A complete 2026 pay reference for Illinois: 100 occupations across tech, healthcare, finance, trades, and more, ranked by median annual salary.
Sorted highest to lowest. Click any role for detailed percentiles, experience tiers, and metro breakdown.
| # | Job | Category | Median 2026 | 25th % | 75th % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CEO (Mid-Market) | Business & Management | $555,100 | $421,800 | $721,600 |
| 2 | Surgeon | Healthcare | $456,700 | $347,100 | $593,700 |
| 3 | Chief Financial Officer | Finance | $418,000 | $317,700 | $543,400 |
| 4 | Physician (MD/DO) | Healthcare | $294,400 | $223,800 | $382,700 |
| 5 | Corporate Lawyer | Legal | $287,900 | $218,800 | $374,300 |
| 6 | Investment Banker | Finance | $261,100 | $198,400 | $339,400 |
| 7 | Dentist | Healthcare | $216,300 | $164,400 | $281,200 |
| 8 | AI Engineer | Technology | $215,300 | $163,600 | $279,900 |
| 9 | Lawyer / Attorney | Legal | $206,100 | $156,600 | $267,900 |
| 10 | Machine Learning Engineer | Technology | $197,000 | $149,700 | $256,100 |
| 11 | Management Consultant | Business & Management | $193,500 | $147,100 | $251,600 |
| 12 | Senior Software Engineer | Technology | $192,400 | $146,200 | $250,100 |
| 13 | Site Reliability Engineer | Technology | $185,500 | $141,000 | $241,200 |
| 14 | IT Manager | Technology | $180,900 | $137,500 | $235,200 |
| 15 | Controller | Finance | $177,500 | $134,900 | $230,700 |
| 16 | Judge / Magistrate | Legal | $177,500 | $134,900 | $230,700 |
| 17 | Product Manager | Technology | $174,100 | $132,300 | $226,300 |
| 18 | Petroleum Engineer | Engineering | $171,100 | $130,100 | $222,500 |
| 19 | Sales Engineer | Sales | $171,100 | $130,100 | $222,500 |
| 20 | Data Scientist | Technology | $169,500 | $128,800 | $220,300 |
| 21 | Marketing Manager | Business & Management | $167,700 | $127,400 | $218,000 |
| 22 | Pharmacist | Healthcare | $165,800 | $126,000 | $215,600 |
| 23 | Account Executive (SaaS) | Sales | $164,200 | $124,800 | $213,500 |
| 24 | Data Engineer | Technology | $162,600 | $123,600 | $211,400 |
| 25 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) | Technology | $162,600 | $123,600 | $211,400 |
| 26 | Sales Manager | Business & Management | $159,600 | $121,300 | $207,500 |
| 27 | DevOps Engineer | Technology | $158,000 | $120,100 | $205,400 |
| 28 | Physician Assistant (PA) | Healthcare | $156,200 | $118,700 | $203,100 |
| 29 | Nurse Practitioner (NP) | Healthcare | $153,800 | $116,900 | $200,000 |
| 30 | HR Manager | Business & Management | $152,600 | $116,000 | $198,400 |
| 31 | Aerospace Engineer | Engineering | $152,600 | $116,000 | $198,400 |
| 32 | Software Engineer | Technology | $151,200 | $114,900 | $196,500 |
| 33 | Mobile Developer (iOS/Android) | Technology | $151,200 | $114,900 | $196,500 |
| 34 | Actuary | Finance | $149,500 | $113,600 | $194,300 |
| 35 | Backend Developer | Technology | $148,900 | $113,100 | $193,500 |
| 36 | Cybersecurity Analyst | Technology | $146,600 | $111,400 | $190,600 |
| 37 | Veterinarian | Healthcare | $146,600 | $111,400 | $190,600 |
| 38 | Full-Stack Developer | Technology | $143,100 | $108,800 | $186,100 |
| 39 | General Manager | Business & Management | $141,100 | $107,200 | $183,400 |
| 40 | Chemical Engineer | Engineering | $136,500 | $103,700 | $177,400 |
| 41 | Frontend Developer | Technology | $135,100 | $102,700 | $175,700 |
| 42 | Construction Manager | Skilled Trades | $129,800 | $98,600 | $168,700 |
| 43 | Electrical Engineer | Engineering | $129,500 | $98,400 | $168,400 |
| 44 | Database Administrator (DBA) | Technology | $128,300 | $97,500 | $166,700 |
| 45 | College Professor | Education | $127,300 | $96,800 | $165,500 |
| 46 | School Principal | Education | $127,300 | $96,800 | $165,500 |
| 47 | Operations Manager | Business & Management | $124,900 | $94,900 | $162,400 |
| 48 | Supply Chain Manager | Business & Management | $124,900 | $94,900 | $162,400 |
