Fence Builder prevailing wage, Cook County group, Illinois (2 counties)

IDOL sets the same fence builder rates, row for row, in 2 counties: Cook and Lake. Every figure on this page applies in each of them.

$89.29an hour, base + fringes · Fence Erector

$53.73 wage + $35.56 fringe benefits

On Illinois public works in each of these 2 counties, a fence builder working as Fence Erector must be paid at least $89.29 an hour: a $53.73 base wage plus $35.56 in fringe benefits for health and welfare, pension, vacation, training and other insurance. IDOL lists each part but prints no total, so $89.29 is our sum of its columns. Overtime after 8 hours a day, Monday to Friday, is 1.5 times the base wage.

IDOL's schedule for each of these counties, posted October 19, 2026, for work performed on or after October 19, 2026. Checked against labor.illinois.gov on October 24, 2026.

Base wage and fringe: $53.73 + $35.56

The base wage is the taxable hourly wage. The other lines are the fringe benefits IDOL lists for each hour: health and welfare, pension, vacation, training, and "other insurance", which IDOL's legend defines as the "employer hourly cost for any other type(s) of insurance".

Base wage (taxable)	$53.73
Health and welfare	$14.79
Pension	$19.77
Training	$1.00
Base + fringes (our sum; IDOL prints no total)	$89.29

Foreman base wage: $56.73 an hour, with the same fringe benefits.

Overtime

When	Multiple of base
Monday to Friday, after 8 hours a day	1.5× $80.60
Saturday, every hour	1.5× $80.60
Sunday, every hour	2.0× $107.46
Holidays, every hour	2.0× $107.46

IDOL prints a multiple, not a dollar rate. Its legend: “Unless otherwise noted, OT pay is required for any hour greater than 8 worked each day, Mon through Fri. The number listed is the multiple of the base wage.” The figure under each multiple is the base wage times that multiple.

IDOL's schedule also has two columns headed “Add OT 1.5x owed” and “Add OT 2.0x owed”. For this row they read $0.00 and $0.00. IDOL's legend doesn't define them, so ask IDOL (217-782-1710) before you rely on them.

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Holidays

IDOL's schedule for each of these counties: “The following list is considered as those days for which holiday rates of wages for work performed apply: New Years Day, Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and Veterans Day in some classifications/counties. Generally, any of these holidays which fall on a Sunday is celebrated on the following Monday. This then makes work performed on that Monday payable at the appropriate overtime rate for holiday pay. Common practice in a given local may alter certain days of celebration. If in doubt, please check with IDOL.”

Holiday work is paid at the holiday multiple in the overtime table (2.0× the base wage for this row).

When this rate changes

Illinois rates don't lock at bid. When IDOL revises a rate, “the revised rate shall apply to such contract” from its effective date, including jobs already under way (820 ILCS 130/4(l)).
A missing notice is no excuse. A public body's failure to send the new rates “does not relieve the contractor of the duty to comply”, or of paying back wages (820 ILCS 130/4(g), (j)).
IDOL surveys in June and must publish the year's schedule by July 15 (820 ILCS 130/9), then posts revisions through the year. In 2026 its postings took effect on Jan 15, Mar 2, Apr 15, May 21, Jul 15, Aug 15, Sep 21 and Oct 19, 2026. Each posting replaces all 102 county schedules.
This page uses the posting for work performed on or after October 19, 2026 (IDOL current rates; older postings are on IDOL's historical rates page).

How the Cook County group compares

The main fence builder rate in every county that has one, and how the pay splits here and in the nearest counties. All bars use the same scale.

Every county in Illinois

Cook $89.292982

$68.29Coles$98.13DeKalb

CookNearby: Lake $89.29Each column is a group of counties with about the same main rate; its height is how many. 10 counties pay more than Cook, 3 the same, 11 less.

Wage and fringe benefits, nearby

Cook County groupbase $53.73$89.29
DuPage Countybase $53.73$89.29
Kane Countybase $52.68$98.13
Lake Countybase $53.73$89.29

Which county is in which fence builder group

Every Illinois county with a fence builder rate. Counties IDOL treats alike share one page; the rest have their own. You pay the rate for the county where the work is done.

Counties	Main classification	Base + fringes	Base
DeKalb County*	Fence Erector	$98.13	$52.68
Kane County	Fence Erector	$98.13	$52.68
Winnebago County group, 4 counties: Boone, Ogle, Stephenson, Winnebago	Fence Erector	$93.97	$46.60
Carroll County*	Fence Erector	$93.97	$46.60
Jo Daviess County*	Fence Erector	$93.97	$46.60
Lee County*	Fence Erector	$93.97	$46.60
Whiteside County*	Fence Erector	$93.97	$46.60
Cook County group, 2 counties: Cook, Lake	Fence Erector	$89.29	$53.73
DuPage County*	Fence Erector	$89.29	$53.73
McHenry County*	Fence Erector	$89.29	$53.73
Champaign County group, 7 counties: Champaign, De Witt, Douglas, Ford, Moultrie, Piatt, Vermilion	Fence Erector	$72.18	$40.08
Macon County*	Fence Erector	$72.18	$40.08
McLean County*	Fence Erector	$72.18	$40.08
Edgar County group, 2 counties: Coles, Edgar	Fence Erector	$68.29	$42.00

4 groups of counties with identical IDOL rates, and 10 counties with rates of their own. * Rate set by region inside the county; its page lists each region's rate.

Illinois fence builder prevailing wage by county, with a map

Are you being paid this rate?

Add your base wage to what your employer pays into health, pension and other plans for you, and compare it with $89.29. Your contractor has to post the rates on the job site or give you written notice of them (820 ILCS 130/4(n)), and file a certified payroll with IDOL by the 15th of each month for the month before (820 ILCS 130/5).

A worker paid less than the prevailing rate can sue for the difference (820 ILCS 130/4(g)).

Source

Illinois Department of Labor, prevailing wage rates, posted October 19, 2026. IDOL prints one schedule per county:

Cook County: labor.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/idol/laws-rules/conmed/documents/fy27/20261019/Cook.pdf, page 1
Lake County: labor.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/idol/laws-rules/conmed/documents/fy27/20261019/Lake.pdf, page 1

Each figure is read from IDOL's PDF and checked by a second, separate reader. IDOL prints no total; ours is re-added independently. How we check · Download every Illinois rate as CSV · Report an error