Bartender pay in Chicago-Naperville, IL at a glance
Median salary
$31,200$15.00 per hour · $2,600 monthly · BLS May 2025Run the numbers on your own pay
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Bartender salary in Chicago-Naperville, IL after taxes
Bartenders pay range in Chicago-Naperville, IL, hourly and yearly
BLS May 2025 estimates for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metropolitan statistical area. Monthly and take-home figures are ours, computed from the annual wage.
| Percentile | Hourly | Monthly | Yearly | After tax a year (IL) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $15.00/hr | $2,600 | $31,200 | $25,850 |
| 25th percentile | $15.00/hr | $2,600 | $31,200 | $25,850 |
| MedianMedian | $15.00/hr | $2,600 | $31,200 | $25,850 |
| 75th percentile | $16.10/hr | $2,792 | $33,500 | $27,584 |
| 90th percentile | $23.33/hr | $4,044 | $48,530 | $38,916 |
Is $31,200 a good salary in Chicago-Naperville, IL?
It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for bartenders next to both.
Bartenders pay in Illinois and across the U.S.
The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.
Do bartenders pay tax on tips?
Yes, but less than before. This job is on the Treasury's list of tipped occupations, so from 2025 through 2028 up to $25,000 a year of reported tips comes off federal taxable income, shrinking above $150,000 of income ($300,000 joint). Social Security and Medicare are still owed on every tip, and most states still tax them. The BLS pay figures on this page already include tips as employers report them.
Bartender pay in Chicago-Naperville, IL: common questions
What is the median salary for bartenders in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
The BLS median annual wage for bartenders in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area was $31,200 in May 2025, about $2,600 a month or $15.00 an hour. Statewide, the Illinois median for this job is $31,200, so the metro pays about the same as the state.
What is the hourly pay for bartenders in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
The median hourly wage for bartenders in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN was $15.00 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $15.00 an hour and one in ten earned more than $23.33.
How many bartenders work in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
BLS estimated 28,750 jobs for bartenders in the metro in May 2025, or 6.4 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.31 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.
What is the pay range for bartenders in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
BLS wage estimates for bartenders in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN run from $31,200 at the 10th percentile to $31,200 at the 25th, $33,500 at the 75th, and $48,530 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.
How much do bartenders take home after taxes in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
On a median gross salary of $31,200, an estimated $25,850 lands in net take-home pay per year ($994 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Illinois in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $5,350 (an effective rate of 17.1%).
How much do bartenders make per month in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
On the median annual salary of $31,200, gross monthly income is $2,600. After federal, FICA, and Illinois state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,154 per month (or $994 every two weeks).
Is $31,200 a good salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
At $31,200, the median salary for bartenders is 34.3% of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median household income ($90,887). It is 43% below the $54,720 median for all jobs in the metro. The BEA regional price parity is 103.6, so prices here run 3.6% above the U.S. average.