Food preparation worker pay in Chicago-Naperville, IL at a glance
Median salary
$35,410$17.02 per hour · $2,951 monthly · BLS May 2025Run the numbers on your own pay
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Food preparation worker salary in Chicago-Naperville, IL after taxes
Food preparation workers 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 | $17.02/hr | $2,951 | $35,410 | $29,024 |
| 75th percentile | $18.69/hr | $3,239 | $38,870 | $31,633 |
| 90th percentile | $21.80/hr | $3,778 | $45,330 | $36,504 |
Is $35,410 a good salary in Chicago-Naperville, IL?
It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for food preparation workers next to both.
Food preparation workers pay in Illinois and across the U.S.
The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.
Food preparation worker pay in Chicago-Naperville, IL: common questions
What is the median salary for food preparation workers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
The BLS median annual wage for food preparation workers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area was $35,410 in May 2025, about $2,951 a month or $17.02 an hour. Statewide, the Illinois median for this job is $34,850, so the metro pays 2% above the state.
What is the hourly pay for food preparation workers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
The median hourly wage for food preparation workers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN was $17.02 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $15.00 an hour and one in ten earned more than $21.80.
How many food preparation workers work in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
BLS estimated 27,100 jobs for food preparation workers in the metro in May 2025, or 6.0 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.04 means the job is about as common here as in the country as a whole.
What is the pay range for food preparation workers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
BLS wage estimates for food preparation workers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN run from $31,200 at the 10th percentile to $31,200 at the 25th, $38,870 at the 75th, and $45,330 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.
How much do food preparation workers take home after taxes in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
On a median gross salary of $35,410, an estimated $29,024 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,116 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Illinois in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $6,386 (an effective rate of 18%).
How much do food preparation workers make per month in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
On the median annual salary of $35,410, gross monthly income is $2,951. After federal, FICA, and Illinois state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,419 per month (or $1,116 every two weeks).
Is $35,410 a good salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
At $35,410, the median salary for food preparation workers is 39% of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median household income ($90,887). It is 35% 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.