Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 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 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earns $51,440 a year ($24.73 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn between $45,620 and $61,610 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $36,140 or less and the top 10 percent earn $73,430 or more. BLS estimates 35,660 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area — 7.901 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.89 (below the national concentration). That is 2.6% of all Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks employment in the United States (1,373,680 jobs nationally). By employment, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is the #3 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks. In aggregate, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn about $1.93 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $43,116.04 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks is about $1.54 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 4.6% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #18 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks. By employment, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks is the #24 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Placed against the national distribution for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $51,440 falls between the national median ($50,670) and the national 75th percentile ($61,470). Across all occupations, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $54,720 a year — Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks pay is 6.0% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $26.01 | $54,100 |
| 10th percentile | $17.37 | $36,140 |
| 25th percentile | $21.93 | $45,620 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $24.73 | $51,440 |
| 75th percentile | $29.62 | $61,610 |
| 90th percentile | $35.30 | $73,430 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn 2.0 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($73,430 against $36,140). The middle half spans $15,990 — from $45,620 to $61,610. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($35.30) is 2.03 times the 10th ($17.37). In the upper half of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $61,610 takes home $48,778.48 and the 90th percentile wage of $73,430 takes home $56,998.00 — $8,219.52 more net for $11,820 more gross. Against the median take-home of $41,110.46, the top decile keeps 1.39 times as much. The mean wage of $54,100 sits 5.2% above the median: higher-paid Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks pull the average up in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Among the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks ranks #13 by median pay. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage ladder of covered occupations, Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks sits between Maintenance and Repair Workers, General at $58,020 and Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive at $50,440. Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks accounts for 0.8% of all employment in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area. The average covered metro employs 21,599 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks; Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN employs 1.7 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) | $51,440.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $3,992.80 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $3,189.28 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $745.88 |
| Illinois income tax | $2,401.49 |
| Total deductions | $10,329.54 |
| Net pay (annual) | $41,110.46 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,581.17 |
| Total deduction rate | 20.08% of gross |
At the median, $41,110.46 of the $51,440 gross is kept ($1,581.17 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 20.08%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 18.17% at the 10th percentile, 19.50% at the 25th percentile, 20.83% at the 75th percentile, 22.38% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $12,056.20 on a gross rise of $15,990.
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 ($36,140) | $29,574.22 | $1,137.47 | 18.17% |
| 25th percentile ($45,620) | $36,722.28 | $1,412.40 | 19.50% |
| Median ($51,440) | $41,110.46 | $1,581.17 | 20.08% |
| 75th percentile ($61,610) | $48,778.48 | $1,876.10 | 20.83% |
| 90th percentile ($73,430) | $56,998.00 | $2,192.23 | 22.38% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $29,574.22 a year at the 10th percentile to $56,998.00 at the 90th — a spread of $27,423.78 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 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks median take-home of $41,110.46 sits $2,472.96 (below 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 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks earns $50,670 a year ($24.36 an hour). The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $51,440 is $770 (1.5%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $54,100 a year in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN against $53,560 nationally, a gap of $540 (1.0%).
Set against the whole local market, the Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks 90th percentile of $73,430 is 56% of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN all-occupations 90th percentile ($130,790), and its 10th percentile of $36,140 is 105% of the area-wide 10th ($34,260).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $51,440 | $24.73 | $54,100 |
| United States | $50,670 | $24.36 | $53,560 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$51,440 a year ($24.73 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $54,100 a year. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #18 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $51,440 in Illinois?
About $41,110.46 a year ($1,581.17 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 20.08% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $61,610, take-home is $48,778.48.
How does pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN compare with the national median for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks?
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $51,440 is $770 (1.5%) above the national median of $50,670 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $73,430, against a national 90th percentile of $74,550.
How much do the top 10% of Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks earn in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$73,430 a year or more ($35.30 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
On $73,430 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $56,998.00 a year ($2,192.23 per biweekly paycheck) in Illinois under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 22.38%.
How many Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks jobs are there in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
BLS estimates 35,660 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area — 7.901 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks jobs in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
The location quotient is 0.89 — below the national concentration. 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 Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
From $29,574.22 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($36,140) to $56,998.00 at the 90th ($73,430), under the same single-filer assumptions in Illinois.
What is the total wage bill for Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
About $1.93 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 35,660 multiplied by the mean wage of $54,100.
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.