Cost of hiring in Illinois
BLS counts about 613,260 people in these 17 roles in Illinois[1]. Project Coordinator has the highest median ($103,470 a year), Virtual Receptionist the lowest ($37,400), and Customer Support Specialist is the largest job, with about 100,970 people.
17roles with BLS pay data
613,260people in these roles
$103,470top median: project coordinator
$37,400lowest median: virtual receptionist
Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Median pay by role in Illinois
| Role | Median per year | Employer cost | vs US median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Coordinator | $147,814 | +1.1% | 27,180 | |
| Accountant | $114,614 | -4.1% | 54,930 | |
| Marketing Specialist | $113,029 | +0.5% | 40,560 | |
| Recruiter | $109,743 | +1.2% | 35,430 | |
| Executive Assistant | $106,271 | -2.9% | 14,900 | |
| Office Manager | $98,586 | -0.7% | 42,400 | |
| Sales Development Representative | $95,571 | -4.4% | 69,910 | |
| Paralegal | $90,957 | +1.2% | 14,130 | |
| Payroll Specialist | $87,700 | +5.4% | 5,580 | |
| Bookkeeper | $70,800 | -2.2% | 51,470 | |
| Administrative Assistant | $69,014 | +1.6% | 74,280 | |
| HR Assistant | $69,014 | -4.5% | 4,140 | |
| E-commerce Order Specialist | $68,100 | +3.2% | 3,540 | |
| Medical Administrative Assistant | $66,671 | +1.6% | 27,560 | |
| Customer Support Specialist | $65,900 | +3.0% | 100,970 | |
| Data Entry Specialist | $61,200 | +3.6% | 5,910 | |
| Virtual Receptionist | $53,429 | -1.6% | 40,370 |
Employer cost adds benefits and payroll taxes at 30.0% of total compensation, the US private-industry share[2]. Treat it as an estimate: benefit levels vary by employer.
Metro areas in Illinois
| Area | Jobs in these roles | Roles with data |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN | 456,940 | 17 |
| Peoria, IL | 14,860 | 17 |
| West Central Illinois (Nonmetro) | 12,990 | 17 |
| Springfield, IL | 11,900 | 16 |
| East Central Illinois (Nonmetro) | 11,370 | 17 |
| Rockford, IL | 11,210 | 17 |
| South Illinois (Nonmetro) | 10,780 | 16 |
| Northwest Illinois (Nonmetro) | 9,540 | 17 |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL | 8,380 | 16 |
| Bloomington, IL | 6,740 | 14 |
| Kankakee, IL | 3,160 | 13 |
| Decatur, IL | 3,000 | 14 |
Questions
Which role costs the most to hire in Illinois?
Of the 17 roles we track, Project Coordinator: a median of $103,470 a year, about $147,814 with benefits.
Which role costs the least in Illinois?
Virtual Receptionist, with a median of $37,400 a year, about $53,429 with benefits.
Sources
- BLS OEWS May 2025: https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm
How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Data checked 2026-11-04.