Software Developers salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Software Developers 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 Software Developers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earns $134,380 a year ($64.60 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Software Developers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn between $104,530 and $167,650 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $83,820 or less and the top 10 percent earn $203,410 or more. BLS estimates 40,370 Software Developers jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area — 8.944 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.82 (below the national concentration). That is 2.4% of all Software Developers employment in the United States (1,687,890 jobs nationally). By employment, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is the #8 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Software Developers. In aggregate, Software Developers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn about $5.72 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $101,210.52 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Software Developers is about $4.09 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 3.9% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #12 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Software Developers. By employment, Software Developers is the #22 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Placed against the national distribution for Software Developers, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $134,380 falls between the national 25th percentile ($105,210) and the national median ($135,980). Across all occupations, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $54,720 a year — Software Developers pay is 145.6% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $68.10 | $141,640 |
| 10th percentile | $40.30 | $83,820 |
| 25th percentile | $50.25 | $104,530 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $64.60 | $134,380 |
| 75th percentile | $80.60 | $167,650 |
| 90th percentile | $97.79 | $203,410 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Software Developers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn 2.4 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($203,410 against $83,820). The middle half spans $63,120 — from $104,530 to $167,650. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($97.79) is 2.43 times the 10th ($40.30). In the upper half of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $167,650 takes home $117,700.88 and the 90th percentile wage of $203,410 takes home $140,373.00 — $22,672.12 more net for $35,760 more gross. Against the median take-home of $96,607.98, the top decile keeps 1.45 times as much. The mean wage of $141,640 sits 5.4% above the median: higher-paid Software Developers pull the average up in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Among the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, Software Developers ranks #1 by median pay. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage ladder of covered occupations, Software Developers sits just above General and Operations Managers at $109,390. Software Developers accounts for 0.9% of all employment in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area. The average covered metro employs 36,902 Software Developers; Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN employs 1.1 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) | $134,380.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $20,985.20 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $8,331.56 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $1,948.51 |
| Illinois income tax | $6,507.02 |
| Total deductions | $37,772.02 |
| Net pay (annual) | $96,607.98 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $3,715.69 |
| Total deduction rate | 28.11% of gross |
At the median, $96,607.98 of the $134,380 gross is kept ($3,715.69 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 28.11%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 23.89% at the 10th percentile, 26.01% at the 25th percentile, 29.79% at the 75th percentile, 30.99% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $40,363.50 on a gross rise of $63,120.
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 ($83,820) | $63,792.98 | $2,453.58 | 23.89% |
| 25th percentile ($104,530) | $77,337.38 | $2,974.51 | 26.01% |
| Median ($134,380) | $96,607.98 | $3,715.69 | 28.11% |
| 75th percentile ($167,650) | $117,700.88 | $4,526.96 | 29.79% |
| 90th percentile ($203,410) | $140,373.00 | $5,398.96 | 30.99% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $63,792.98 a year at the 10th percentile to $140,373.00 at the 90th — a spread of $76,580.02 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 Software Developers median take-home of $96,607.98 sits $53,024.56 (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 Software Developers earns $135,980 a year ($65.38 an hour). The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $134,380 is $1,600 (1.2%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $141,640 a year in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN against $148,100 nationally, a gap of $6,460 (4.4%).
Set against the whole local market, the Software Developers 90th percentile of $203,410 is 156% of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN all-occupations 90th percentile ($130,790), and its 10th percentile of $83,820 is 245% of the area-wide 10th ($34,260).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $134,380 | $64.60 | $141,640 |
| United States | $135,980 | $65.38 | $148,100 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Software Developers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$134,380 a year ($64.60 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $141,640 a year. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #12 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $134,380 in Illinois?
About $96,607.98 a year ($3,715.69 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 28.11% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $167,650, take-home is $117,700.88.
How does pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN compare with the national median for Software Developers?
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $134,380 is $1,600 (1.2%) below the national median of $135,980 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $203,410, against a national 90th percentile of $214,670.
How much do the top 10% of Software Developers earn in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$203,410 a year or more ($97.79 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Software Developers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
On $203,410 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $140,373.00 a year ($5,398.96 per biweekly paycheck) in Illinois under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 30.99%.
How many Software Developers jobs are there in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
BLS estimates 40,370 Software Developers jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area — 8.944 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Software Developers jobs in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
The location quotient is 0.82 — 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 Software Developers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
From $63,792.98 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($83,820) to $140,373.00 at the 90th ($203,410), under the same single-filer assumptions in Illinois.
What is the total wage bill for Software Developers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
About $5.72 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 40,370 multiplied by the mean wage of $141,640.
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.