Accountants and Auditors salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Accountants and Auditors in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 Illinois tax rules.
The figures
The median Accountants and Auditors in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earns $82,360 a year ($39.60 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Accountants and Auditors in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn between $72,280 and $103,120 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $59,530 or less and the top 10 percent earn $134,100 or more. BLS estimates 41,360 Accountants and Auditors jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area — 9.165 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.98 (about the same concentration as the nation). That is 2.9% of all Accountants and Auditors employment in the United States (1,449,500 jobs nationally). By employment, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is the #4 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Accountants and Auditors. In aggregate, Accountants and Auditors in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn about $3.80 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $69,136.26 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Accountants and Auditors is about $2.86 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 4.6% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #19 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Accountants and Auditors. By employment, Accountants and Auditors is the #21 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Placed against the national distribution for Accountants and Auditors, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $82,360 falls between the national 25th percentile ($67,020) and the national median ($83,680). Across all occupations, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $54,720 a year — Accountants and Auditors pay is 50.5% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $44.22 | $91,990 |
| 10th percentile | $28.62 | $59,530 |
| 25th percentile | $34.75 | $72,280 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $39.60 | $82,360 |
| 75th percentile | $49.58 | $103,120 |
| 90th percentile | $64.47 | $134,100 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Accountants and Auditors in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn 2.3 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($134,100 against $59,530). The middle half spans $30,840 — from $72,280 to $103,120. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($64.47) is 2.25 times the 10th ($28.62). In the upper half of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $103,120 takes home $76,415.14 and the 90th percentile wage of $134,100 takes home $96,429.90 — $20,014.76 more net for $30,980 more gross. Against the median take-home of $62,838.16, the top decile keeps 1.53 times as much. The mean wage of $91,990 sits 11.7% above the median: higher-paid Accountants and Auditors pull the average up in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Among the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, Accountants and Auditors ranks #5 by median pay. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage ladder of covered occupations, Accountants and Auditors sits between Registered Nurses at $100,490 and Business Operations Specialists, All Other at $81,170. Accountants and Auditors accounts for 0.9% of all employment in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area. The average covered metro employs 28,234 Accountants and Auditors; Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN employs 1.5 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in Illinois
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in Illinois; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $82,360.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $9,289.20 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $5,106.32 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $1,194.22 |
| Illinois income tax | $3,932.03 |
| Total deductions | $19,521.84 |
| Net pay (annual) | $62,838.16 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $2,416.85 |
| Total deduction rate | 23.70% of gross |
At the median, $62,838.16 of the $82,360 gross is kept ($2,416.85 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 23.70%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 20.70% at the 10th percentile, 22.18% at the 25th percentile, 25.90% at the 75th percentile, 28.09% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $20,169.08 on a gross rise of $30,840.
The same engine at the other published points of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($59,530) | $47,210.16 | $1,815.78 | 20.70% |
| 25th percentile ($72,280) | $56,246.06 | $2,163.31 | 22.18% |
| Median ($82,360) | $62,838.16 | $2,416.85 | 23.70% |
| 75th percentile ($103,120) | $76,415.14 | $2,939.04 | 25.90% |
| 90th percentile ($134,100) | $96,429.90 | $3,708.84 | 28.09% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $47,210.16 a year at the 10th percentile to $96,429.90 at the 90th — a spread of $49,219.74 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median wage of $54,720 takes home $43,583.42 a year ($1,676.29 per paycheck, deduction rate 20.35%). The Accountants and Auditors median take-home of $62,838.16 sits $19,254.74 (above that area-wide figure.
Multi-state metro area. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN also covers parts of Indiana. The take-home estimate above uses Illinois rules — the metro area's primary state. If the job is based in another part of the metro area, the state tax changes: see the Indiana paycheck calculator.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Accountants and Auditors earns $83,680 a year ($40.23 an hour). The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $82,360 is $1,320 (1.6%) below the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $91,990 a year in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN against $94,750 nationally, a gap of $2,760 (2.9%).
Set against the whole local market, the Accountants and Auditors 90th percentile of $134,100 is 103% of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN all-occupations 90th percentile ($130,790), and its 10th percentile of $59,530 is 174% of the area-wide 10th ($34,260).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $82,360 | $39.60 | $91,990 |
| United States | $83,680 | $40.23 | $94,750 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Accountants and Auditors in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$82,360 a year ($39.60 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $91,990 a year. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #19 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $82,360 in Illinois?
About $62,838.16 a year ($2,416.85 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 23.70% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $103,120, take-home is $76,415.14.
How does pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN compare with the national median for Accountants and Auditors?
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $82,360 is $1,320 (1.6%) below the national median of $83,680 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $134,100, against a national 90th percentile of $144,090.
How much do the top 10% of Accountants and Auditors earn in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$134,100 a year or more ($64.47 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Accountants and Auditors in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
On $134,100 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $96,429.90 a year ($3,708.84 per biweekly paycheck) in Illinois under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 28.09%.
How many Accountants and Auditors jobs are there in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
BLS estimates 41,360 Accountants and Auditors jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area — 9.165 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Accountants and Auditors jobs in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
The location quotient is 0.98 — about the same concentration as the nation. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Accountants and Auditors in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
From $47,210.16 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($59,530) to $96,429.90 at the 90th ($134,100), under the same single-filer assumptions in Illinois.
What is the total wage bill for Accountants and Auditors in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
About $3.80 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 41,360 multiplied by the mean wage of $91,990.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.