Payroll Specialist salary in Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN
No other area in Illinois pays payroll specialists more than Chicago-Naperville: the median is $62,920 a year1. That is 2.5% above the Illinois statewide median of $61,390, and 8.0% above the US median of $58,260. Only 39 of 486 US areas pay more for this job. With about 4,170 payroll specialists, no area in Illinois employs more.
BLS occupation 43-3051, area Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in Chicago-Naperville against Illinois and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN | $42,340 | $62,920 | $87,990 | |
| Illinois | $39,670 | $61,390 | $86,460 | |
| United States | $39,500 | $58,260 | $81,350 |
Payroll specialists at the 90th percentile earn $87,990, 2.1 times the 10th percentile; the US ratio is 2.1. The middle half of payroll specialists in Chicago-Naperville earns $49,750–$77,230. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is $27,480 wide, wider than in Illinois as a whole ($26,260) and the US ($21,610), so what a payroll specialist earns in Chicago-Naperville depends more on the employer.
What to budget for a payroll specialist here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $42,340 | $3,528 | $20.36 | $54,632 |
| 25th percentile | $49,750 | $4,146 | $23.92 | $64,194 |
| Median | $62,920 | $5,243 | $30.25 | $81,187 |
| 75th percentile | $77,230 | $6,436 | $37.13 | $99,652 |
| 90th percentile | $87,990 | $7,332 | $42.30 | $113,535 |
An offer at the 75th percentile instead of the median adds $14,310 a year in pay and about $18,465 in employer cost. Going down to the 25th percentile saves $13,170 in pay. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.
For scale, the US median of $58,260 falls between the 25th percentile and the median in Chicago-Naperville, and the Illinois statewide median of $61,390 falls there too.
What a hire really costs in Chicago-Naperville
At the $62,920 median, a local hire costs about $81,187 a year: benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, about $18,267 here. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.
We place executive assistants, customer support and e-commerce staff today; for payroll specialists we answer within one business day whether we can help. Enter the monthly pay you have in mind to compare it with a local hire. The fee field shows our standard fee3; Deel's contractor plan is the default payroll tool4.
Other roles in Chicago-Naperville
Of the 17 roles we track in Chicago-Naperville, this one ranks #9 by median pay, between paralegals ($70,550) and bookkeepers ($51,440). Project Coordinator is the highest at $105,320.
| Role | Median | vs payroll specialist | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales Development Representative | +12.4% | 55,730 | |
| Paralegal | +12.1% | 11,590 | |
| Payroll Specialist | this role | 4,170 | |
| Bookkeeper | -18.2% | 35,660 | |
| Administrative Assistant | -19.8% | 50,190 |
Measured against the US median, payroll specialists rank #3 of the 17 roles we track in Chicago-Naperville (+8.0%), between data entry specialists (+8.0%) and administrative assistants (+6.1%). The typical role here is at +3.0%, so, measured against the US, payroll specialists cost more in Chicago-Naperville than the area's general pay level would suggest. Payroll specialists hold 0.9% of the jobs in these 17 roles in Chicago-Naperville, 0.9% across Illinois and 1.0% nationally. That is close to the national mix.
Other areas in Illinois
Across the 11 areas of Illinois with data for this job, the median runs from $47,330 in the South Illinois nonmetro area to $62,920 in Chicago-Naperville, a gap of $15,590 a year. No other area in Illinois has as many payroll specialists, and all 10 others pay less.
| Area | Median | vs Chicago-Naperville | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN | this area | 4,170 | |
| Bloomington, IL | -0.8% | 60 | |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL | -5.9% | 80 | |
| Springfield, IL | -8.3% | 80 | |
| Northwest Illinois (Nonmetro) | -9.2% | 90 | |
| Decatur, IL | -9.8% | 40 | |
| East Central Illinois (Nonmetro) | -11.4% | 140 |
Chicago-Naperville against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Chicago-Naperville is #4 of 482 US areas, one of the ten largest markets for this job. Outside Illinois, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Vallejo pay just above Chicago-Naperville and Napa and Warner Robins just below. All four are within $250 a year of the median in Chicago-Naperville. Of the three markets with about as many payroll specialists, none pays as much.
| Metro area | Median | vs Chicago-Naperville | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vallejo, CA | +0.4% | 190 | pay | |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | +0.2% | 1,920 | pay | |
| Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN | this area | 4,170 | ||
| Napa, CA | +0.0% | 100 | pay | |
| Warner Robins, GA | -0.1% | 60 | pay | |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs, GA | -0.3% | 4,260 | jobs | |
| Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | -4.3% | 3,800 | jobs | |
| Houston-Pasadena, TX | -14.0% | 3,260 | jobs |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire a payroll specialist in Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN?
About $81,187 a year at the median, or $6,766 a month: $62,920 in pay plus about $18,267 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What do payroll specialists earn in Chicago-Naperville?
Pay here is higher than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $62,920 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $42,340, the 90th $87,990, and the middle half earned $49,750 to $77,230.
Is Chicago-Naperville the most expensive area in Illinois for payroll specialists?
Yes. Its median of $62,920 is the highest of 11 areas in Illinois. Bloomington comes next at $62,400.
How many payroll specialists work in Chicago-Naperville?
BLS counts about 4,170 in the May 2025 survey. No other area in Illinois has as many.
Does a payroll specialist cost more than a bookkeeper in Chicago-Naperville?
Yes: $11,480 a year more at the median. The medians are $62,920 and $51,440.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 43-3051: bls.gov
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov
- Stafka pricing: stafka.com
- Deel pricing, contractor management: deel.com
How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.