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

How much does a lawyer make in Chicago-Naperville, IL?

In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metropolitan area, lawyers earned a median of $165,660 a year ($79.64 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 28,320 of these jobs there. That is 203% above the $54,720 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $87,070 and $331,140; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Illinois tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $116,439 in take-home pay.

Lawyer pay in Chicago-Naperville, IL at a glance

Median salary

$165,660$79.64 per hour · $13,805 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$87,070$41.86/hr
25th percentile$106,980$51.43/hr
75th percentile$232,270$111.67/hr
90th percentile$331,140$159.20/hr
Jobs in this metro28,320Location quotient 1.29 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here203% aboveAll-jobs median $54,720
Against Illinois3% aboveStatewide median $160,800
Against the U.S.4% aboveNational median $159,670

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.

Lawyer salary in Chicago-Naperville, IL after taxes

$165,660
$65,000$335,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$165,660
Net 70%
Fed 17%
IL 5%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$116,439After all taxes
Monthly deposit$9,703Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$4,478Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate29.7%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$28,492 / yr
Illinois state income tax$8,055 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$12,673 / yr

Lawyers 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 lawyers earned in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (IL)
10th percentile$41.86/hr$7,256$87,070$65,919
25th percentile$51.43/hr$8,915$106,980$78,940
MedianMedian$79.64/hr$13,805$165,660$116,439
75th percentile$111.67/hr$19,356$232,270$160,190
90th percentile$159.20/hr$27,595$331,140$218,439

Is $165,660 a good salary in Chicago-Naperville, IL?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for lawyers 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 household182.3%of area median income

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

Lawyer pay in Chicago-Naperville, IL: common questions

What is the median salary for lawyers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

The BLS median annual wage for lawyers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area was $165,660 in May 2025, about $13,805 a month or $79.64 an hour. Statewide, the Illinois median for this job is $160,800, so the metro pays 3% above the state.

What is the hourly pay for lawyers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

The median hourly wage for lawyers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN was $79.64 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $41.86 an hour and one in ten earned more than $159.20.

How many lawyers work in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

BLS estimated 28,320 jobs for lawyers in the metro in May 2025, or 6.3 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.29 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

What is the pay range for lawyers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

BLS wage estimates for lawyers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN run from $87,070 at the 10th percentile to $106,980 at the 25th, $232,270 at the 75th, and $331,140 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

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

On a median gross salary of $165,660, an estimated $116,439 lands in net take-home pay per year ($4,478 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Illinois in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $49,221 (an effective rate of 29.7%).

How much do lawyers make per month in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

On the median annual salary of $165,660, gross monthly income is $13,805. After federal, FICA, and Illinois state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $9,703 per month (or $4,478 every two weeks).

Is $165,660 a good salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

At $165,660, the median salary for lawyers is 182.3% of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median household income ($90,887). It is 203% 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.