SOC 51-3023 · Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro

Slaughterers and Meat Packers Salary in Chicago, IL

The average salary for slaughterers and meat packers in Chicago, Illinois is $41,730 a year ($20.06 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $39,200: half of the 1,780 people in this job in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is about the same as the U.S. metro average for this job ($41,253).

$41,730average per year

$20.06 / hourMedian $39,200Take-home ≈ $33,785

  • $34K10th
  • $35K25th
  • $39KMedian
  • $47K75th
  • $51K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

1,780people in this job
+1%vs U.S. metro average
104cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Slaughterers and Meat Packers pay range in Chicago

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $34,200 a year or less, while the top 10% make $51,290 or more. The middle half of slaughterers and meat packers in Chicago earn between $34,870 and $47,240.

  • $34K10th
  • $35K25th
  • $39KMedian
  • $47K75th
  • $51K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$41,730$3,478$20.06
Median$39,200$3,267$18.85
Entry level (25th percentile)$34,870$2,906$16.76
Experienced (75th percentile)$47,240$3,937$22.71

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.

Slaughterers and Meat Packers salary after taxes in Chicago

On the average salary of $41,730, a single filer in Chicago takes home about $33,785 a year, or $2,815 a month and $1,299 every two weeks. Taxes take 19% 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:

StatePer yearPer month
Working in IN$34,488$2,874
Working in IL$33,785$2,815

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules).

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Is Chicago a good place for slaughterers and meat packers? 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 $41,730 buys what about $40,282 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 0.7 times the median wage of all jobs in Chicago ($54,720). A typical home costs $353,998, or 8.5 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $41,730 is worth in another city

Slaughterers and Meat Packers salary in nearby metro areas

Highest-paying cities for slaughterers and meat packers

Trenton, NJ pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($51,260).

Slaughterers and Meat Packers salary by city

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Slaughterers and Meat Packers salary in Chicago: questions

How much do slaughterers and meat packers make an hour in Chicago?

$20.06 an hour on average, and $18.85 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level slaughterers and meat packers salary in Chicago?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $34,200 a year and the 25th percentile is $34,870, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the slaughterers and meat packers take-home pay in Chicago?

About $33,785 a year ($2,815 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $41,730.

Do slaughterers and meat packers earn more in Chicago than elsewhere?

The average here is about the same as the U.S. metro average for this job ($41,253).

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 51-3023; area Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (16980). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 3.3%.
  • 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 0.88, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.

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