Office Clerks, General salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Office Clerks, General 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 Office Clerks, General in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earns $46,330 a year ($22.28 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Office Clerks, General in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn between $37,710 and $57,790 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $32,580 or less and the top 10 percent earn $72,910 or more. BLS estimates 66,840 Office Clerks, General jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area — 14.809 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.93 (below the national concentration). That is 2.7% of all Office Clerks, General employment in the United States (2,464,940 jobs nationally). By employment, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is the #3 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Office Clerks, General. In aggregate, Office Clerks, General in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn about $3.32 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $39,738.44 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Office Clerks, General is about $2.66 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 6.1% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #13 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Office Clerks, General. By employment, Office Clerks, General is the #11 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Placed against the national distribution for Office Clerks, General, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $46,330 falls between the national median ($45,010) and the national 75th percentile ($54,300). Across all occupations, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $54,720 a year — Office Clerks, General pay is 15.3% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $23.86 | $49,620 |
| 10th percentile | $15.66 | $32,580 |
| 25th percentile | $18.13 | $37,710 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $22.28 | $46,330 |
| 75th percentile | $27.79 | $57,790 |
| 90th percentile | $35.05 | $72,910 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Office Clerks, General in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn 2.2 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($72,910 against $32,580). The middle half spans $20,080 — from $37,710 to $57,790. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($35.05) is 2.24 times the 10th ($15.66). In the upper half of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $57,790 takes home $45,898.38 and the 90th percentile wage of $72,910 takes home $56,657.92 — $10,759.54 more net for $15,120 more gross. Against the median take-home of $37,257.56, the top decile keeps 1.52 times as much. The mean wage of $49,620 sits 7.1% above the median: higher-paid Office Clerks, General pull the average up in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Among the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, Office Clerks, General ranks #18 by median pay. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage ladder of covered occupations, Office Clerks, General sits between Nursing Assistants at $46,940 and Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators at $43,650. Office Clerks, General accounts for 1.5% of all employment in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area. The average covered metro employs 40,408 Office Clerks, General; Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN employs 1.7 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) | $46,330.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $3,379.60 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,872.46 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $671.79 |
| Illinois income tax | $2,148.55 |
| Total deductions | $9,072.44 |
| Net pay (annual) | $37,257.56 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,432.98 |
| Total deduction rate | 19.58% of gross |
At the median, $37,257.56 of the $46,330 gross is kept ($1,432.98 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 19.58%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 17.46% at the 10th percentile, 18.44% at the 25th percentile, 20.58% at the 75th percentile, 22.29% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $15,140.26 on a gross rise of $20,080.
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 ($32,580) | $26,890.16 | $1,034.24 | 17.46% |
| 25th percentile ($37,710) | $30,758.12 | $1,183.00 | 18.44% |
| Median ($46,330) | $37,257.56 | $1,432.98 | 19.58% |
| 75th percentile ($57,790) | $45,898.38 | $1,765.32 | 20.58% |
| 90th percentile ($72,910) | $56,657.92 | $2,179.15 | 22.29% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $26,890.16 a year at the 10th percentile to $56,657.92 at the 90th — a spread of $29,767.76 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 Office Clerks, General median take-home of $37,257.56 sits $6,325.86 (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 Office Clerks, General earns $45,010 a year ($21.64 an hour). The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $46,330 is $1,320 (2.9%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $49,620 a year in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN against $46,420 nationally, a gap of $3,200 (6.9%).
Set against the whole local market, the Office Clerks, General 90th percentile of $72,910 is 56% of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN all-occupations 90th percentile ($130,790), and its 10th percentile of $32,580 is 95% of the area-wide 10th ($34,260).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $46,330 | $22.28 | $49,620 |
| United States | $45,010 | $21.64 | $46,420 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Office Clerks, General in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$46,330 a year ($22.28 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $49,620 a year. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #13 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $46,330 in Illinois?
About $37,257.56 a year ($1,432.98 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 19.58% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $57,790, take-home is $45,898.38.
How does pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN compare with the national median for Office Clerks, General?
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $46,330 is $1,320 (2.9%) above the national median of $45,010 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $72,910, against a national 90th percentile of $64,680.
How much do the top 10% of Office Clerks, General earn in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$72,910 a year or more ($35.05 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Office Clerks, General in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
On $72,910 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $56,657.92 a year ($2,179.15 per biweekly paycheck) in Illinois under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 22.29%.
How many Office Clerks, General jobs are there in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
BLS estimates 66,840 Office Clerks, General jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area — 14.809 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Office Clerks, General jobs in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
The location quotient is 0.93 — below 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 Office Clerks, General in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
From $26,890.16 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($32,580) to $56,657.92 at the 90th ($72,910), under the same single-filer assumptions in Illinois.
What is the total wage bill for Office Clerks, General in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
About $3.32 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 66,840 multiplied by the mean wage of $49,620.
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.