/hr is below the current $15.00/hr minimum wage — reflecting survey timing or part-time workers near minimum wage levels. All full-time 2026 cleaners must earn at least $15.00/hr statewide, $15.40/hr in Cook County (from July 2026), and $17.05/hr in Chicago (from July 2026). The $9.21/hr spread from 10th to 90th reflects the bifurcation between lower-wage downstate markets and the union premium in downtown Chicago. The 75th-to-90th jump ($2.74/hr) reflects SEIU Local 1 senior worker and supervisor rates in covered downtown buildings.

Submarket Variation: High and Low Metro Areas

Chicago–Naperville–Elgin IL-IN-WI leads with a median $17.99/hr (10th: $14.75, 25th: $16.81, 75th: $21.28, 90th: $23.73) — driven by SEIU Local 1 pattern bargaining in the BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association) covered commercial office market downtown. Champaign–Urbana surprisingly equals Chicago at median $18.00/hr (75th: $23.75), reflecting University of Illinois campus facility contracts and a tight regional labor market. At the low end, Paducah KY-IL (Illinois portion) posts the state's lowest median at $14.82/hr — below the statewide minimum, reflecting low-density commercial markets in extreme southern Illinois near the Kentucky border. Cape Girardeau MO-IL ($15.86/hr) and Kankakee ($16.79/hr) also trail the statewide median.

State Minimum Wage 2026 and Scheduled Increases

  • Statewide rate: $15.00/hr effective January 1, 2025 (820 ILCS 105/4). No further scheduled state-level increase as of Q2 2026. Illinois reached $15.00/hr ahead of its original 2025 target date under the Minimum Wage Law amendment signed in 2019.
  • Tipped employees: Illinois tipped minimum wage (2025): $9.00/hr (60% of the minimum wage). Maximum tip credit: $6.00/hr. Effective July 1, 2026, the Chicago minimum wage for tipped workers rises — tied to the Chicago ordinance schedule.
  • Cook County: $15.40/hr effective July 1, 2026 for non-tipped employees; $9.25/hr for tipped employees (Cook County minimum wage ordinance). This rate supersedes the state rate for work performed in Cook County (excluding Chicago, which has its own higher rate).
  • Chicago: $17.05/hr effective July 1, 2026 for non-tipped employees (GovDocs Chicago update); tipped workers: $12.96/hr (July 2026). The tipped wage phase-out was delayed — the tip credit will remain at 24% of the applicable minimum wage through June 30, 2028.

Workers' Compensation — Class 9014 Rate (Illinois)

Illinois uses NCCI class code 9014 (Janitorial Services by Contractors). Illinois is an NCCI jurisdiction with competitive carrier filing. The estimated pure premium loss cost for class 9014 in Illinois runs approximately $2.80–$3.50/$100 payroll — above the national average, reflecting Illinois's higher-than-average WC claim costs and the extensive Cook County litigation environment. Loaded labor cost at $17.80/hr base in non-union accounts: add FICA/FUTA $1.42, WC ~$0.50–$0.62/hr, general liability, benefits, and overhead — total loaded approximately $28–$35/hr. SEIU Local 1 downtown Chicago union accounts with full health, welfare, and pension contributions add $5–$8/hr to total loaded cost, pushing union-covered accounts to $36–$46/hr total loaded.

Union Presence — SEIU Local 1

SEIU Local 1 is the dominant commercial cleaning union in Illinois, representing approximately 30,000 members across the Chicago metro and downstate markets. In April 2024, Local 1 ratified two 3-year Chicagoland CBAs covering over 8,000 commercial janitors:

  • Chicagoland BOMA CBA (2024–2027): Covers downtown Chicago commercial office buildings. Wage increases: $1.50/hr in Year 1, $0.75/hr in Year 2, $0.75/hr in Year 3 — a 15% total increase, worth approximately $14,040 in additional wages over the contract. 100% employer-paid healthcare maintained with no rise in costs to workers.
  • Suburban Contractors CBA (2024–2027): Covers Chicago suburban commercial cleaning. Wage increases: $1.25/hr, $0.75/hr, $1.20/hr — a 19% total increase over the contract.

SEIU Local 1 also negotiates in Springfield, Rockford, Champaign, and Peoria, though with lower density than Chicago. Union penetration in downtown Chicago Class A office towers is estimated at 40–60%. Non-union commercial cleaning dominates in suburban office parks and light industrial accounts.

Local Minimum Wage Premiums

  • Chicago: $17.05/hr effective July 1, 2026 (rising from $16.20/hr; Chicago minimum wage ordinance — GovDocs)
  • Cook County (unincorporated / non-Chicago municipalities): $15.40/hr effective July 1, 2026 (Cook County ordinance)
  • Rest of Illinois: $15.00/hr statewide (no other municipalities with independent local ordinances above the state rate)

Note: Chicago's July 2026 rate of $17.05/hr essentially equals the statewide janitorial median of $17.80/hr, meaning Chicago's minimum wage floor is now close to the statewide market median. Downstate cleaning bids can still use the $15.00/hr floor, but Chicago accounts must budget $17.05/hr as the absolute base regardless of market conditions.

What Contractors Should Bid Against

Loaded labor range: Downstate non-union accounts (Springfield, Peoria, Rockford) price at $24–$30/hr total loaded. Chicago suburban non-union accounts run $28–$35/hr. Downtown Chicago SEIU Local 1-covered accounts require budgeting $36–$46/hr total loaded.

Key bid pitfalls:

  • Chicago July vs. January increase: Chicago's minimum wage increases on July 1, not January 1. Multi-year cleaning contracts starting in January will see a mandatory minimum wage increase mid-year. Build semi-annual review language into contract pricing structures for Chicago accounts.
  • Cook County vs. Chicago distinction: Cook County suburbs (Skokie, Oak Park, Cicero) are covered by the Cook County ordinance ($15.40/hr from July 2026), not the Chicago ordinance ($17.05/hr). Use the correct floor for each municipality.
  • SEIU Local 1 organizing: Local 1 actively organizes new accounts in the Chicago commercial office market. A non-union cleaning account in a downtown Chicago Class A building may face a card-check organizing drive. Understanding the CBA step rates helps price competitively if a union neutrality agreement applies.
  • Illinois IDOL sick leave: The Illinois Employee Sick Leave Act (820 ILCS 191) requires employers to allow use of paid leave for family member illness. Combined with Chicago's paid sick leave ordinance (up to 40 hours/year), sick leave accrual must be factored into labor burden.

Cross-References

Primary Sources

Authored by the Opora Editorial Team.

Sources

This page is informational only. It does not constitute legal advice, tax advice, or a professional compliance determination. Laws vary by state and locality, change over time, and apply differently depending on your specific facts and circumstances. Before taking any action with legal or business consequences, consult a licensed attorney or CPA qualified in your jurisdiction.