Start with the answer
Logging Equipment Operators pay in Illinois and Washington
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Logging Equipment Operators is $71,100 per year in Illinois. It is $75,140 per year in Washington. Illinois is 5.4% below Washington on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 45-4022 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 40 wage and salary jobs in Illinois and 1,150 in Washington. 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