Home / Wages / Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Chicago-Naperville-Elgin salaries The median worker in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earned $51,510 a year in 2024, about $24.76 an hour. That ranks #56 of the 391 metro areas published here, 4.1% above the national median.
Illinois Indiana
Median pay $51,510 $24.76 per hour
Vs national +4.1% U.S. $49,500
Workers 4,473,740 wage and salary
Metro rank #56 of 391 by median pay
What this labour market looks like Chicago-Naperville-Elgin pays 3% more than Illinois as a whole. Metros usually run ahead of their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and the gap is a rough measure of how much of a state's economy sits in its cities.
Unusually concentrated here Occupations against their national share, 2024 Occupation Concentration Employed Median 15-2099 11.32× 1,530 $78,910 Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders 3.8× 2,240 $86,300 Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other 2.71× 1,380 $59,720 Physicists 2.55× 1,580 $131,260 Disc Jockeys, Except Radio 2.54× 600 not reported Flight Attendants 2.44× 9,200 $62,120 Parking Enforcement Workers 2.42× 540 $47,150 Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling 2.27× 2,410 $73,720 Molding, Coremaking, and Casting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic 2.26× 10,170 $41,900 Cargo and Freight Agents 2.22× 6,300 $48,420 Fundraising Managers 2.06× 2,210 $104,440 Coil Winders, Tapers, and Finishers 2.03× 720 $51,460
Best paid occupations Highest median pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Occupation Median Hourly Employed General Internal Medicine Physicians $234,440 $112.71 1,420 Physicians, All Other $215,680 $103.69 14,850 Pediatricians, General $198,440 $95.40 1,120 Air Traffic Controllers $184,930 $88.91 840 Family Medicine Physicians $182,830 $87.90 1,200 Dentists, General $175,140 $84.20 3,980 Computer and Information Systems Managers $168,230 $80.88 21,760 Lawyers $166,090 $79.85 28,380 Financial Managers $164,470 $79.07 41,170 Natural Sciences Managers $161,340 $77.57 2,460 Commercial Pilots $160,780 n/a 640 Architectural and Engineering Managers $159,110 $76.50 6,560 Marketing Managers $158,800 $76.35 17,970 Sales Managers $147,940 $71.12 24,390 Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers $141,380 $67.97 720 Computer Network Architects $140,760 $67.67 4,880 Purchasing Managers $140,730 $67.66 3,250 Optometrists $138,510 $66.59 1,280 Human Resources Managers $137,760 $66.23 10,990 Pharmacists $137,610 $66.16 9,630 First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives $136,440 $65.60 4,190 Computer and Information Research Scientists $135,120 $64.96 230 Database Architects $134,900 $64.86 1,260 Veterinarians $134,430 $64.63 2,070 Nurse Practitioners $131,690 $63.31 6,930 Physicists $131,260 $63.11 1,580 Materials Scientists $130,440 $62.71 360 Nuclear Engineers $130,160 $62.58 750 Software Developers $130,030 $62.51 41,320 Training and Development Managers $129,530 $62.27 1,310 Compensation and Benefits Managers $129,400 $62.21 440 First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers $129,360 $62.19 1,470 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary $126,800 n/a 11,080 Actuaries $126,040 $60.60 1,390 Aerospace Engineers $125,520 $60.35 200 Public Relations Managers $125,360 $60.27 2,250 Economics Teachers, Postsecondary $124,770 n/a 330 Medical and Health Services Managers $124,350 $59.78 15,760 Economists $123,140 $59.20 470 Industrial Production Managers $123,120 $59.19 8,680 Physician Assistants $122,990 $59.13 3,180 Physical Scientists, All Other $122,950 $59.11 410 Management Analysts $120,140 $57.76 36,300 Chemical Engineers $119,490 $57.45 360 Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers $119,380 $57.40 340 Statisticians $119,200 $57.31 370 Construction Managers $118,830 $57.13 11,920 Electronics Engineers, Except Computer $118,230 $56.84 740 Engineers, All Other $117,980 $56.72 1,710 Information Security Analysts $116,520 $56.02 3,460 53-7041 $116,120 $55.83 290 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products $115,910 $55.72 6,580 Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers $114,030 $54.82 2,140 Data Scientists $112,640 $54.15 5,840 Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators $112,230 $53.96 1,170 Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary $111,300 n/a 590 Nurse Midwives $110,090 $52.93 200 Tapers $109,870 $52.82 320 Electrical Engineers $109,010 $52.41 4,340 Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $108,890 $52.35 23,340
Where most people work Largest occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin by employment Occupation Employed Median Hourly Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 146,710 $40,030 $19.25 General and Operations Managers 121,110 $105,310 $50.63 Fast Food and Counter Workers 104,270 $33,020 $15.88 Retail Salespersons 102,320 $34,910 $16.78 Registered Nurses 100,620 $96,480 $46.38 Home Health and Personal Care Aides 94,530 $36,340 $17.47 Stockers and Order Fillers 91,750 $37,940 $18.24 Cashiers 82,020 $33,680 $16.19 Customer Service Representatives 81,630 $45,820 $22.03 Office Clerks, General 74,130 $45,450 $21.85 Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 72,020 $37,420 $17.99 Waiters and Waitresses 64,010 $29,120 $14.00 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 54,680 $62,430 $30.02 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 52,700 $49,690 $23.89 Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators 50,050 $40,560 $19.50 Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel 49,500 $65,060 $31.28 Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 48,480 $56,940 $27.38 Security Guards 48,140 $38,630 $18.57 Cooks, Restaurant 47,100 $37,090 $17.83 Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education 45,400 $75,020 n/a
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates. Wage and salary workers only, excluding the self-employed.
Other Illinois metro areas Bloomington 90,160 workers $51,270 Decatur 45,270 workers $49,640 Springfield 102,720 workers $49,550 Champaign-Urbana 104,620 workers $48,600 St. Louis 1,339,700 workers $48,290 Peoria 165,230 workers $47,990 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin pay: common questions What is the average salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin? The median across all occupations is $51,510 , or $24.76 an hour, covering 4,473,740 wage and salary workers. The mean is $71,600, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.
Does Chicago-Naperville-Elgin pay more than the rest of Illinois? Yes. The metro median of $51,510 is 3% above the Illinois median of $50,000. Metropolitan areas usually pay more than their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and usually cost more to live in for the same reason.
Which jobs pay best in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin? General Internal Medicine Physicians ($234,440), Physicians, All Other ($215,680), Pediatricians, General ($198,440). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.
What is Chicago-Naperville-Elgin unusually full of? 15-2099, at 11.32× the national concentration. Location quotient is a better description of a local economy than its biggest employers, which are retail and food service almost everywhere.