IT Director 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 IT Director in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is $173,760 a year, and the middle half of workers earned between $138,190 and $214,880 (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 11-3021).
Broader occupation
BLS does not report this exact title. The figures shown are for SOC 11-3021, Computer and Information Systems Managers. BLS reports Computer and Information Systems Managers as a broader occupation. It does not separate IT Director, technology stack, seniority, certifications or employer sector. These figures are not a title-specific offer range.
BLS publishes one set of figures for SOC 11-3021. 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 $1,380 below the national median of $175,140 (0.8%).
Role median / all-occupation median3.18x$173,760 / $54,720
Location quotient (employment concentration)1.28Not a pay adjustment
Employment24,950BLS estimate
IT Director, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Measure
Per year
10th percentile
$112,980
25th percentile
$138,190
Median
$173,760
75th percentile
$214,880
90th percentile
$280,060
Mean
$184,810
IT Director, Illinois
Measure
Per year
10th percentile
$105,350
25th percentile
$133,220
Median
$171,730
75th percentile
$212,040
90th percentile
$273,500
Mean
$179,190
IT Director, United States
Measure
Per year
10th percentile
$107,550
25th percentile
$138,060
Median
$175,140
75th percentile
$220,730
90th percentile
$297,510
Mean
$192,160
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
IT Director, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median by BLS reference period
Period
Median
May 2024
$168,230
May 2025
$173,760
The median moved up $5,530 (+3.3%), from $168,230 in May 2024 to $173,760 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 IT Director in Chicago?
Technology Headhunters uses the May 2025 occupation-wide wage distribution to discuss IT Director in Chicago. The IT Director comparison uses a $173,760 median for Computer and Information Systems Managers (SOC 11-3021) in Chicago. That $173,760 point divides the published distribution for IT Director in Chicago; it is not a quote from a candidate. Before using $173,760 for IT Director in Chicago, compare the BLS occupation with the work you need done.
For IT Director in Chicago, the published middle band runs from $138,190 at P25 to $214,880 at P75. The middle-band width in this IT Director in Chicago comparison is $76,690. The $138,190 and $214,880 markers for IT Director in Chicago describe workers across the BLS occupation, rather than the price of a junior and a senior hire. Using this Chicago band for IT Director requires checking the responsibilities first.
The lower published marker for IT Director in Chicago is $112,980 at P10, and the upper marker is $280,060 at P90. Those IT Director in Chicago values do not identify an exact percentile for an amount between them. If the $280,060 marker for IT Director in Chicago says “or more,” it is a lower bound from the May 2025 release. A suppressed IT Director in Chicago cell means BLS did not publish that estimate, not that the opening has no cash-pay cost.
For IT Director in Chicago, the $173,760 area median compares with $175,140 for the same national occupation. The published difference in this IT Director in Chicago comparison is -$1,380. Both IT Director in Chicago comparison cells use SOC 11-3021, so the contrast does not change the occupation definition. That Chicago-national difference for IT Director is not a cost-of-living adjustment or a premium that every local candidate receives.
The nearby published metro comparisons for IT Director in Chicago are Kankakee, IL, with a $133,150 median for SOC 11-3021; Niles, MI, with a $162,310 median for SOC 11-3021. These IT Director in Chicago neighbors are selected by distance between Census geographic reference points, not by commuting time. Read each neighboring IT Director 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 IT Director in Chicago selection, so no release-to-release difference is calculated. The $173,760 May 2025 median for IT Director in Chicago stands on its own reference period. A missing prior IT Director in Chicago cell does not establish growth, decline or unchanged pay. Keep the Chicago area and SOC 11-3021 labels attached when sharing this IT Director in Chicago result.
The published mean for IT Director in Chicago is $184,810, alongside the $173,760 median. The mean-minus-median difference for IT Director in Chicago is $11,050. The mean and median for IT Director in Chicago summarize the same occupation differently; neither is a recommended starting salary. Do not choose the higher IT Director in Chicago summary simply to describe a stronger candidate, since the May 2025 table does not tie either summary to interview quality.
A complete IT Director in Chicago offer needs terms the Computer and Information Systems Managers (SOC 11-3021) wage cell cannot price. Keep equity and RSUs separate from the $173,760 IT Director in Chicago comparison. Check the BLS include-and-exclude definition when discussing on-call terms or shift differential for IT Director in Chicago; a job-specific arrangement is not another published percentile. For IT Director in Chicago, spell out the reporting line and work-location expectations alongside cash pay rather than presenting $173,760 as the complete package.
The BLS employment estimate attached to IT Director in Chicago is 24,950 for Computer and Information Systems Managers (SOC 11-3021). That IT Director in Chicago estimate describes employment in the surveyed occupation, not candidates available for your opening. Workers counted in the Chicago estimate for IT Director are not a ready-made shortlist. Use the May 2025 IT Director 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 IT Director in Chicago?
The table below gives released national industry medians for Computer and Information Systems Managers (SOC 11-3021), selected for this IT Director in Chicago discussion. These IT Director industry rows are national cuts, not industry-specific wages for Chicago.
National industry rows for IT Director in Chicago, BLS May 2025
BLS industry
NAICS
Published median
Employment
Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities
523000
$214,460
18,630
Nondepository Credit Intermediation
522200
$207,160
6,000
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank
521000
$206,320
670
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank
521100
$206,320
670
Other Nondepository Credit Intermediation
522290
$205,310
3,660
Software Publishers
513200
$202,250
35,120
Questions about IT Director in Chicago
Which occupation prices IT Director in Chicago?
The IT Director in Chicago figures use Computer and Information Systems Managers, SOC 11-3021. BLS does not release an exact rate for an employer's particular IT Director opening in Chicago.
Does the IT Director in Chicago band price seniority?
The $138,190 to $214,880 band describes the published occupation distribution for IT Director in Chicago. It is not a junior-to-senior ladder for IT Director in Chicago.
Can I treat the May 2025 IT Director in Chicago median as a complete offer?
The $173,760 wage cell for IT Director in Chicago starts a cash-pay comparison. Benefits and equity for IT Director in Chicago need a separate discussion from this BLS cell.