As of March 01, 2026, the average annual salary for Lighting Designer in Illinois is $47,051, equivalent to $23 per hour, $905 weekly, or $3,921 monthly. These figures, sourced from Salary.com’s real-time job posting scans, highlight competitive earning potential for Lighting Designer in cities like Santa Clara, San Jose, and Fremont.

Annually Salaries for Lighting Designer in Illinois vary widely, spanning from $40,591 to $58,199. Most professionals fall between the 25th percentile ($43,669) and 75th percentile ($52,886), while top earners (90th percentile) make $58,199 per year. This $9,217 pay gap underscores opportunities for salary growth through certifications, specialized skills like Attention to Detail or Housekeeping, or targeting high-paying regions like District of Columbia or California.

Location and experience significantly influence earnings. For example, Illinois Lighting Designer often earn 1.9% higher than national averages due to demand from Fortune 70 companies. However, Illinois currently ranks 14 nationwide for Lighting Designer job salary. Professionals are advised to focus on high-growth sectors like to offset market challenges.

Based on HR-reported data: a national average with a geographic differential
Lighting Designer Salaries by Percentile
Percentile Salary Location Last Updated
10th Percentile Lighting Designer Salary $40,591 IL March 01, 2026
25th Percentile Lighting Designer Salary $43,669 IL March 01, 2026
50th Percentile Lighting Designer Salary $47,051 IL March 01, 2026
75th Percentile Lighting Designer Salary $52,886 IL March 01, 2026
90th Percentile Lighting Designer Salary $58,199 IL March 01, 2026
25% $43,669 10% $40,591 90% $58,199 75% $52,886 $47,051 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click
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What is a Lighting Designer ?

A theatre lighting designer (or LD) works with the director, choreographer, set designer, costume designer, and sound designer to create the lighting, atmosphere, and time of day for the production in response to the text, while keeping in mind issues of visibility, safety, and cost. The LD also works closely with the stage manager or show control programming, if show control systems are used in that production. Outside stage lighting, the job of a Lighting Designer can be much more diverse and they can be found working on rock and pop tours, corporate launches, art installation and on massi...

Source: Wikipedia (as of 04/17/2019). Read more from Wikipedia

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Location Avg. Salary Date Updated
Location Cicero, IL Avg. Salary $53,347 Date Updated March 01, 2026
Location Mount Prospect, IL Avg. Salary $53,162 Date Updated March 01, 2026
Location Abingdon, IL Avg. Salary $48,526 Date Updated March 01, 2026
Location Adair, IL Avg. Salary $48,794 Date Updated March 01, 2026
Location Addieville, IL Avg. Salary $49,465 Date Updated March 01, 2026
Location Addison, IL Avg. Salary $53,162 Date Updated March 01, 2026
Location Akin, IL Avg. Salary $48,588 Date Updated March 01, 2026
Location Albany, IL Avg. Salary $48,211 Date Updated March 01, 2026
Location Albers, IL Avg. Salary $49,465 Date Updated March 01, 2026
Location Albion, IL Avg. Salary $47,086 Date Updated March 01, 2026
Job Openings for Lighting Designer in Illinois

Career Path for this job

  1. This Job:

    Lighting Designer

    1 - 3 years experience
    Associate's Degree

  2. Up a level:

    Creative Production Manager

    5 + years experience
    Bachelor's Degree

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