The median annual wage for lawyers working in Chicago, IL, sits at $165,660, per BLS survey data. It runs 34% above the national median of $123,710 for this occupation — pay here is notably stronger than the U.S. average. The middle 50% land between $106,980 and $232,270 — a 125,290 range that reflects differences in seniority, employer type, and specialization. The average (mean) of $187,420 comes in higher than the median, which usually means a share of high earners is pulling the average up. The catch: Chicago is roughly in line with the national cost of living (cost index 100 against a 100 baseline), so that headline number buys less than it would elsewhere. On an hourly basis that is about $79.64, useful for comparing contract or part-time offers.

For context, the national median for lawyers across all U.S. metros in our data is $123,710.