Nursing Assistants salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Nursing Assistants in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Illinois tax rules.
The figures
The median Nursing Assistants in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earns $46,940 a year ($22.57 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Nursing Assistants in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn between $42,940 and $49,060 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $38,980 or less and the top 10 percent earn $54,450 or more. BLS estimates 45,850 Nursing Assistants jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area — 10.158 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.09 (above the national concentration). That is 3.2% of all Nursing Assistants employment in the United States (1,448,910 jobs nationally). By employment, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is the #2 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Nursing Assistants. In aggregate, Nursing Assistants in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn about $2.14 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $37,468.66 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Nursing Assistants is about $1.72 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 3% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #10 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Nursing Assistants. By employment, Nursing Assistants is the #18 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Placed against the national distribution for Nursing Assistants, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $46,940 falls between the national median ($42,260) and the national 75th percentile ($47,220). Across all occupations, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $54,720 a year — Nursing Assistants pay is 14.2% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $22.41 | $46,610 |
| 10th percentile | $18.74 | $38,980 |
| 25th percentile | $20.65 | $42,940 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $22.57 | $46,940 |
| 75th percentile | $23.59 | $49,060 |
| 90th percentile | $26.18 | $54,450 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Nursing Assistants in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn 1.4 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($54,450 against $38,980). The middle half spans $6,120 — from $42,940 to $49,060. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($26.18) is 1.40 times the 10th ($18.74). In the upper half of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $49,060 takes home $39,316.24 and the 90th percentile wage of $54,450 takes home $43,379.98 — $4,063.74 more net for $5,390 more gross. Against the median take-home of $37,717.54, the top decile keeps 1.15 times as much. The mean wage of $46,610 sits 0.7% below the median: the average is held down by the lower end of the distribution in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Among the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, Nursing Assistants ranks #17 by median pay. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage ladder of covered occupations, Nursing Assistants sits between Customer Service Representatives at $47,100 and Office Clerks, General at $46,330. Nursing Assistants accounts for 1.0% of all employment in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area. The average covered metro employs 21,090 Nursing Assistants; Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN employs 2.2 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Illinois
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Illinois; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $46,940.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $3,452.80 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,910.28 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $680.63 |
| Illinois income tax | $2,178.74 |
| Total deductions | $9,222.46 |
| Net pay (annual) | $37,717.54 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,450.67 |
| Total deduction rate | 19.65% of gross |
At the median, $37,717.54 of the $46,940 gross is kept ($1,450.67 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 19.65%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 18.64% at the 10th percentile, 19.19% at the 25th percentile, 19.86% at the 75th percentile, 20.33% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $4,614.86 on a gross rise of $6,120.
The same engine at the other published points of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($38,980) | $31,715.86 | $1,219.84 | 18.64% |
| 25th percentile ($42,940) | $34,701.38 | $1,334.67 | 19.19% |
| Median ($46,940) | $37,717.54 | $1,450.67 | 19.65% |
| 75th percentile ($49,060) | $39,316.24 | $1,512.16 | 19.86% |
| 90th percentile ($54,450) | $43,379.98 | $1,668.46 | 20.33% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $31,715.86 a year at the 10th percentile to $43,379.98 at the 90th — a spread of $11,664.12 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median wage of $54,720 takes home $43,583.42 a year ($1,676.29 per paycheck, deduction rate 20.35%). The Nursing Assistants median take-home of $37,717.54 sits $5,865.88 (below that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN also covers parts of Indiana. The take-home estimate above uses Illinois rules — the metro area's primary state. If the job is based in another part of the metro area, the state tax changes: see the Indiana paycheck calculator.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Nursing Assistants earns $42,260 a year ($20.32 an hour). The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $46,940 is $4,680 (11.1%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $46,610 a year in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN against $42,700 nationally, a gap of $3,910 (9.2%).
Set against the whole local market, the Nursing Assistants 90th percentile of $54,450 is 42% of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN all-occupations 90th percentile ($130,790), and its 10th percentile of $38,980 is 114% of the area-wide 10th ($34,260).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $46,940 | $22.57 | $46,610 |
| United States | $42,260 | $20.32 | $42,700 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Nursing Assistants in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$46,940 a year ($22.57 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $46,610 a year. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #10 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $46,940 in Illinois?
About $37,717.54 a year ($1,450.67 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 19.65% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $49,060, take-home is $39,316.24.
How does pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN compare with the national median for Nursing Assistants?
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $46,940 is $4,680 (11.1%) above the national median of $42,260 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $54,450, against a national 90th percentile of $51,980.
How much do the top 10% of Nursing Assistants earn in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$54,450 a year or more ($26.18 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Nursing Assistants in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
On $54,450 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $43,379.98 a year ($1,668.46 per biweekly paycheck) in Illinois under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 20.33%.
How many Nursing Assistants jobs are there in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
BLS estimates 45,850 Nursing Assistants jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area — 10.158 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Nursing Assistants jobs in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
The location quotient is 1.09 — above the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Nursing Assistants in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
From $31,715.86 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($38,980) to $43,379.98 at the 90th ($54,450), under the same single-filer assumptions in Illinois.
What is the total wage bill for Nursing Assistants in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
About $2.14 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 45,850 multiplied by the mean wage of $46,610.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.