Cloud Architect Salary in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
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Technology Headhunters uses BLS OEWS data to answer this pay question. The median pay for Cloud Architect in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is $143,800 a year, and the middle half of workers earned between $120,070 and $169,500 (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 15-1241).
Broader occupation
BLS does not report this exact title. The figures shown are for SOC 15-1241, Computer Network Architects. BLS reports Computer Network Architects as a broader occupation. It does not separate Cloud Architect, technology stack, seniority, certifications or employer sector. These figures are not a title-specific offer range.
BLS publishes one set of figures for SOC 15-1241. 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 $9,750 above the national median of $134,050 (7.3%).
Role median / all-occupation median2.63x$143,800 / $54,720
Location quotient (employment concentration)1.04Not a pay adjustment
Employment5,400BLS estimate
Cloud Architect, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Measure
Per year
10th percentile
$95,930
25th percentile
$120,070
Median
$143,800
75th percentile
$169,500
90th percentile
$205,340
Mean
$146,480
Cloud Architect, Illinois
Measure
Per year
10th percentile
$81,630
25th percentile
$105,410
Median
$132,790
75th percentile
$166,720
90th percentile
$201,190
Mean
$138,530
Cloud Architect, United States
Measure
Per year
10th percentile
$79,900
25th percentile
$104,620
Median
$134,050
75th percentile
$168,200
90th percentile
$202,680
Mean
$139,580
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
Cloud Architect, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median by BLS reference period
Period
Median
May 2024
$140,760
May 2025
$143,800
The median moved up $3,040 (+2.2%), from $140,760 in May 2024 to $143,800 in May 2025. Survey estimates carry sampling error, so small moves may not be meaningful.
Supervisor and manager roles here
Linked from this role's related titles in our taxonomy. Each uses its own BLS mapping.
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 Cloud Architect in Chicago?
Technology Headhunters uses the May 2025 occupation-wide wage distribution to discuss Cloud Architect in Chicago. The Cloud Architect comparison uses a $143,800 median for Computer Network Architects (SOC 15-1241) in Chicago. That $143,800 point divides the published distribution for Cloud Architect in Chicago; it is not a quote from a candidate. Before using $143,800 for Cloud Architect in Chicago, compare the BLS occupation with the work you need done.
For Cloud Architect in Chicago, the published middle band runs from $120,070 at P25 to $169,500 at P75. The middle-band width in this Cloud Architect in Chicago comparison is $49,430. The $120,070 and $169,500 markers for Cloud Architect in Chicago describe workers across the BLS occupation, rather than the price of a junior and a senior hire. Using this Chicago band for Cloud Architect requires checking the responsibilities first.
The lower published marker for Cloud Architect in Chicago is $95,930 at P10, and the upper marker is $205,340 at P90. Those Cloud Architect in Chicago values do not identify an exact percentile for an amount between them. If the $205,340 marker for Cloud Architect in Chicago says “or more,” it is a lower bound from the May 2025 release. A suppressed Cloud Architect in Chicago cell means BLS did not publish that estimate, not that the opening has no cash-pay cost.
For Cloud Architect in Chicago, the $143,800 area median compares with $134,050 for the same national occupation. The published difference in this Cloud Architect in Chicago comparison is $9,750. Both Cloud Architect in Chicago comparison cells use SOC 15-1241, so the contrast does not change the occupation definition. That Chicago-national difference for Cloud Architect is not a cost-of-living adjustment or a premium that every local candidate receives.
The nearby published metro comparisons for Cloud Architect in Chicago are Kenosha, WI, with a $131,050 median for SOC 15-1241; Rockford, IL, with a $97,540 median for SOC 15-1241. These Cloud Architect in Chicago neighbors are selected by distance between Census geographic reference points, not by commuting time. Read each neighboring Cloud Architect 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 Cloud Architect in Chicago selection, so no release-to-release difference is calculated. The $143,800 May 2025 median for Cloud Architect in Chicago stands on its own reference period. A missing prior Cloud Architect in Chicago cell does not establish growth, decline or unchanged pay. Keep the Chicago area and SOC 15-1241 labels attached when sharing this Cloud Architect in Chicago result.
The published mean for Cloud Architect in Chicago is $146,480, alongside the $143,800 median. The mean-minus-median difference for Cloud Architect in Chicago is $2,680. The mean and median for Cloud Architect in Chicago summarize the same occupation differently; neither is a recommended starting salary. Do not choose the higher Cloud Architect in Chicago summary simply to describe a stronger candidate, since the May 2025 table does not tie either summary to interview quality.
A complete Cloud Architect in Chicago offer needs terms the Computer Network Architects (SOC 15-1241) wage cell cannot price. Keep equity and RSUs separate from the $143,800 Cloud Architect in Chicago comparison. Check the BLS include-and-exclude definition when discussing on-call terms or shift differential for Cloud Architect in Chicago; a job-specific arrangement is not another published percentile. For Cloud Architect in Chicago, spell out the reporting line and work-location expectations alongside cash pay rather than presenting $143,800 as the complete package.
The BLS employment estimate attached to Cloud Architect in Chicago is 5,400 for Computer Network Architects (SOC 15-1241). That Cloud Architect in Chicago estimate describes employment in the surveyed occupation, not candidates available for your opening. Workers counted in the Chicago estimate for Cloud Architect are not a ready-made shortlist. Use the May 2025 Cloud Architect 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 Cloud Architect in Chicago?
The table below gives released national industry medians for Computer Network Architects (SOC 15-1241), selected for this Cloud Architect in Chicago discussion. These Cloud Architect industry rows are national cuts, not industry-specific wages for Chicago.
National industry rows for Cloud Architect in Chicago, BLS May 2025
BLS industry
NAICS
Published median
Employment
Other Nondepository Credit Intermediation
522290
$169,170
780
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank
521000
$163,370
430
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank
521100
$163,370
430
Direct Insurance (except Life, Health, and Medical) Carriers
524120
$161,780
1,580
Nondepository Credit Intermediation
522200
$161,170
1,410
Software Publishers
513200
$159,130
4,280
Questions about Cloud Architect in Chicago
Which occupation prices Cloud Architect in Chicago?
The Cloud Architect in Chicago figures use Computer Network Architects, SOC 15-1241. BLS does not release an exact rate for an employer's particular Cloud Architect opening in Chicago.
Does the Cloud Architect in Chicago band price seniority?
The $120,070 to $169,500 band describes the published occupation distribution for Cloud Architect in Chicago. It is not a junior-to-senior ladder for Cloud Architect in Chicago.
Can I treat the May 2025 Cloud Architect in Chicago median as a complete offer?
The $143,800 wage cell for Cloud Architect in Chicago starts a cash-pay comparison. Benefits and equity for Cloud Architect in Chicago need a separate discussion from this BLS cell.