SOC 11-2022 · Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro

Sales Managers Salary in Chicago, IL

The average salary for sales managers in Chicago, Illinois is $170,050 a year ($81.75 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $158,690: half of the 25,390 people in this job in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 3% more than the U.S. average for this job ($164,350).

$170,050average per year

$81.75 / hourMedian $158,690Take-home ≈ $119,219

  • $80K10th
  • $110K25th
  • $159KMedian
  • $212K75th
  • $288K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

25,390people in this job
+3%vs U.S. average
#2 of 8Illinois metros
104cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Sales Managers pay range in Chicago

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $80,060 a year or less, while the top 10% make $288,430 or more. The middle half of sales managers in Chicago earn between $110,000 and $212,000.

  • $80K10th
  • $110K25th
  • $159KMedian
  • $212K75th
  • $288K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers · how to read it

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$170,050$14,171$81.75
Median$158,690$13,224$76.29
Entry level (25th percentile)$110,000$9,167$52.88
Experienced (75th percentile)$212,000$17,667$101.92

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

Sales Managers pay in Chicago vs. Illinois and the U.S.

Sales managers in Chicago earn about the same as the Illinois average ($167,030) and 3% more than the U.S. average ($164,350). At the median the gap is +7% against the U.S. median of $148,270.

AreaAverageMedian10th pct.90th pct.Jobs
Chicago$170,050$158,690$80,060$288,43025,390
Illinois$167,030$155,280$78,760$282,89032,240
United States$164,350$148,270$73,170$290,540637,080

State and U.S. rows: BLS statewide and national estimates, May 2025, which include rural areas.

Sales Managers salary after taxes in Chicago

On the average salary of $170,050, a single filer in Chicago takes home about $119,219 a year, or $9,935 a month and $4,585 every two weeks. Taxes take 30% 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$122,424$10,202
Working in IL$119,219$9,935

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

Illinois paycheck calculator: try your own salary

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Is Chicago a good place for sales managers? 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 $170,050 buys what about $164,149 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 2.9 times the median wage of all jobs in Chicago ($54,720). A typical home costs $353,998, or 2.1 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $170,050 is worth in another city

Sales Managers salary in other Illinois cities

Chicago ranks 2nd of 8 Illinois metro areas for this job; Bloomington pays the most ($176,310).

All Sales Managers salaries in Illinois

Highest-paying cities for sales managers

New York, NY pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($233,770).

Sales Managers salary by city

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Reviewed before it counts. Sales Managers in Chicago, IL.

Sales Managers salary in Chicago: questions

How much do sales managers make an hour in Chicago?

$81.75 an hour on average, and $76.29 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level sales managers salary in Chicago?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $80,060 a year and the 25th percentile is $110,000, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the sales managers take-home pay in Chicago?

About $119,219 a year ($9,935 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $170,050.

Do sales managers earn more in Chicago than elsewhere?

The average here is 3% more than the U.S. average for this job ($164,350).

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 11-2022; area Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (16980). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.3%.
  • U.S. and statewide figures: BLS OEWS national and state estimates, May 2025, every employer including rural areas.
  • 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 1.37, this job is 1.4 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.

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