Application Security Engineer Salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
This is what we do all day: recruit technology and IT professionals.
Technology Headhunters uses BLS OEWS data to answer this pay question. The median pay for Application Security Engineer in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is $125,310 a year, and the middle half of workers earned between $99,760 and $158,210 (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 15-1212).
Broader occupation
BLS does not report this exact title. The figures shown are for SOC 15-1212, Information Security Analysts. BLS reports Information Security Analysts as a broader occupation. It does not separate Application Security Engineer, technology stack, seniority, certifications or employer sector. These figures are not a title-specific offer range.
BLS publishes one set of figures for SOC 15-1212. Other titles in our taxonomy map to it and show the same numbers. Percentiles describe all workers in the occupation. They are not experience levels.
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $3,870 below the national median of $129,180 (3.0%).
Role median / all-occupation median2.29x$125,310 / $54,720
Location quotient (employment concentration)0.63Not a pay adjustment
A figure shown as "or more" is top-coded. BLS does not publish exact wages at or above $239,200 a year or $115.00 an hour.
Relative pay is the role's annual median divided by the BLS all-occupations (SOC 00-0000) annual median for Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Location quotient compares this occupation's share of local jobs with its national share. It measures concentration, not pay.
What these figures leave out for technology hires
BLS OEWS wages are straight-time gross pay. They include base rate, guaranteed pay, incentive pay including commissions and production bonuses, and cost-of-living allowances. They exclude overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, severance and employer-paid benefits.
Our interpretation, not a BLS statement: the BLS definition does not name stock or equity grants, so we treat them as outside these figures and add nothing for them. If a technology offer leans on discretionary bonus or equity, we read the published figure as describing only the cash pay inside the BLS definition.
BLS definition: Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
May 2024 and May 2025 medians
Application Security Engineer, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median by BLS reference period
Period
Median
May 2024
$116,520
May 2025
$125,310
The median moved up $8,790 (+7.5%), from $116,520 in May 2024 to $125,310 in May 2025. Survey estimates carry sampling error, so small moves may not be meaningful.
These are BLS survey-based wage estimates, not observed individual offers or a modeled technology-title range. A broader occupation or proxy is not separate pay data for your job title.
What do these figures mean for Application Security Engineer in Chicago?
Technology Headhunters uses the May 2025 occupation-wide wage distribution to discuss Application Security Engineer in Chicago. The Application Security Engineer comparison uses a $125,310 median for Information Security Analysts (SOC 15-1212) in Chicago. That $125,310 point divides the published distribution for Application Security Engineer in Chicago; it is not a quote from a candidate. Before using $125,310 for Application Security Engineer in Chicago, compare the BLS occupation with the work you need done.
For Application Security Engineer in Chicago, the published middle band runs from $99,760 at P25 to $158,210 at P75. The middle-band width in this Application Security Engineer in Chicago comparison is $58,450. The $99,760 and $158,210 markers for Application Security Engineer in Chicago describe workers across the BLS occupation, rather than the price of a junior and a senior hire. Using this Chicago band for Application Security Engineer requires checking the responsibilities first.
The lower published marker for Application Security Engineer in Chicago is $79,460 at P10, and the upper marker is $174,450 at P90. Those Application Security Engineer in Chicago values do not identify an exact percentile for an amount between them. If the $174,450 marker for Application Security Engineer in Chicago says “or more,” it is a lower bound from the May 2025 release. A suppressed Application Security Engineer in Chicago cell means BLS did not publish that estimate, not that the opening has no cash-pay cost.
For Application Security Engineer in Chicago, the $125,310 area median compares with $129,180 for the same national occupation. The published difference in this Application Security Engineer in Chicago comparison is -$3,870. Both Application Security Engineer in Chicago comparison cells use SOC 15-1212, so the contrast does not change the occupation definition. That Chicago-national difference for Application Security Engineer is not a cost-of-living adjustment or a premium that every local candidate receives.
The nearby published metro comparisons for Application Security Engineer in Chicago are Kenosha, WI, with a $87,660 median for SOC 15-1212; Rockford, IL, with a $119,400 median for SOC 15-1212. These Application Security Engineer in Chicago neighbors are selected by distance between Census geographic reference points, not by commuting time. Read each neighboring Application Security Engineer row with its own area label; a nearby metro is not a substitute estimate for an unpublished Chicago cell.
A comparable May 2024 median is not available for this Application Security Engineer in Chicago selection, so no release-to-release difference is calculated. The $125,310 May 2025 median for Application Security Engineer in Chicago stands on its own reference period. A missing prior Application Security Engineer in Chicago cell does not establish growth, decline or unchanged pay. Keep the Chicago area and SOC 15-1212 labels attached when sharing this Application Security Engineer in Chicago result.
The published mean for Application Security Engineer in Chicago is $128,960, alongside the $125,310 median. The mean-minus-median difference for Application Security Engineer in Chicago is $3,650. The mean and median for Application Security Engineer in Chicago summarize the same occupation differently; neither is a recommended starting salary. Do not choose the higher Application Security Engineer in Chicago summary simply to describe a stronger candidate, since the May 2025 table does not tie either summary to interview quality.
A complete Application Security Engineer in Chicago offer needs terms the Information Security Analysts (SOC 15-1212) wage cell cannot price. Keep equity and RSUs separate from the $125,310 Application Security Engineer in Chicago comparison. Check the BLS include-and-exclude definition when discussing on-call terms or shift differential for Application Security Engineer in Chicago; a job-specific arrangement is not another published percentile. For Application Security Engineer in Chicago, spell out the reporting line and work-location expectations alongside cash pay rather than presenting $125,310 as the complete package.
The BLS employment estimate attached to Application Security Engineer in Chicago is 3,480 for Information Security Analysts (SOC 15-1212). That Application Security Engineer in Chicago estimate describes employment in the surveyed occupation, not candidates available for your opening. Workers counted in the Chicago estimate for Application Security Engineer are not a ready-made shortlist. Use the May 2025 Application Security Engineer in Chicago employment row to understand the occupation's reported presence, while keeping the search for an individual hire separate.
Which national industries report pay for Application Security Engineer in Chicago?
The table below gives released national industry medians for Information Security Analysts (SOC 15-1212), selected for this Application Security Engineer in Chicago discussion. These Application Security Engineer industry rows are national cuts, not industry-specific wages for Chicago.
National industry rows for Application Security Engineer in Chicago, BLS May 2025
BLS industry
NAICS
Published median
Employment
Utility System Construction
237100
$168,580
140
Power and Communication Line and Related Structures Construction
237130
$168,580
Not published by BLS
Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction
237000
$166,610
Not published by BLS
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank
521000
$159,640
630
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank
521100
$159,640
630
Software Publishers
513200
$144,970
4,830
Questions about Application Security Engineer in Chicago
Which occupation prices Application Security Engineer in Chicago?
The Application Security Engineer in Chicago figures use Information Security Analysts, SOC 15-1212. BLS does not release an exact rate for an employer's particular Application Security Engineer opening in Chicago.
Does the Application Security Engineer in Chicago band price seniority?
The $99,760 to $158,210 band describes the published occupation distribution for Application Security Engineer in Chicago. It is not a junior-to-senior ladder for Application Security Engineer in Chicago.
Can I treat the May 2025 Application Security Engineer in Chicago median as a complete offer?
The $125,310 wage cell for Application Security Engineer in Chicago starts a cash-pay comparison. Benefits and equity for Application Security Engineer in Chicago need a separate discussion from this BLS cell.