Updated May 2026 · BLS OEWS 2024
Fire Sprinkler Fitter Salary in Chicago
2024 BLS OEWS Data · Plumbing · COL Index: 107
Fire Sprinkler Fitters in Chicago, IL earn a median annual wage of $98,890 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $50,210 and the 90th at $123,600. After cost of living, that translates to $92,421 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: B (74/100).
What Fire Sprinkler Fitters Take Home in Chicago
The $73,390 spread between entry-level and top-decile fire sprinkler fitters in Chicago is around 74% of the median — a typical range for skilled trades. Workers can roughly double their entry pay through a combination of experience, certifications, union membership, and moving from helper to journeyman to foreman roles.
Chicago's cost-of-living index of 107 is within a few points of the U.S. average, so the $98,890 median for fire sprinkler fitters here translates almost directly into real purchasing power — roughly $92,421 in U.S.-average terms. What you see is what you take home, with no significant adjustment up or down.
With a Trade Pay Score of 74 (B), fire sprinkler fitters in Chicago land in the strong second tier. Pay, growth, and purchasing power are all solid but one factor — usually wage growth or cost-of-living-adjusted real pay — keeps the score below the A threshold. For most workers, B-graded combinations are perfectly reasonable career choices.
Salary Distribution
Percentile Breakdown
| Level | Salary | COL-Adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (Apprentice / Entry) | $50,210 | $46,925 |
| 25th Percentile (Early Career) | $65,290 | $61,019 |
| 50th Percentile (Journeyman / Median) | $98,890 | $92,421 |
| 75th Percentile (Experienced) | $118,350 | $110,607 |
| 90th Percentile (Master / Foreman) | $123,600 | $115,514 |
How These Numbers Are Calculated
Every wage figure here comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program at bls.gov/oes — a survey of about 1.2 million employers per release covering more than 800 occupations and every U.S. metropolitan statistical area. The Trade Pay Score combines raw median pay (30%), 5-year wage growth (25%), employment depth (25%), and cost-of-living-adjusted purchasing power (20%) into a single 0-100 grade. Read the full methodology.
Career outlook detail — projected 2032 employment levels for fire sprinkler fitters, typical entry-level requirements, on-the-job training expectations — comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at bls.gov/ooh. Apprenticeship programs in Chicago are listed at apprenticeship.gov. All three are public-domain federal data sources.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a Fire Sprinkler Fitter make in Chicago?
Per 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data, the median fire sprinkler fitter salary in Chicago, IL is $98,890. The 10th percentile is $50,210 (typical for entry-level or apprentice-tier positions); the 90th percentile reaches $123,600 (master, foreman, or specialty roles).
How does Chicago pay compare for Fire Sprinkler Fitters?
With a Trade Pay Score of 74/100 and a grade of B, the Chicago-Fire Sprinkler Fitter pairing is a strong combination but with one factor (usually growth or cost-of-living-adjusted real pay) holding it back from an A grade.
What is the apprenticeship path for Fire Sprinkler Fitters in Chicago?
Fire Sprinkler Fitters typically complete a 5-year registered apprenticeship before reaching journeyman pay, starting around the 10th percentile ($50,210) and progressing toward the median. Registered apprenticeship programs in the area are listed at https://www.apprenticeship.gov/.
How does cost of living affect Fire Sprinkler Fitter pay in Chicago?
Chicago has a cost-of-living index of 107. The median fire sprinkler fitter salary of $98,890 translates to $92,421 in U.S.-average purchasing power — a downward adjustment because the metro is more expensive than average.
Where does this salary data come from?
Every wage figure on this page is a real BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median or percentile from the 2024 release at https://www.bls.gov/oes/, which surveys roughly 1.2 million U.S. employers per release. Career outlook context (projected employment growth through 2032) comes from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/. Both are public-domain U.S. government data sources.
Fire Sprinkler Fitters in Chicago, IL earn a median annual wage of $98,890 per 2024 BLS OEWS data, with the 10th percentile at $50,210 and the 90th at $123,600. After cost of living, that translates to $92,421 in U.S.-average purchasing power. Trade Pay Score: B (74/100).
The this entity record above pulls directly from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. What follows is the per-entity context — how this entity sits in the broader U.S. skilled-trade wage data distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.
Every number on this page links back to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.
Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. trades, cities, and states. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.