| 49 | Art Director | Creative & Media | $123,700 | $94,000 | $160,800 |
| 50 | Physical Therapist | Healthcare | $122,600 | $93,200 | $159,300 |
| 51 | Financial Analyst | Finance | $122,600 | $93,200 | $159,400 |
| 52 | Project Manager (PMP) | Business & Management | $121,400 | $92,300 | $157,800 |
| 53 | Biomedical Engineer | Engineering | $121,400 | $92,300 | $157,800 |
| 54 | UX / Product Designer | Technology | $120,200 | $91,400 | $156,300 |
| 55 | Civil Engineer | Engineering | $118,000 | $89,600 | $153,300 |
| 56 | Mechanical Engineer | Engineering | $118,000 | $89,600 | $153,300 |
| 57 | Data Analyst | Technology | $116,800 | $88,800 | $151,900 |
| 58 | Occupational Therapist | Healthcare | $115,400 | $87,700 | $150,000 |
| 59 | Financial Advisor | Finance | $114,400 | $87,000 | $148,800 |
| 60 | Industrial Engineer | Engineering | $113,300 | $86,100 | $147,300 |
| 61 | QA / Test Engineer | Technology | $112,200 | $85,300 | $145,900 |
| 62 | Business Analyst | Business & Management | $109,900 | $83,500 | $142,800 |
| 63 | Insurance Underwriter | Finance | $108,400 | $82,400 | $140,900 |
| 64 | Dental Hygienist | Healthcare | $105,800 | $80,400 | $137,500 |
| 65 | Registered Nurse (RN) | Healthcare | $103,300 | $78,500 | $134,400 |
| 66 | Animator | Creative & Media | $100,800 | $76,600 | $131,000 |
| 67 | Tax Accountant | Finance | $100,400 | $76,300 | $130,500 |
| 68 | Credit Analyst | Finance | $98,100 | $74,500 | $127,500 |
| 69 | Electrician | Skilled Trades | $97,500 | $74,100 | $126,700 |
| 70 | Police Officer | Public Service | $97,300 | $74,000 | $126,500 |
| 71 | Plumber | Skilled Trades | $96,000 | $73,000 | $124,900 |
| 72 | Accountant / CPA | Finance | $95,700 | $72,800 | $124,500 |
| 73 | Respiratory Therapist | Healthcare | $93,700 | $71,200 | $121,900 |
| 74 | Sales Representative | Sales | $90,200 | $68,600 | $117,300 |
| 75 | High School Teacher | Education | $86,800 | $66,000 | $112,800 |
| 76 | Radiologic Technologist | Healthcare | $86,500 | $65,800 | $112,500 |
| 77 | Hotel Manager | Hospitality | $85,700 | $65,100 | $111,400 |
| 78 | Heavy Equipment Operator | Skilled Trades | $82,000 | $62,300 | $106,600 |
| 79 | Special Education Teacher | Education | $80,200 | $60,900 | $104,200 |
| 80 | Carpenter | Skilled Trades | $79,900 | $60,700 | $103,900 |
| 81 | Video Editor | Creative & Media | $77,900 | $59,200 | $101,200 |
| 82 | Social Media Manager | Creative & Media | $77,900 | $59,200 | $101,200 |
| 83 | Interior Designer | Creative & Media | $77,900 | $59,200 | $101,200 |
| 84 | Elementary Teacher | Education | $77,800 | $59,100 | $101,200 |
| 85 | Real Estate Agent | Real Estate | $75,600 | $57,400 | $98,300 |
| 86 | School Counselor | Education | $75,500 | $57,300 | $98,100 |
| 87 | Chef / Head Cook | Hospitality | $73,800 | $56,100 | $95,900 |
| 88 | Firefighter | Public Service | $73,100 | $55,600 | $95,000 |
| 89 | Paralegal | Legal | $72,400 | $55,000 | $94,100 |
| 90 | Medical Lab Technician | Healthcare | $72,100 | $54,800 | $93,700 |
| 91 | HVAC Technician | Skilled Trades | $72,100 | $54,800 | $93,700 |
| 92 | Graphic Designer | Creative & Media | $71,000 | $54,000 | $92,300 |
| 93 | Social Worker | Public Service | $70,700 | $53,800 | $92,000 |
| 94 | Content Writer / Copywriter | Creative & Media | $66,400 | $50,500 | $86,300 |
| 95 | Welder | Skilled Trades | $62,500 | $47,500 | $81,200 |
| 96 | Auto Mechanic | Skilled Trades | $62,500 | $47,500 | $81,200 |
| 97 | Photographer | Creative & Media | $55,000 | $41,800 | $71,500 |
| 98 | Administrative Assistant | Administrative | $53,700 | $40,800 | $69,800 |
| 99 | Medical Assistant | Healthcare | $52,900 | $40,200 | $68,700 |
| 100 | Customer Service Rep | Administrative | $46,700 | $35,500 | $60,700 |
→ See top 25 highest-paying jobs in Illinois (with growth outlook)
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