Last updated:

Jobs in Illinois: pay, hiring and what a paycheck buys

Illinois has 6,011 open job postings from 777 employers in our data. 43.2% list a pay range, the median posted pay is $122,500 a year, 7% are remote and 27.8% have been open more than 60 days (data as of October 2026).

What stands out

Paycheck power: typical official wage, adjusted for local pricesMedian wage for all jobs divided by the local price level, October 2026. Higher means a paycheck goes further.Paycheck power: typical official wage, adjusted for local pricesVirginiaVirginia Official median wage: $55,500 Price level: 101.1 Paycheck power: $55,000 Click for the full page$55,000New JerseyNew Jersey Official median wage: $58,500 Price level: 108.8 Paycheck power: $54,000 Click for the full page$54,000OhioOhio Official median wage: $49,500 Price level: 92.8 Paycheck power: $53,000 Click for the full page$53,000IllinoisIllinois Official median wage: $52,000 Price level: 100 Paycheck power: $52,000$52,000MichiganMichigan Official median wage: $49,500 Price level: 96.2 Paycheck power: $51,000 Click for the full page$51,000PennsylvaniaPennsylvania Official median wage: $49,500 Price level: 97.6 Paycheck power: $51,000 Click for the full page$51,000North CarolinaNorth Carolina Official median wage: $48,000 Price level: 94.3 Paycheck power: $51,000 Click for the full page$51,000GeorgiaGeorgia Official median wage: $48,000 Price level: 96.3 Paycheck power: $50,000 Click for the full page$50,000Source: Second Summit, October 2026; BLS; BEA; Census
Illinois compared with similar-sized states: the median wage divided by the local price level (US average prices = 100). Download this chart (SVG)
6,011open postings from 777 employers
43.2%list a pay range
$122,500median posted pay
$52,000official median wage, all jobs (BLS)
4.9%unemployment rate, 2026-08 (BLS)
211,000job openings, 2025-12 (BLS JOLTS), rate 3.3%

Pay transparency

Illinois requires employers to include a pay range in job postings (since 2025).

Metro areas in Illinois

Metro areaPostingsPay listedMedian posted pay
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN5,91446.2%$132,000
St. Louis, MO-IL1,40119.7%$122,500
Peoria, IL13128.3%$82,500

What your paycheck buys here

Prices in Illinois run 0% below the national average, and housing runs 6% below it. The official median wage for all jobs is $52,000, which is worth $52,000 in average-US dollars. The median posted pay of $122,500 is worth $122,500.

