Pay is great, but don't think for a second that you're not expendable. - Anonymous employee Caterpillar Employee Review

3.0
Mar 20, 2012
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Peoria is a great place to raise a family. The cost of living is low, and you can make a good living on a Caterpillar salary.

Cons

Cat managers are chosen, trained, groomed, and highly incented to be shrewd business leaders. They will do whatever it takes to make Cat successful in any business climate. Where other American manufacturers have fallen in decline, Cat is a global powerhouse. But don't think for a second that you are anything more than a piece of meat. If it's you or Cat's survival, you will be gone so fast your head will spin. The culture is generally Midwestern hospitable, but duck for cover in a recession! Work life balance goes out the window!

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5.0
Jun 7, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great benefits Great WLB Great pay

Cons

Low mobility to move up within company

2.0
Apr 30, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You are treated with autonomy, dignity, and respect. It is assumed you know how to do your job and are given the trust and means to do so. Compensation is above market value. Uncapped professional growth if you know how to play your cards right.

Cons

Working at Burger King and living from my car in Northern Michigan during the middle of winter was preferable to working on-site in Peoria. Project work was inherently meaningless and dictated almost entirely by the caste system this company has in Central, IL. My relocation had absolutely nothing to do with the role at hand and was a power play by management to get me to become a bleed-yellow Peorian in the CAT-corporate social club. The company loyalty here is absolutely disgusting and has nothing to do with the viability of the brand or product. Everyone is enamored with the status and wealth they've attained on account of not performing hard, manual, life-threatening labor. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who actually cares about what goes on in the defense division or addressing the geopolitical anomalies between the former headquarters and the new business direction of the company.

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