LocalSalaryHub Salary Report
Software Developers in Chicago, IL · Generated June 14, 2026
Software Developers Salary in Chicago, IL $134,380/yr
$134,380
Mean: $141,640
~$104,816 est. take-home
$64.60
Based on 2,080 hrs/yr
100
100 = national avg
Very affordable
Affordability score: 100/100
$6,407/mo
72%
Salary Distribution
Where the median falls between the 25th and 75th percentile.
25th %
$104,530
Median
$134,380
75th %
$167,650
Median is in the 47th percentile of the typical range
Software Developers in other IL cities
Compare the same occupation across cities in IL.
About Software Developers salaries in Chicago, IL
Software Developers in Chicago, IL earn a median of $134,380 per year, based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data. The mean salary is $141,640, which tends to skew higher because a small number of high earners pull the average up.
Most software developers in this area earn between $104,530 and $167,650. Where you land depends on experience, employer type, and whether you have in-demand specializations.
That works out to roughly $64.60 per hour assuming a standard 2,080-hour work year. Actual hourly pay may differ for part-time or contract roles.
Career Outlook
25% growth through 2034 — nearly five times the all-occupation average. Every industry is building software now, from hospitals to farming equipment. AI hasn't reduced demand; it's made developers more productive and companies are investing that productivity into shipping more features.
Worth knowing: Developers who can ship production code with AI coding tools (Copilot, Cursor) are getting snapped up fast. The bottleneck isn't AI replacing people — it's finding engineers who can debug what AI generates.
Software Developers Jobs in Chicago, IL
Median: $134,380/yr — browse openings that fit.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average salary for a software developers in Chicago?▾
The median — where half earn more and half earn less — is $134,380. The average (mean) is $141,640, which is higher because top earners pull it up.
How much does a software developers make per hour in Chicago?▾
About $64.60/hour, based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. Part-time or overtime hours will change the actual rate.
What is the salary range for software developers in Chicago?▾
The middle 50% earn between $104,530 and $167,650. Below $104,530 is typically entry-level; above $167,650 usually means significant experience or specialized skills.
Salary Conversion Table
How does $134,380 per year break down across different time periods?
| Period | Gross | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|
| Yearly | $134,380 | $104,816 |
| Monthly | $11,198 | $8,735 |
| Biweekly | $5,168 | $4,031 |
| Weekly | $2,584 | $2,016 |
| Hourly (40h/wk) | $64.6 | $50.39 |
| Hourly (35h/wk) | $73.84 | $57.59 |
| Hourly (30h/wk) | $86.14 | $67.19 |
| Daily (8h) | $517 | $403 |
Take-home estimates use an effective tax rate of 22%. Actual amounts vary by filing status, deductions, and state tax.
Software Developers: Highest-Paying Cities in the U.S.
Top 10 cities nationwide for software developers, based on BLS median salary data.
Related Occupations in Chicago
Similar roles in the same field, ranked by national average salary.
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More pages tied to this occupation and region.
- Software Developers salaries nationwide — the national median and the highest-paying metros for software developers across all states.
- All IL salary data — every occupation we cover in IL, ranked by median pay, plus the cities that pay the most.
- Software Developers in San Jose, CA — the top-paying city for software developers in our dataset, in case you are weighing a move out of Chicago.
- Computer Systems Analysts salary overview — a closely related role (same SOC major group) with a national median of $97,196.