Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area · BLS May 2025 · Updated

How much does a human resources specialist make in Chicago-Naperville, IL?

In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metropolitan area, human resources specialists earned a median of $78,210 a year ($37.60 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 26,470 of these jobs there. That is 43% above the $54,720 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $49,580 and $125,220; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Illinois tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $60,124 in take-home pay.

Human resources specialist pay in Chicago-Naperville, IL at a glance

Median salary

$78,210$37.60 per hour · $6,518 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$49,580$23.84/hr
25th percentile$61,470$29.55/hr
75th percentile$100,550$48.34/hr
90th percentile$125,220$60.20/hr
Jobs in this metro26,470Location quotient 1.00 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here43% aboveAll-jobs median $54,720
Against Illinois2% aboveStatewide median $76,820
Against the U.S.3% aboveNational median $75,940

Run the numbers on your own pay

Same U.S. tax tables as the rest of the site. Change the salary, state, or filing status.

Human resources specialist salary in Chicago-Naperville, IL after taxes

$78,210
$30,000$160,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$78,210
Net 77%
Fed 11%
IL 5%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$60,124After all taxes
Monthly deposit$5,010Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$2,312Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate23.1%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$8,376 / yr
Illinois state income tax$3,727 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$5,983 / yr

Human resources specialists 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.

What human resources specialists earned in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (IL)
10th percentile$23.84/hr$4,132$49,580$39,708
25th percentile$29.55/hr$5,123$61,470$48,673
MedianMedian$37.60/hr$6,518$78,210$60,124
75th percentile$48.34/hr$8,379$100,550$74,734
90th percentile$60.20/hr$10,435$125,220$90,800

Is $78,210 a good salary in Chicago-Naperville, IL?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for human resources specialists next to both.

Median household income$90,887Census Bureau ACS
Local price level (U.S. = 100)103.63.6% above national average
One paycheck vs. a household86.1%of area median income

The same job statewide and nationally, and a calculator for your own paycheck.

Human resources specialist pay in Chicago-Naperville, IL: common questions

What is the median salary for human resources specialists in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

The BLS median annual wage for human resources specialists in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area was $78,210 in May 2025, about $6,518 a month or $37.60 an hour. Statewide, the Illinois median for this job is $76,820, so the metro pays 2% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for human resources specialists in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

The median hourly wage for human resources specialists in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN was $37.60 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $23.84 an hour and one in ten earned more than $60.20.

How many human resources specialists work in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

BLS estimated 26,470 jobs for human resources specialists in the metro in May 2025, or 5.9 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.00 means the job is about as common here as in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for human resources specialists in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

BLS wage estimates for human resources specialists in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN run from $49,580 at the 10th percentile to $61,470 at the 25th, $100,550 at the 75th, and $125,220 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

How much do human resources specialists take home after taxes in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

On a median gross salary of $78,210, an estimated $60,124 lands in net take-home pay per year ($2,312 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Illinois in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $18,086 (an effective rate of 23.1%).

How much do human resources specialists make per month in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

On the median annual salary of $78,210, gross monthly income is $6,518. After federal, FICA, and Illinois state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $5,010 per month (or $2,312 every two weeks).

Is $78,210 a good salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

At $78,210, the median salary for human resources specialists is 86.1% of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median household income ($90,887). It is 43% above 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.