Registered Nurses salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Registered Nurses 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 Registered Nurses in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earns $100,490 a year ($48.31 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Registered Nurses in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn between $82,640 and $108,430 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $77,410 or less and the top 10 percent earn $119,260 or more. BLS estimates 100,240 Registered Nurses jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area — 22.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.02 (about the same concentration as the nation). That is 3.0% of all Registered Nurses employment in the United States (3,379,720 jobs nationally). By employment, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is the #3 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Registered Nurses. In aggregate, Registered Nurses in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn about $9.82 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $73,021.22 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Registered Nurses is about $7.32 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 1% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #16 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Registered Nurses. By employment, Registered Nurses is the #4 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Placed against the national distribution for Registered Nurses, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $100,490 falls between the national median ($97,550) and the national 75th percentile ($112,350). Across all occupations, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $54,720 a year — Registered Nurses pay is 83.6% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $47.08 | $97,930 |
| 10th percentile | $37.22 | $77,410 |
| 25th percentile | $39.73 | $82,640 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $48.31 | $100,490 |
| 75th percentile | $52.13 | $108,430 |
| 90th percentile | $57.34 | $119,260 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Registered Nurses in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn 1.5 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($119,260 against $77,410). The middle half spans $25,790 — from $82,640 to $108,430. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($57.34) is 1.54 times the 10th ($37.22). In the upper half of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $108,430 takes home $79,887.98 and the 90th percentile wage of $119,260 takes home $86,970.86 — $7,082.88 more net for $10,830 more gross. Against the median take-home of $74,695.40, the top decile keeps 1.16 times as much. The mean wage of $97,930 sits 2.5% 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, Registered Nurses ranks #4 by median pay. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage ladder of covered occupations, Registered Nurses sits between Project Management Specialists at $105,320 and Accountants and Auditors at $82,360. Registered Nurses accounts for 2.2% of all employment in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area. The average covered metro employs 55,027 Registered Nurses; Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN employs 1.8 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) | $100,490.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $13,277.80 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $6,230.38 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $1,457.11 |
| Illinois income tax | $4,829.47 |
| Total deductions | $25,794.60 |
| Net pay (annual) | $74,695.40 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $2,872.90 |
| Total deduction rate | 25.67% of gross |
At the median, $74,695.40 of the $100,490 gross is kept ($2,872.90 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 25.67%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 23.01% at the 10th percentile, 23.74% at the 25th percentile, 26.32% at the 75th percentile, 27.07% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $16,866.80 on a gross rise of $25,790.
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 ($77,410) | $59,601.04 | $2,292.35 | 23.01% |
| 25th percentile ($82,640) | $63,021.18 | $2,423.89 | 23.74% |
| Median ($100,490) | $74,695.40 | $2,872.90 | 25.67% |
| 75th percentile ($108,430) | $79,887.98 | $3,072.61 | 26.32% |
| 90th percentile ($119,260) | $86,970.86 | $3,345.03 | 27.07% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $59,601.04 a year at the 10th percentile to $86,970.86 at the 90th — a spread of $27,369.82 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 Registered Nurses median take-home of $74,695.40 sits $31,111.98 (above 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 Registered Nurses earns $97,550 a year ($46.90 an hour). The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $100,490 is $2,940 (3.0%) above the national median.
The means rank the area differently: $97,930 a year in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN against $101,420 nationally, a gap of $3,490 (3.4%).
Set against the whole local market, the Registered Nurses 90th percentile of $119,260 is 91% of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN all-occupations 90th percentile ($130,790), and its 10th percentile of $77,410 is 226% of the area-wide 10th ($34,260).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $100,490 | $48.31 | $97,930 |
| United States | $97,550 | $46.90 | $101,420 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Registered Nurses in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$100,490 a year ($48.31 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $97,930 a year. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #16 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $100,490 in Illinois?
About $74,695.40 a year ($2,872.90 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 25.67% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $108,430, take-home is $79,887.98.
How does pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN compare with the national median for Registered Nurses?
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $100,490 is $2,940 (3.0%) above the national median of $97,550 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $119,260, against a national 90th percentile of $137,470.
How much do the top 10% of Registered Nurses earn in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$119,260 a year or more ($57.34 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Registered Nurses in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
On $119,260 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $86,970.86 a year ($3,345.03 per biweekly paycheck) in Illinois under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 27.07%.
How many Registered Nurses jobs are there in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
BLS estimates 100,240 Registered Nurses jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area — 22.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Registered Nurses jobs in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
The location quotient is 1.02 — about the same concentration as the nation. 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 Registered Nurses in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
From $59,601.04 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($77,410) to $86,970.86 at the 90th ($119,260), under the same single-filer assumptions in Illinois.
What is the total wage bill for Registered Nurses in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
About $9.82 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 100,240 multiplied by the mean wage of $97,930.
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.