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

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

In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metropolitan area, teaching assistants earned a median of $37,840 a year in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the metro. BLS counted 46,770 of these jobs there. That is 31% below the $54,720 median for all jobs in the metro. The middle 80% earned between $31,200 and $48,100; these percentiles do not measure years of experience. Applying 2026 federal and Illinois tax rules to the median leaves an estimated $30,856 in take-home pay.

Teaching assistant pay in Chicago-Naperville, IL at a glance

Median salary

$37,840$3,153 monthly · BLS May 2025
10th percentile$31,200—
25th percentile$32,780—
75th percentile$46,210—
90th percentile$48,100—
Jobs in this metro46,770Location quotient 1.13 (U.S. = 1.00)
Against all jobs here31% belowAll-jobs median $54,720
Against Illinois2% aboveStatewide median $36,990
Against the U.S.3% aboveNational median $36,780

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.

Teaching assistant salary in Chicago-Naperville, IL after taxes

$37,840
$15,000$80,000
Filing status:
Gross salary breakdown$37,840
Net 82%
Fed 6%
IL 5%
FICA 8%
Annual take-home$30,856After all taxes
Monthly deposit$2,571Estimated per month
Biweekly paycheck$1,187Every 2 weeks (26/yr)
Effective tax rate18.5%Total tax burden
Federal income tax$2,361 / yr
Illinois state income tax$1,728 / yr
FICA (Social Security & Medicare)$2,895 / yr

Teaching assistants 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 teaching assistants earned in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, May 2025
PercentileHourlyMonthlyYearlyAfter tax a year (IL)
10th percentile—$2,600$31,200$25,850
25th percentile—$2,732$32,780$27,041
MedianMedian—$3,153$37,840$30,856
75th percentile—$3,851$46,210$37,167
90th percentile—$4,008$48,100$38,592

Is $37,840 a good salary in Chicago-Naperville, IL?

It depends on what else people there earn and what things cost. Here is the median for teaching assistants 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 household41.6%of area median income

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

Teaching assistant pay in Chicago-Naperville, IL: common questions

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

The BLS median annual wage for teaching assistants in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area was $37,840 in May 2025, about $3,153 a month. Statewide, the Illinois median for this job is $36,990, so the metro pays 2% above the state.

Is there an hourly rate for teaching assistants in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

BLS publishes pay for this job as an annual salary only, because the hours worked in a year vary too much to state a meaningful hourly rate.

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

BLS estimated 46,770 jobs for teaching assistants in the metro in May 2025, or 10.4 of every 1,000 jobs. Its location quotient of 1.13 means the job is more concentrated here than in the country as a whole.

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

BLS wage estimates for teaching assistants in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN run from $31,200 at the 10th percentile to $32,780 at the 25th, $46,210 at the 75th, and $48,100 at the 90th. These are points in the wage distribution, not experience levels.

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

On a median gross salary of $37,840, an estimated $30,856 lands in net take-home pay per year ($1,187 biweekly) for a single filer claiming the standard deduction in Illinois in 2026. Total tax withholding equals $6,984 (an effective rate of 18.5%).

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

On the median annual salary of $37,840, gross monthly income is $3,153. After federal, FICA, and Illinois state income taxes, estimated net take-home pay is $2,571 per month (or $1,187 every two weeks).

Is $37,840 a good salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

At $37,840, the median salary for teaching assistants is 41.6% of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median household income ($90,887). It is 31% 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.