Bloomington, IL metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a forklift operator make in Bloomington, IL?

In the Bloomington, IL metropolitan area, forklift operators earned a median of $40,400 a year ($19.42 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 70 of these jobs there. That is 24% below the $53,140 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $32,230 and $54,720; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Illinois tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $32,786 in take-home pay.

Forklift operator pay in Bloomington, IL at a glance

Median salary

$40,400$19.42 per hour · $3,367 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$32,230$15.49/hr
25th percentile$37,110$17.84/hr
75th percentile$46,630$22.42/hr
90th percentile$54,720$26.31/hr
Jobs in this metro70Location quotient 0.15 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here24% belowAll-jobs median $53,140
Against Illinois15% belowStatewide median $47,720
Against the U.S.13% belowNational median $46,420

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Forklift operator salary in Bloomington, IL after taxes

$40,400
$15,000$85,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$40,400
Net 81%
Fed 7%
IL 5%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$32,786After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,732Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,261Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate18.9%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,668 / yr
Illinois state income tax$1,855 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$3,091 / yr

Forklift operators pay range in Bloomington, IL, hourly and yearly

BLS May 2025 estimates for the Bloomington, IL metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.

What forklift operators earned in the Bloomington, IL metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (IL)
10th percentile$15.49/hr$2,686$32,230$26,626
25th percentile$17.84/hr$3,093$37,110$30,306
MedianMedian$19.42/hr$3,367$40,400$32,786
75th percentile$22.42/hr$3,886$46,630$37,484
90th percentile$26.31/hr$4,560$54,720$43,584

Is $40,400 a good salary in Bloomington, IL?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for forklift operators next to both.

Median household income$79,905Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)93.56.5% below national average
One paycheck vs. a household50.6%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Forklift operator pay in Bloomington, IL: common questions

What is the median salary for forklift operators in Bloomington, IL?

The BLS median annual wage for forklift operators in the Bloomington, IL metro area was $40,400 in May 2025, about $3,367 a month or $19.42 an hour. Statewide, the Illinois median for this job is $47,720, so the metro pays 15% below the state.

What is the hourly pay for forklift operators in Bloomington, IL?

The median hourly wage for forklift operators in Bloomington, IL was $19.42 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $15.49 an hour and one in ten earned more than $26.31.

How many forklift operators work in Bloomington, IL?

BLS estimated 70 jobs for forklift operators in the metro in May 2025, or 0.7 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.15 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for forklift operators in Bloomington, IL?

BLS wage estimates for forklift operators in Bloomington, IL run from $32,230 at the 10th percentile to $37,110 at the 25th, $46,630 at the 75th, and $54,720 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do forklift operators take home after taxes in Bloomington, IL?

On a median gross salary of $40,400, an estimated $32,786 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,261 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Illinois in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $7,614 (an effective rate of 18.8%).

How much do forklift operators make per month in Bloomington, IL?

On the median annual salary of $40,400, gross monthly income is $3,367. After federal, FICA, and Illinois state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,732 per month (or $1,261 every two weeks).

Is $40,400 a good salary in Bloomington, IL?

At $40,400, the median salary for forklift operators is 50.6% of the Bloomington, IL median household income ($79,905). It is 24% below the $53,140 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 93.5, so prices here run 6.5% below the U.S. average.