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CNC & machining programs in Illinois
Illinois has 21 accredited campuses awarding machinist credentials. If you finish and work as a machinist in Illinois, expect to start around $38,390–$46,380 and reach a median of $58,520 with experience; the top quarter earn $65,620 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, Illinois). Graduates of these Illinois programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of $30,774 in their first year, against $36,340 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.
What machinists earn in Illinois
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 16,520 employed in Illinois. National median: $58,750.
Campuses in Illinois, ranked by what their graduates earned
Cities: BellevilleCantonCartervilleChampaignChicagoChicago HeightsCrystal LakeDecaturDixonEast PeoriaElginGalesburgGlen EllynGrayslakeInaMattoonMount CarmelOglesbyPalatineRockford
| Campus | City | Type | Grads / yr | Earnings, yr 1 | Program debt | Completion | Cost / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwestern Illinois College | Belleville | Public | 42 | $39,135 | $5,500 | 37% | not reported |
| Sauk Valley Community College | Dixon | Public | 3 | $30,774 | not reported | 49% | not reported |
| Stautzenberger College-Rockford Career College | Rockford | for-profit | 2 | $28,058 | $13,000 | 66% | not reported |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Richard J Daley College | Chicago | Public | 137 | not reported | not reported | 27% | not reported |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College | Chicago | Public | 51 | not reported | not reported | 31% | not reported |
| Elgin Community College | Elgin | Public | 25 | not reported | not reported | 41% | not reported |
| Parkland College | Champaign | Public | 18 | not reported | not reported | 32% | not reported |
| Illinois Central College | East Peoria | Public | 14 | not reported | not reported | 49% | not reported |
| William Rainey Harper College | Palatine | Public | 11 | not reported | not reported | 48% | not reported |
| McHenry County College | Crystal Lake | Public | 8 | not reported | not reported | 37% | not reported |
| Carl Sandburg College | Galesburg | Public | 5 | not reported | not reported | 50% | not reported |
| Richland Community College | Decatur | Public | 5 | not reported | not reported | 60% | not reported |
| Spoon River College | Canton | Public | 5 | not reported | not reported | 42% | not reported |
| College of Lake County | Grayslake | Public | 4 | not reported | not reported | 37% | not reported |
| Wabash Valley College | Mount Carmel | Public | 3 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| College of DuPage | Glen Ellyn | Public | 2 | not reported | not reported | 25% | not reported |
| Lake Land College | Mattoon | Public | 2 | not reported | not reported | 58% | not reported |
| Illinois Valley Community College | Oglesby | Public | 1 | not reported | not reported | 42% | not reported |
| John A Logan College | Carterville | Public | 1 | not reported | not reported | 46% | not reported |
| Prairie State College | Chicago Heights | Public | 1 | not reported | not reported | 21% | not reported |
| Rend Lake College | Ina | Public | 1 | not reported | not reported | 63% | not reported |
Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.
Ranked by median earnings of this program's graduates one year after completion (College Scorecard field-of-study, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026); campuses without a reported figure follow, by credentials awarded. "Program debt" is the median federal loan debt for graduates of this program at this campus. Completion is the campus-wide 150%-of-time rate. "Not reported" means the federal file suppresses the value for privacy.