Project Management Specialists salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Project Management Specialists 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 Project Management Specialists in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earns $105,320 a year ($50.64 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Project Management Specialists in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn between $82,770 and $133,980 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $67,350 or less and the top 10 percent earn $165,780 or more. BLS estimates 21,040 Project Management Specialists jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area — 4.662 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.68 (well below the national concentration). That is 2.0% of all Project Management Specialists employment in the United States (1,066,670 jobs nationally). By employment, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is the #8 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Project Management Specialists. In aggregate, Project Management Specialists in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn about $2.39 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $83,360.82 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Project Management Specialists is about $1.75 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 3.6% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #11 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Project Management Specialists. By employment, Project Management Specialists is the #30 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Placed against the national distribution for Project Management Specialists, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $105,320 falls between the national median ($102,320) and the national 75th percentile ($133,100). Across all occupations, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $54,720 a year — Project Management Specialists pay is 92.5% above the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $54.68 | $113,740 |
| 10th percentile | $32.38 | $67,350 |
| 25th percentile | $39.79 | $82,770 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $50.64 | $105,320 |
| 75th percentile | $64.41 | $133,980 |
| 90th percentile | $79.70 | $165,780 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Project Management Specialists in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn 2.5 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($165,780 against $67,350). The middle half spans $51,210 — from $82,770 to $133,980. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($79.70) is 2.46 times the 10th ($32.38). In the upper half of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $133,980 takes home $96,354.10 and the 90th percentile wage of $165,780 takes home $116,515.46 — $20,161.36 more net for $31,800 more gross. Against the median take-home of $77,854.12, the top decile keeps 1.50 times as much. The mean wage of $113,740 sits 8.0% above the median: higher-paid Project Management Specialists pull the average up in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Among the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, Project Management Specialists ranks #3 by median pay. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage ladder of covered occupations, Project Management Specialists sits between General and Operations Managers at $109,390 and Registered Nurses at $100,490. Project Management Specialists accounts for 0.5% of all employment in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area. The average covered metro employs 21,846 Project Management Specialists; Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN employs 1.0 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) | $105,320.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $14,340.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $6,529.84 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $1,527.14 |
| Illinois income tax | $5,068.55 |
| Total deductions | $27,465.88 |
| Net pay (annual) | $77,854.12 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $2,994.39 |
| Total deduction rate | 26.08% of gross |
At the median, $77,854.12 of the $105,320 gross is kept ($2,994.39 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 26.08%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 21.27% at the 10th percentile, 23.76% at the 25th percentile, 28.08% at the 75th percentile, 29.72% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $33,247.64 on a gross rise of $51,210.
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 ($67,350) | $53,021.66 | $2,039.29 | 21.27% |
| 25th percentile ($82,770) | $63,106.46 | $2,427.17 | 23.76% |
| Median ($105,320) | $77,854.12 | $2,994.39 | 26.08% |
| 75th percentile ($133,980) | $96,354.10 | $3,705.93 | 28.08% |
| 90th percentile ($165,780) | $116,515.46 | $4,481.36 | 29.72% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $53,021.66 a year at the 10th percentile to $116,515.46 at the 90th — a spread of $63,493.80 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 Project Management Specialists median take-home of $77,854.12 sits $34,270.70 (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 Project Management Specialists earns $102,320 a year ($49.19 an hour). The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $105,320 is $3,000 (2.9%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $113,740 a year in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN against $110,740 nationally, a gap of $3,000 (2.7%).
Set against the whole local market, the Project Management Specialists 90th percentile of $165,780 is 127% of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN all-occupations 90th percentile ($130,790), and its 10th percentile of $67,350 is 197% of the area-wide 10th ($34,260).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $105,320 | $50.64 | $113,740 |
| United States | $102,320 | $49.19 | $110,740 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Project Management Specialists in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$105,320 a year ($50.64 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $113,740 a year. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #11 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $105,320 in Illinois?
About $77,854.12 a year ($2,994.39 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 26.08% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $133,980, take-home is $96,354.10.
How does pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN compare with the national median for Project Management Specialists?
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $105,320 is $3,000 (2.9%) above the national median of $102,320 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $165,780, against a national 90th percentile of $167,970.
How much do the top 10% of Project Management Specialists earn in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$165,780 a year or more ($79.70 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Project Management Specialists in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
On $165,780 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $116,515.46 a year ($4,481.36 per biweekly paycheck) in Illinois under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 29.72%.
How many Project Management Specialists jobs are there in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
BLS estimates 21,040 Project Management Specialists jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area — 4.662 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Project Management Specialists jobs in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
The location quotient is 0.68 — well 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 Project Management Specialists in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
From $53,021.66 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($67,350) to $116,515.46 at the 90th ($165,780), under the same single-filer assumptions in Illinois.
What is the total wage bill for Project Management Specialists in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
About $2.39 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 21,040 multiplied by the mean wage of $113,740.
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.