Paycheck Atlas

Food Preparation Workers salary in Chicago, IL

The median food preparation workers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN earns $35,410 a year, about the same as the US median. After tax that is roughly $2,407 a month.

10th percentile
$31,200
25th percentile
$31,200
Median percentile
$35,410
75th percentile
$38,870
90th percentile
$45,330

Based on 27,100 employed. Data period: BLS OEWS May 2025. Percentiles show the spread of pay, not experience; reading the 25th percentile as "entry level" is only an approximation.

What you keep

$28,879 take-home a year
Gross pay$35,410
Federal income tax−$2,069
Social Security + Medicare−$2,709
Illinois income tax (approx.)−$1,753
Monthly take-home$2,407
Every two weeks$1,111

Does it go far here?

$34,181Median pay in Chicago, IL is worth this at average US prices (local price level 103.6 vs 100).
59%of take-home pay goes to the median rent ($1,430 a month, Census ACS).

Top-paying jobs in Chicago, IL

JobMedian pay
Chief Executives$344,960
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers$293,490
Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric$284,630
Nurse Anesthetists$265,880
Psychiatrists$258,750
Emergency Medicine Physicians$239,200
General Internal Medicine Physicians$226,060
Family Medicine Physicians$225,080

All food preparation workers salaries · Take-home pay in Illinois