Civil Engineers pay range in Chicago
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $74,130 a year or less, while the top 10% make $159,940 or more. The middle half of civil engineers in Chicago earn between $80,020 and $126,570.
- $74K10th
- $80K25th
- $100KMedian
- $127K75th
- $160K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $106,540 | $8,878 | $51.22 |
| Median | $100,160 | $8,347 | $48.15 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $80,020 | $6,668 | $38.47 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $126,570 | $10,548 | $60.85 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Civil Engineers salary after taxes in Chicago
On the average salary of $106,540, a single filer in Chicago takes home about $78,648 a year, or $6,554 a month and $3,025 every two weeks. Taxes take 26% of gross pay.
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area crosses state lines, so take-home pay depends on the state where you work:
| State | Per year | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Working in IN | $80,615 | $6,718 |
| Working in IL | $78,648 | $6,554 |
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).
Is Chicago a good place for civil engineers? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Chicago area are 4% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 103.6), so the average $106,540 buys what about $102,843 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.8 times the median wage of all jobs in Chicago ($54,720). A typical home costs $353,998, or 3.3 years of this average salary before tax.
Civil Engineers salary in other Illinois cities
Chicago ranks 2nd of 7 Illinois metro areas for this job; Springfield pays the most ($112,930).
- Springfield$112,930
- Chicago$106,540
- Champaign$105,270
- Decatur$101,270
- Peoria$100,970
- Rockford$97,480
- Bloomington$95,850
Highest-paying cities for civil engineers
San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($137,910).
- San Jose, CA$137,910
- San Francisco, CA$136,350
- Napa, CA$130,620
- Sacramento, CA$129,650
- Redding, CA$124,340
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Civil Engineers salary in Chicago: questions
How much do civil engineers make an hour in Chicago?
$51.22 an hour on average, and $48.16 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level civil engineers salary in Chicago?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $74,130 a year and the 25th percentile is $80,020, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the civil engineers take-home pay in Chicago?
About $78,648 a year ($6,554 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $106,540.
Do civil engineers earn more in Chicago than elsewhere?
The average here is about the same as the U.S. metro average for this job ($109,384).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 17-2051; area Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (16980). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.6%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).
- Job concentration: location quotient 0.91, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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