Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Illinois tax rules.
Take-home estimate: 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. Full breakdown below.
The figures
The median Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earns $50,440 a year ($24.25 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn between $42,260 and $62,970 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $34,300 or less and the top 10 percent earn $78,820 or more. BLS estimates 50,190 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area — 11.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.01 (about the same concentration as the nation). That is 2.9% of all Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive employment in the United States (1,706,790 jobs nationally). By employment, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is the #3 largest of the 24 covered metro areas for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive. In aggregate, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn about $2.74 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $43,515.78 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive is about $2.18 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 3.2% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #11 of the 24 metro areas covered on this site for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive. By employment, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive is the #15 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Placed against the national distribution for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $50,440 falls between the national median ($47,540) and the national 75th percentile ($58,000). Across all occupations, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $54,720 a year — Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive pay is 7.8% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $26.26 | $54,630 |
| 10th percentile | $16.49 | $34,300 |
| 25th percentile | $20.32 | $42,260 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $24.25 | $50,440 |
| 75th percentile | $30.27 | $62,970 |
| 90th percentile | $37.89 | $78,820 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn 2.3 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($78,820 against $34,300). The middle half spans $20,710 — from $42,260 to $62,970. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($37.89) is 2.30 times the 10th ($16.49). In the upper half of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $62,970 takes home $49,804.12 and the 90th percentile wage of $78,820 takes home $60,523.02 — $10,718.90 more net for $15,850 more gross. Against the median take-home of $40,356.68, the top decile keeps 1.50 times as much. The mean wage of $54,630 sits 8.3% above the median: higher-paid Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive pull the average up in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Among the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive ranks #14 by median pay. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage ladder of covered occupations, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive sits between Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks at $51,440 and First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers at $48,900. Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive accounts for 1.1% of all employment in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area. The average covered metro employs 28,772 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive; 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) | $50,440.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $3,872.80 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $3,127.28 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $731.38 |
| Illinois income tax | $2,351.99 |
| Total deductions | $10,083.32 |
| Net pay (annual) | $40,356.68 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,552.18 |
| Total deduction rate | 19.99% of gross |
At the median, $40,356.68 of the $50,440 gross is kept ($1,552.18 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 19.99%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 17.82% at the 10th percentile, 19.10% at the 25th percentile, 20.91% at the 75th percentile, 23.21% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $15,615.30 on a gross rise of $20,710.
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 ($34,300) | $28,187.14 | $1,084.12 | 17.82% |
| 25th percentile ($42,260) | $34,188.82 | $1,314.95 | 19.10% |
| Median ($50,440) | $40,356.68 | $1,552.18 | 19.99% |
| 75th percentile ($62,970) | $49,804.12 | $1,915.54 | 20.91% |
| 90th percentile ($78,820) | $60,523.02 | $2,327.81 | 23.21% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $28,187.14 a year at the 10th percentile to $60,523.02 at the 90th — a spread of $32,335.88 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 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive median take-home of $40,356.68 sits $3,226.74 (7.4%) below the area-wide median take-home of $43,583.42.
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 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive earns $47,540 a year ($22.86 an hour). The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $50,440 is $2,900 (6.1%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $54,630 a year in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN against $49,350 nationally, a gap of $5,280 (10.7%).
Set against the whole local market, the Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 90th percentile of $78,820 is 60% of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN all-occupations 90th percentile ($130,790), and its 10th percentile of $34,300 is 100% of the area-wide 10th ($34,260).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $50,440 | $24.25 | $54,630 |
| United States | $47,540 | $22.86 | $49,350 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$50,440 a year ($24.25 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $54,630 a year. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #11 of the 24 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $50,440 in Illinois?
About $40,356.68 a year ($1,552.18 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 19.99% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $62,970, take-home is $49,804.12.
How does pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN compare with the national median for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive?
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $50,440 is $2,900 (6.1%) above the national median of $47,540 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $78,820, against a national 90th percentile of $66,350.
How much do the top 10% of Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive earn in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$78,820 a year or more ($37.89 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
On $78,820 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $60,523.02 a year ($2,327.81 per biweekly paycheck) in Illinois under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 23.21%.
How many Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive jobs are there in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
BLS estimates 50,190 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area — 11.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive jobs in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
The location quotient is 1.01 — 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 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
From $28,187.14 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($34,300) to $60,523.02 at the 90th ($78,820), under the same single-filer assumptions in Illinois.
What is the total wage bill for Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
About $2.74 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 50,190 multiplied by the mean wage of $54,630.
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.