Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 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 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earns $62,300 a year ($29.95 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn between $50,580 and $77,660 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $41,300 or less and the top 10 percent earn $88,230 or more. BLS estimates 62,210 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area — 13.784 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 1.04 (about the same concentration as the nation). That is 3.0% of all Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers employment in the United States (2,062,040 jobs nationally). By employment, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is the #2 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers. In aggregate, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn about $4.05 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $51,463.06 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers is about $3.20 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 6% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #8 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers. By employment, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers is the #12 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Placed against the national distribution for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $62,300 falls between the national median ($58,640) and the national 75th percentile ($69,120). Across all occupations, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $54,720 a year — Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers pay is 13.9% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $31.33 | $65,170 |
| 10th percentile | $19.86 | $41,300 |
| 25th percentile | $24.32 | $50,580 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $29.95 | $62,300 |
| 75th percentile | $37.34 | $77,660 |
| 90th percentile | $42.42 | $88,230 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn 2.1 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($88,230 against $41,300). The middle half spans $27,080 — from $50,580 to $77,660. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($42.42) is 2.14 times the 10th ($19.86). In the upper half of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $77,660 takes home $59,764.46 and the 90th percentile wage of $88,230 takes home $66,677.04 — $6,912.58 more net for $10,570 more gross. Against the median take-home of $49,299.22, the top decile keeps 1.35 times as much. The mean wage of $65,170 sits 4.6% above the median: higher-paid Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers pull the average up in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Among the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers ranks #10 by median pay. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage ladder of covered occupations, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers sits between Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel at $70,710 and Construction Laborers at $60,890. Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers accounts for 1.4% of all employment in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area. The average covered metro employs 29,037 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers; Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN employs 2.1 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) | $62,300.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $5,296.00 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $3,862.60 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $903.35 |
| Illinois income tax | $2,939.06 |
| Total deductions | $13,000.78 |
| Net pay (annual) | $49,299.22 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,896.12 |
| Total deduction rate | 20.87% of gross |
At the median, $49,299.22 of the $62,300 gross is kept ($1,896.12 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 20.87%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 18.97% at the 10th percentile, 20.00% at the 25th percentile, 23.04% at the 75th percentile, 24.43% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $19,302.36 on a gross rise of $27,080.
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 ($41,300) | $33,465.16 | $1,287.12 | 18.97% |
| 25th percentile ($50,580) | $40,462.10 | $1,556.23 | 20.00% |
| Median ($62,300) | $49,299.22 | $1,896.12 | 20.87% |
| 75th percentile ($77,660) | $59,764.46 | $2,298.63 | 23.04% |
| 90th percentile ($88,230) | $66,677.04 | $2,564.50 | 24.43% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $33,465.16 a year at the 10th percentile to $66,677.04 at the 90th — a spread of $33,211.88 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 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers median take-home of $49,299.22 sits $5,715.80 (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 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers earns $58,640 a year ($28.19 an hour). The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $62,300 is $3,660 (6.2%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $65,170 a year in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN against $59,710 nationally, a gap of $5,460 (9.1%).
Set against the whole local market, the Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 90th percentile of $88,230 is 67% of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN all-occupations 90th percentile ($130,790), and its 10th percentile of $41,300 is 121% of the area-wide 10th ($34,260).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $62,300 | $29.95 | $65,170 |
| United States | $58,640 | $28.19 | $59,710 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$62,300 a year ($29.95 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $65,170 a year. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #8 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $62,300 in Illinois?
About $49,299.22 a year ($1,896.12 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 20.87% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $77,660, take-home is $59,764.46.
How does pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN compare with the national median for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers?
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $62,300 is $3,660 (6.2%) above the national median of $58,640 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $88,230, against a national 90th percentile of $79,380.
How much do the top 10% of Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers earn in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$88,230 a year or more ($42.42 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
On $88,230 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $66,677.04 a year ($2,564.50 per biweekly paycheck) in Illinois under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 24.43%.
How many Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers jobs are there in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
BLS estimates 62,210 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area — 13.784 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers jobs in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
The location quotient is 1.04 — 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 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
From $33,465.16 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($41,300) to $66,677.04 at the 90th ($88,230), under the same single-filer assumptions in Illinois.
What is the total wage bill for Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
About $4.05 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 62,210 multiplied by the mean wage of $65,170.
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.