What things cost here (US average = 100)BEA regional price parities for the Illinois metro area, 2024.What things cost here (US average = 100)All itemsAll items: 100 0% below the US average (100)100HousingHousing: 93.9 6% below the US average (100)93.9GoodsGoods: 103.8 4% above the US average (100)103.8UtilitiesUtilities: 85 15% below the US average (100)85Other servicesOther services: 100.2 0% above the US average (100)100.2Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
Local prices compared with the national average, where 100 is the US average. Download this chart (SVG)
The area's biggest jobs and what they payOfficial median annual wage for the ten largest occupations in Illinois, May 2025.The area's biggest jobs and what they payLaborers and Freight, Stock, a (195.4k)Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 195,390 workers Median wage: $40,500$40,500General and Operations Manager (171.3k)General and Operations Managers 171,300 workers Median wage: $103,500$103,500Cashiers (139.6k)Cashiers 139,630 workers Median wage: $34,500$34,500Registered Nurses (138.9k)Registered Nurses 138,910 workers Median wage: $96,000$96,000Home Health and Personal Care (134.1k)Home Health and Personal Care Aides 134,100 workers Median wage: $38,000$38,000Fast Food and Counter Workers (127.6k)Fast Food and Counter Workers 127,590 workers Median wage: $34,000$34,000Retail Salespersons (126.6k)Retail Salespersons 126,610 workers Median wage: $35,500$35,500Stockers and Order Fillers (109.2k)Stockers and Order Fillers 109,240 workers Median wage: $37,500$37,500Customer Service Representativ (101k)Customer Service Representatives 100,970 workers Median wage: $46,000$46,000Office Clerks, General (96k)Office Clerks, General 95,980 workers Median wage: $45,500$45,500Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Median wages for the ten occupations with the most workers here (worker count in parentheses). Download this chart (SVG)
Official wage vs posted pay, same jobMedian official wage and median posted pay for the same jobs in Illinois.Official wage vs posted pay, same jobOfficial median wage (BLS)Median posted paySoftware developersSoftware developers Official median wage (BLS): $132,000 Median posted pay: $177,500 Median posted pay is 34.2% aboveSoftware developers Official median wage (BLS): $132,000 Median posted pay: $177,500 Median posted pay is 34.2% above$132,000 / $177,500HR specialistsHR specialists Official median wage (BLS): $77,000 Median posted pay: $101,500 Median posted pay is 31.8% aboveHR specialists Official median wage (BLS): $77,000 Median posted pay: $101,500 Median posted pay is 31.8% above$77,000 / $101,500Accountants and auditorsAccountants and auditors Official median wage (BLS): $80,000 Median posted pay: $92,000 Median posted pay is 14.7% aboveAccountants and auditors Official median wage (BLS): $80,000 Median posted pay: $92,000 Median posted pay is 14.7% above$80,000 / $92,000Source: Second Summit, October 2026; BLS; BEA; Census
Official median wage next to the median pay in open postings for the same jobs. Download this chart (SVG)
Open postings by industry of the employerPostings by employer industry in Illinois.Open postings by industry of the employerHealthcare & Life SciencesHealthcare & Life Sciences 1,294 open postings 21.5% of this area's postings1,294Financial ServicesFinancial Services 763 open postings 12.7% of this area's postings763Software & TechnologySoftware & Technology 739 open postings 12.3% of this area's postings739Retail & E-commerceRetail & E-commerce 713 open postings 11.9% of this area's postings713Consulting & Professional ServicesConsulting & Professional Services 540 open postings 9% of this area's postings540Manufacturing & IndustrialManufacturing & Industrial 414 open postings 6.9% of this area's postings414Energy & UtilitiesEnergy & Utilities 318 open postings 5.3% of this area's postings318OtherOther 312 open postings 5.2% of this area's postings312Source: Second Summit, October 2026; BLS; BEA; Census
Which industries have the most open postings in our data. Download this chart (SVG)

Employers with the most openings

  1. Mercy Health: 274 postings
  2. Ntrs: 203 postings
  3. Blueskytelepsych: 202 postings
  4. Meijer: 129 postings
  5. Hy-Vee: 114 postings

Federal government hiring

632 federal job announcements open to the public list Illinois, with a median posted salary range midpoint of $93,500. Agencies hiring most: Department of the Air Force Headquarters (135), Army National Guard Units (54), Veterans Health Administration (51), Air National Guard Units (30), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (29). Source: USAJOBS.

How it compares with similar-sized states

StatePay listedPosted payOfficial wagePricesPaycheck power
Illinois43.2%$122,500$52,000100$52,000
Pennsylvania24.1%$117,500$49,50097.6$51,000
Ohio21.4%$128,500$49,50092.8$53,000
North Carolina23.7%$127,500$48,00094.3$51,000
Georgia23.4%$130,000$48,00096.3$50,000
Michigan22.1%$140,000$49,50096.2$51,000
New Jersey42.6%$131,500$58,500108.8$54,000

Compare any states side by side

Download this data

Free to use with credit: Second Summit, October 2026. Data (CSV) · Data (JSON) · paycheck power chart (SVG) · posted vs official chart (SVG) · prices chart (SVG) · industries chart (SVG) · biggest jobs chart (SVG)

Related pages

A posting that lists several states counts in each. This covers employers whose career pages we read, not every job in Illinois. Methodology · All states (CSV)

Looking for work in Illinois? Try Second Summit free

Open jobs in this state

Sales jobsOperations and logistics jobsMarketing jobsSoftware engineering jobsCustomer support and success jobsAll jobs by role and city