Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN · CBSA 16980
Software Engineer Salary in Chicago
VerifiedPublished metro-area wages for software engineers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, from the BLS OEWS May 2024 release — with the local distribution set against Illinois and the national benchmark.
Software Engineers in Chicago earn a median of $130,030 per year, per BLS OEWS May 2024. The middle 50% earn $102,040–$161,810; the top 10% earn $173,770. That is 2% below the national median and 2% above the Illinois median. BLS reports 41,320 employed locally.
Median wage
Verified$130,030
-2% vs national
Top 10% earn
$173,770
90th percentile
Employed in metro
41,320
Reliability High (3% RSE)
Software Engineer pay — Chicago vs Illinois vs national
All three distributions are published BLS percentiles on a single shared scale.
| Percentile | Annual wage | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentileentry / low | $78,300 | -2% |
| 25th percentile | $102,040 | -1% |
| Median50th percentile | $130,030 | -2% |
| 75th percentile | $161,810 | -4% |
| 90th percentiletop earners | $173,770 | -18% |
| Meanaverage | $130,930 | -9% |
How concentrated software engineers are in Chicago
Location quotient compares local concentration to the national rate. Above 1.00 means this metro employs the occupation more densely than the country overall.
Location quotient
0.86
Jobs per 1,000
9.24
Metro rank (pay)
#50 of 381
All engineering roles
$118,040
Chicago employs software engineers at close to the national rate (location quotient 0.86).
Frequently asked questions
How much does a software engineer make in Chicago?
Does Chicago pay more than the rest of Illinois?
Where does Chicago rank nationally for software engineers?
Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 15-1252 (Software Developers), Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (metro area).
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →