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Helpers--Production Workers pay in Illinois and North Dakota
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Helpers--Production Workers is $41,480 per year in Illinois. It is $46,170 per year in North Dakota. Illinois is 10.2% below North Dakota on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 51-9198 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 5,210 wage and salary jobs in Illinois and 220 in North Dakota. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings