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Facility & commercial rate benchmarks

Commercial trade rates in Chicago.

Chicago's estimated commercial trade rates below cover all eight trades tracked on this site, built from BLS OEWS wage data via O*NET OnLine (2025), for facility and property teams pricing work in one of the Midwest's strongest union building-trades markets.

Rates by trade

Plumbing (estimated)$137/hr median · $89–$177 range
Wagex Multiplier= Estimate
Low$35.72/hrx 2.5$89/hr
Median$49.7/hrx 2.75$137/hr
High$58.91/hrx 3$177/hr

Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.

Electrical (estimated)$135/hr median · $89–$171 range
Wagex Multiplier= Estimate
Low$35.77/hrx 2.5$89/hr
Median$49.21/hrx 2.75$135/hr
High$57.05/hrx 3$171/hr

Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.

HVAC and Refrigeration (estimated)$103/hr median · $73–$140 range
Wagex Multiplier= Estimate
Low$29.35/hrx 2.5$73/hr
Median$37.48/hrx 2.75$103/hr
High$46.53/hrx 3$140/hr

Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.

General Maintenance (estimated)$77/hr median · $54–$104 range
Wagex Multiplier= Estimate
Low$21.67/hrx 2.5$54/hr
Median$27.9/hrx 2.75$77/hr
High$34.66/hrx 3$104/hr

Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.

Janitorial and Cleaning (estimated)$51/hr median · $44–$66 range
Wagex Multiplier= Estimate
Low$17.48/hrx 2.5$44/hr
Median$18.49/hrx 2.75$51/hr
High$21.99/hrx 3$66/hr

Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.

Landscaping and Grounds (estimated)$60/hr median · $46–$69 range
Wagex Multiplier= Estimate
Low$18.34/hrx 2.5$46/hr
Median$21.77/hrx 2.75$60/hr
High$22.93/hrx 3$69/hr

Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.

Roofing (estimated)$109/hr median · $72–$152 range
Wagex Multiplier= Estimate
Low$28.73/hrx 2.5$72/hr
Median$39.47/hrx 2.75$109/hr
High$50.61/hrx 3$152/hr

Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.

Carpentry (estimated)$106/hr median · $71–$164 range
Wagex Multiplier= Estimate
Low$28.26/hrx 2.5$71/hr
Median$38.68/hrx 2.75$106/hr
High$54.79/hrx 3$164/hr

Source: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Dept. of Labor/ETA), from BLS OEWS metropolitan area wage estimates, using a documented service multiplier.

What's different in Chicago

  • Labour market: Chicago has some of the strongest building-trades union locals in the US (notably IBEW Local 134 for electrical), which is a common driver of the elevated wage and billed-rate levels seen here versus other Midwest metros.
  • Climate and seasonality: Lake-effect winters and freeze-thaw cycles drive plumbing and HVAC emergency calls; older commercial building stock adds electrical and roofing work.
  • Code and licensing: Licensing runs through the City of Chicago and Illinois state boards; Chicago's own electrical and plumbing codes are notably stricter than many US cities.

Local contractors in Chicago

Janitorial and Cleaning

Conquest Building Services

  • Office buildings
  • Building maintenance
Address
Mundelein, IL 60060 (mailing: PO Box 681, Lincolnshire, IL 60069)
Phone
+1-847-901-3555
Request a quote

HVAC and Refrigeration

Air Comfort

  • Mission-critical facilities
  • Central plant systems
  • Building automation
  • Electrical
  • 90+ years in operation (company-stated)
  • Union contractor
Address
2550 Braga Dr, Broadview, IL 60155
Phone
+1-708-345-1900
Request a quote

Hill Mechanical Group (The Hill Group)

90 years in operation (since 1936)

  • HVAC
  • Plumbing
  • Fire protection
  • Virtual design and construction
Address
11045 Gage Ave, Franklin Park, IL 60131
Phone
+1-847-451-5000
Request a quote

Frequently asked questions

What do commercial trade rates cost in Chicago?
Across the 8 trades tracked here, the median commercial hourly rate in Chicago runs around $97/hr, though it varies significantly by trade: see the table above for each one.
Is this a real measured rate, or an estimate?
Every rate on this page is currently an estimate: each trade's Chicago wage, multiplied by a documented service multiplier that converts an employee wage into a billed commercial rate. It is not drawn from actual invoices or job records. The full model is on the methodology page.
Why a range instead of a single number?
A single average hides the real spread: in the underlying wage data for estimated trades, and between emergency/scheduled and contract/ad-hoc work for measured ones. We show low, median, and high so the range reflects that honestly.
Is this a residential or commercial rate?
Commercial. These figures track facility-side trade work for businesses, property managers, and multi-site operators in Chicago. Commercial rates typically run above residential rates for the same trade, reflecting insurance, code compliance, and scheduling requirements that residential work doesn't carry.
What's driving trade rates in Chicago specifically?
Chicago has some of the strongest building-trades union locals in the US (notably IBEW Local 134 for electrical), which is a common driver of the elevated wage and billed-rate levels seen here versus other Midwest metros.

Methodology

These figures are built from regional wage data multiplied by a documented service multiplier, or, where enough real job records exist, measured directly from vendor work logged in Evalystar. See the full model, sources, and what upgrades an estimate to a measured rate on the methodology page.

Nearby cities

Cite this data

These Chicago benchmarks are published under CC BY 4.0: reuse them anywhere, including commercially, as long as you attribute Evalystar. The machine-readable version is at /api/rates/us/chicago.json.

Evalystar (2025). Commercial facility trade rate benchmarks, Chicago. Retrieved from https://evalystar.com/rates/us/chicago. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.