Retail Salespersons salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Retail Salespersons 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 Retail Salespersons in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earns $35,820 a year ($17.22 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Retail Salespersons in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn between $33,800 and $38,380 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $31,200 or less and the top 10 percent earn $48,580 or more. BLS estimates 96,950 Retail Salespersons jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area — 21.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.86 (below the national concentration). That is 2.5% of all Retail Salespersons employment in the United States (3,897,860 jobs nationally). By employment, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is the #4 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Retail Salespersons. In aggregate, Retail Salespersons in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn about $3.82 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $32,009.66 a year, so the aggregate take-home of Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Retail Salespersons is about $3.10 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 2.5% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #13 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Retail Salespersons. By employment, Retail Salespersons is the #7 largest of the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Placed against the national distribution for Retail Salespersons, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $35,820 falls between the national median ($35,410) and the national 75th percentile ($38,670). Across all occupations, the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $54,720 a year — Retail Salespersons pay is 34.5% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $18.93 | $39,370 |
| 10th percentile | $15.00 | $31,200 |
| 25th percentile | $16.25 | $33,800 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $17.22 | $35,820 |
| 75th percentile | $18.45 | $38,380 |
| 90th percentile | $23.36 | $48,580 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Retail Salespersons in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earn 1.6 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($48,580 against $31,200). The middle half spans $4,580 — from $33,800 to $38,380. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($23.36) is 1.56 times the 10th ($15.00). In the upper half of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $38,380 takes home $31,263.54 and the 90th percentile wage of $48,580 takes home $38,954.28 — $7,690.74 more net for $10,200 more gross. Against the median take-home of $29,332.74, the top decile keeps 1.33 times as much. The mean wage of $39,370 sits 9.9% above the median: higher-paid Retail Salespersons pull the average up in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Among the 30 covered occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, Retail Salespersons ranks #27 by median pay. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN wage ladder of covered occupations, Retail Salespersons sits between Home Health and Personal Care Aides at $38,180 and Cashiers at $35,010. Retail Salespersons accounts for 2.1% of all employment in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area. The average covered metro employs 64,365 Retail Salespersons; 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) | $35,820.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $2,118.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,220.84 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $519.39 |
| Illinois income tax | $1,628.30 |
| Total deductions | $6,487.26 |
| Net pay (annual) | $29,332.74 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,128.18 |
| Total deduction rate | 18.11% of gross |
At the median, $29,332.74 of the $35,820 gross is kept ($1,128.18 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 18.11%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 17.15% at the 10th percentile, 17.72% at the 25th percentile, 18.54% at the 75th percentile, 19.81% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $3,453.42 on a gross rise of $4,580.
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 ($31,200) | $25,849.72 | $994.22 | 17.15% |
| 25th percentile ($33,800) | $27,810.12 | $1,069.62 | 17.72% |
| Median ($35,820) | $29,332.74 | $1,128.18 | 18.11% |
| 75th percentile ($38,380) | $31,263.54 | $1,202.44 | 18.54% |
| 90th percentile ($48,580) | $38,954.28 | $1,498.24 | 19.81% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $25,849.72 a year at the 10th percentile to $38,954.28 at the 90th — a spread of $13,104.56 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 Retail Salespersons median take-home of $29,332.74 sits $14,250.68 (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 Retail Salespersons earns $35,410 a year ($17.03 an hour). The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $35,820 is $410 (1.2%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $39,370 a year in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN against $37,310 nationally, a gap of $2,060 (5.5%).
Set against the whole local market, the Retail Salespersons 90th percentile of $48,580 is 37% of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN all-occupations 90th percentile ($130,790), and its 10th percentile of $31,200 is 91% of the area-wide 10th ($34,260).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $35,820 | $17.22 | $39,370 |
| United States | $35,410 | $17.03 | $37,310 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Retail Salespersons in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$35,820 a year ($17.22 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $39,370 a year. Ranked by median pay, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN stands #13 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $35,820 in Illinois?
About $29,332.74 a year ($1,128.18 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 18.11% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $38,380, take-home is $31,263.54.
How does pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN compare with the national median for Retail Salespersons?
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median of $35,820 is $410 (1.2%) above the national median of $35,410 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $48,580, against a national 90th percentile of $47,890.
How much do the top 10% of Retail Salespersons earn in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
$48,580 a year or more ($23.36 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Retail Salespersons in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
On $48,580 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $38,954.28 a year ($1,498.24 per biweekly paycheck) in Illinois under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 19.81%.
How many Retail Salespersons jobs are there in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
BLS estimates 96,950 Retail Salespersons jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area — 21.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Retail Salespersons jobs in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
The location quotient is 0.86 — 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 Retail Salespersons in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
From $25,849.72 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($31,200) to $38,954.28 at the 90th ($48,580), under the same single-filer assumptions in Illinois.
What is the total wage bill for Retail Salespersons in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
About $3.82 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 96,950 multiplied by the mean wage of $39,370.
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.