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

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

In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metropolitan area, retail salespersons earned a median of $35,820 a year ($17.22 an hour) in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 96,950 of these jobs there. That is 35% below the $54,720 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $31,200 and $48,580; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Illinois tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $29,333 in take-home pay.

Retail salesperson pay in Chicago-Naperville, IL at a glance

Median salary

$35,820$17.22 per hour · $2,985 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$31,200$15.00/hr
25th percentile$33,800$16.25/hr
75th percentile$38,380$18.45/hr
90th percentile$48,580$23.36/hr
Jobs in this metro96,950Location quotient 0.86 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here35% belowAll-jobs median $54,720
Against Illinois1% aboveStatewide median $35,370
Against the U.S.1% aboveNational median $35,410

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.

Retail salesperson salary in Chicago-Naperville, IL after taxes

$35,820
$15,000$75,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$35,820
Net 82%
Fed 6%
IL 5%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$29,333After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,444Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,128Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate18.1%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,118 / yr
Illinois state income tax$1,628 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,740 / yr

Retail salespersons 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 retail salespersons earned in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (IL)
10th percentile$15.00/hr$2,600$31,200$25,850
25th percentile$16.25/hr$2,817$33,800$27,810
MedianMedian$17.22/hr$2,985$35,820$29,333
75th percentile$18.45/hr$3,198$38,380$31,263
90th percentile$23.36/hr$4,048$48,580$38,954

Is $35,820 a good salary in Chicago-Naperville, IL?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for retail salespersons 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 household39.4%of area median income

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

Retail salesperson pay in Chicago-Naperville, IL: common questions

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

The BLS median annual wage for retail salespersons in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area was $35,820 in May 2025, about $2,985 a month or $17.22 an hour. Statewide, the Illinois median for this job is $35,370, so the metro pays 1% above the state.

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

The median hourly wage for retail salespersons in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN was $17.22 in the BLS survey. One in ten earned less than $15.00 an hour and one in ten earned more than $23.36.

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

BLS estimated 96,950 jobs for retail salespersons in the metro in May 2025, or 21.5 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 0.86 means the job is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

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

BLS wage estimates for retail salespersons in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN run from $31,200 at the 10th percentile to $33,800 at the 25th, $38,380 at the 75th, and $48,580 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

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

On a median gross salary of $35,820, an estimated $29,333 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,128 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Illinois in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $6,487 (an effective rate of 18.1%).

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

On the median annual salary of $35,820, gross monthly income is $2,985. After federal, FICA, and Illinois state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,444 per month (or $1,128 every two weeks).

Is $35,820 a good salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

At $35,820, the median salary for retail salespersons is 39.4% 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.