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Hamilton County · Electrical Utility Lineman
Electrical Utility Lineman prevailing wage in Hamilton County, Illinois
$96.96an hour, base wage + fringe benefits (our sum) · Electric Pwr Lineman
$68.30 base wage + $28.66 fringe benefits
Hamilton County uses the same utility lineman rates as 20 other counties. See all of them on one page.
On Illinois public works in Hamilton County, a utility lineman working as Electric Pwr Lineman must be paid at least $96.96 an hour: a $68.30 base wage plus $28.66 in fringe benefits for health and welfare, pension, vacation, training and other insurance. IDOL lists each part but prints no total, so $96.96 is our sum of its columns. Overtime after 8 hours a day, Monday to Friday, is 1.5 times the base wage.
IDOL's Hamilton County schedule, posted October 19, 2026, for work performed on or after October 19, 2026. Checked against labor.illinois.gov on October 24, 2026.
IDOL lists 4 utility lineman rates for Hamilton County, from $60.18 to $96.96 an hour. See all of them.
Base wage and fringe benefits: $68.30 + $28.66
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) | $68.30 |
| Health and welfare | $8.85 |
| Pension | $19.13 |
| Training | $0.68 |
| Base + fringes (our sum; IDOL prints no total) | $96.96 |
Foreman base wage: $72.95 an hour, with the same fringe benefits.
When does this rate change?
- 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).
What each class covers
IDOL's explanation of classes for Hamilton County, copied as printed. The class number on a row decides its rate.
ELECTRIC POWER LINEMAN
Construction, maintenance and dismantling of overhead and underground electric power lines, including high voltage pipe type cable work, and associated structures and equipment. ELECTRIC POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATOR - CLASS 1 Operation of all crawler type equipment D-4 and larger from the ground to assist the Electric Power Linemen in performing their duties. ELECTRIC POWER EQUIPMENT OPERATORS - CLASS 2 Operation of all other equipment from the ground to assist the Electric Power Linemen in performing their duties.
ELECTRIC POWER GROUNDMAN
Applies to workers who assist the Electric Power Lineman from the ground.
Every utility lineman rate in Hamilton County
As IDOL lists them. The highlighted row is the one this page leads with.
- Electric Pwr Lineman$96.96
- Electric Pwr Eqmt Op, Class 1$78.96
- Electric Pwr Eqmt Op, Class 2$71.37
- Electric Pwr Grndman$60.18
| Trade and class | Base wage | Fringe benefits | Total rate | OT Mon–Fri |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electric Pwr Eqmt Op, Class 1 | $54.35 | $24.61 | $78.96 | 1.5× |
| Electric Pwr Eqmt Op, Class 2 | $48.47 | $22.90 | $71.37 | 1.5× |
| Electric Pwr Grndman | $39.80 | $20.38 | $60.18 | 1.5× |
| Electric Pwr Lineman | $68.30 | $28.66 | $96.96 | 1.5× |
Davis-Bacon utility lineman rate in Hamilton County
Federally funded or assisted construction here uses the U.S. Department of Labor's wage determinations. When a contract requires both the state rate and the Davis-Bacon rate, paying the higher of the two meets both. The contract documents say which apply.
For highway and heavy work, the matching Davis-Bacon classification is LINE CONSTRUCTION: LINEMAN (ALEXANDER, CLAY, CRAWFORD, EDWARDS, EFFINGHAM, FRANKLIN, FAYETTE (EXCLUDES PORTION NORTH AVENA), GALLATIN, HAMILTON, HARDIN, JACKSON, JASPER, JEFFERSON, JOHNSON, LAWRENCE, MARION, MASSAC, PERRY, POPE, PULASKI, RANDOLPH (EXCEPT RED BUD TWPS), RICHLAND, SALINE, UNION, WABAS at $93.37 ($65.52 base + $27.85 fringe), from IL20260016 modification 2, published July 30, 2026, rate ELEC0702-002. Against IDOL's $96.96: IDOL's rate is $3.59 an hour higher. Note: federal rate covers only part of the county (see federal classification text).
Davis-Bacon rates from SAM.gov, read October 25, 2026. Our federal totals are base plus fringe; DOL prints no total. Illinois Davis-Bacon changes
Holidays
IDOL's Hamilton County schedule: “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).
How Hamilton County compares
The main utility lineman 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
Base wage and fringe benefits, nearby
- Hamilton Countybase $68.30$96.96
- White Countybase $68.30$96.96
- Franklin Countybase $68.30$96.96
- Randolph Countybase $67.43$97.59
Electrical Utility Lineman rates in nearby counties
Current IDOL rates. You pay the rate for the county where the work is done. The Act defines “locality” as the county of the physical work, with narrow exceptions (820 ILCS 130/2).
IDOL's utility lineman rates for Hamilton County are the same as in 20 other counties: Alexander, Clay, Cumberland, Edwards, Effingham, Franklin, Gallatin, Hardin and 12 more. The closest county with a different rate is Randolph County, at $97.59.
| County | Classification | Base wage | Total rate | vs Hamilton County |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton County | Electric Pwr Lineman | $68.30 | $96.96 | |
| White County | Electric Pwr Lineman | $68.30 | $96.96 | same |
| Franklin County | Electric Pwr Lineman | $68.30 | $96.96 | same |
| Saline County | Electric Pwr Lineman | $68.30 | $96.96 | same |
| Wayne County | Electric Pwr Lineman | $68.30 | $96.96 | same |
| Jefferson County | Electric Pwr Lineman | $68.30 | $96.96 | same |
| Gallatin County | Electric Pwr Lineman | $68.30 | $96.96 | same |
Illinois utility lineman prevailing wage by county, with a map
More from IDOL on this rate
- Hamilton County schedule (IDOL PDF, page 1)
- Work that no listed trade covers: IDOL names a neighboring county's classification to use. Call 217-782-1710.
- Apprentices: IDOL's county schedules list journeyworker and foreman rates only.
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 $96.96. 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 for Hamilton County, posted October 19, 2026, page 1: labor.illinois.gov/content/dam/soi/en/web/idol/laws-rules/conmed/documents/fy27/20261019/Hamilton.pdf
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 Hamilton County as CSV · Report an error