Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS data — updated September 10, 2026.
| Illinois | National | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual salary | $132,110 | $142,991 | -8% |
| Median hourly wage | $63.51 | $68.75 | -8% |
Adjusted for local price levels (100 = national average), the cost-adjusted median is $132,110.
| City | Median | Entry Level | Experienced | Cost of Living |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | $138,884 | $99,750 | $183,750 | 107 |
The median annual salary for a Software Engineer in Illinois is $132,110, or about $63.51 per hour, according to BLS OEWS data.
The national median for Software Engineers is $142,991. Illinois is -8% below the national median.
Entry-level software engineers in Illinois typically earn from $99,750 depending on the city and employer.
With 56,310 software engineer jobs on record and a median salary of $132,110, Illinois offers competitive pay compared to the rest of the country.
By median annual wage, software engineers rank 51 of the 747 occupations reported in Illinois — higher than 93% of them.
Among occupations in the same job family, Database Architects at $142,500, Computer and Information Research Scientists at $136,540, Computer Network Architects at $132,790 — all figures are median annual wages for Illinois.
No. Every figure on this page is a gross (pre-tax) wage. Illinois levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 100.0 (100 = national average).
By median annual wage, software engineers rank 51 of the 747 occupations reported in Illinois — higher than 93% of them.
| Occupation in the same job family | Median in Illinois | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Database Architects | $142,500 | $1,590 |
| Computer and Information Research Scientists | $136,540 | $630 |
| Computer Network Architects | $132,790 | $7,810 |
| Mathematicians | $130,970 | $60 |
| Information Security Analysts | $124,180 | $5,260 |
| Statisticians | $119,760 | $480 |
Illinois levies a state income tax, so take-home pay is lower than the gross figures shown here. The state's cost of living index is 100.0 (100 = national average).
Ranking and comparison figures come from the same BLS OEWS release as the rest of this page, which covers 747 occupations in Illinois.