Flight Attendants pay range in Chicago
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $40,040 a year or less, while the top 10% make $98,940 or more. The middle half of flight attendants in Chicago earn between $60,320 and $77,720.
- $40K10th
- $60K25th
- $62KMedian
- $78K75th
- $99K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $72,870 | $6,072 | — |
| Median | $62,120 | $5,177 | — |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $60,320 | $5,027 | — |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $77,720 | $6,477 | — |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year (BLS publishes this job's pay as annual only).
Flight Attendants salary after taxes in Chicago
On the average salary of $72,870, a single filer in Chicago takes home about $56,628 a year, or $4,719 a month and $2,178 every two weeks. Taxes take 22% 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 | $57,938 | $4,828 |
| Working in IL | $56,628 | $4,719 |
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).
Is Chicago a good place for flight attendants? 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 $72,870 buys what about $70,341 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.1 times the median wage of all jobs in Chicago ($54,720). A typical home costs $353,998, or 4.9 years of this average salary before tax.
Flight Attendants salary in nearby metro areas
- Detroit, MI$81,940
- Columbus, OH$79,820
- Minneapolis, MN$62,720
- Washington, DC$58,090
- Atlanta, GA$83,910
- Charlotte, NC$72,100
Highest-paying cities for flight attendants
New York, NY pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($127,220).
- New York, NY$127,220
- San Francisco, CA$91,980
- Salt Lake City, UT$90,870
- Atlantic City, NJ$84,310
- Boise, ID$84,300
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Flight Attendants salary in Chicago: questions
What is the entry-level flight attendants salary in Chicago?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $40,040 a year and the 25th percentile is $60,320, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the flight attendants take-home pay in Chicago?
About $56,628 a year ($4,719 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $72,870.
Do flight attendants earn more in Chicago than elsewhere?
The average here is 6% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($77,831).
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 53-2031; area Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (16980). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 0.7%.
- 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 2.42, this job is 2.4 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.
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