Machine Learning 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 Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is $134,380 a year, and the middle half of workers earned between $104,530 and $167,650 (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 15-1252).
Broader occupation
BLS does not report this exact title. The figures shown are for SOC 15-1252, Software Developers. BLS reports Software Developers as a broader occupation. It does not separate Machine Learning 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 15-1252. 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 $1,600 below the national median of $135,980 (1.2%).
Role median / all-occupation median2.46x$134,380 / $54,720
Location quotient (employment concentration)0.82Not 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
Machine Learning Engineer, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median by BLS reference period
Period
Median
May 2024
$130,030
May 2025
$134,380
The median moved up $4,350 (+3.3%), from $130,030 in May 2024 to $134,380 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 Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago?
Technology Headhunters uses the May 2025 occupation-wide wage distribution to discuss Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago. The Machine Learning Engineer comparison uses a $134,380 median for Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) in Chicago. That $134,380 point divides the published distribution for Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago; it is not a quote from a candidate. Before using $134,380 for Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago, compare the BLS occupation with the work you need done.
For Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago, the published middle band runs from $104,530 at P25 to $167,650 at P75. The middle-band width in this Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago comparison is $63,120. The $104,530 and $167,650 markers for Machine Learning 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 Machine Learning Engineer requires checking the responsibilities first.
The lower published marker for Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago is $83,820 at P10, and the upper marker is $203,410 at P90. Those Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago values do not identify an exact percentile for an amount between them. If the $203,410 marker for Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago says “or more,” it is a lower bound from the May 2025 release. A suppressed Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago cell means BLS did not publish that estimate, not that the opening has no cash-pay cost.
For Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago, the $134,380 area median compares with $135,980 for the same national occupation. The published difference in this Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago comparison is -$1,600. Both Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago comparison cells use SOC 15-1252, so the contrast does not change the occupation definition. That Chicago-national difference for Machine Learning Engineer is not a cost-of-living adjustment or a premium that every local candidate receives.
The nearby published metro comparisons for Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago are Kankakee, IL, with a $116,550 median for SOC 15-1252; Niles, MI, with a $111,720 median for SOC 15-1252. These Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago neighbors are selected by distance between Census geographic reference points, not by commuting time. Read each neighboring Machine Learning 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 Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago selection, so no release-to-release difference is calculated. The $134,380 May 2025 median for Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago stands on its own reference period. A missing prior Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago cell does not establish growth, decline or unchanged pay. Keep the Chicago area and SOC 15-1252 labels attached when sharing this Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago result.
The published mean for Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago is $141,640, alongside the $134,380 median. The mean-minus-median difference for Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago is $7,260. The mean and median for Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago summarize the same occupation differently; neither is a recommended starting salary. Do not choose the higher Machine Learning 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 Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago offer needs terms the Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) wage cell cannot price. Keep equity and RSUs separate from the $134,380 Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago comparison. Check the BLS include-and-exclude definition when discussing on-call terms or shift differential for Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago; a job-specific arrangement is not another published percentile. For Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago, spell out the reporting line and work-location expectations alongside cash pay rather than presenting $134,380 as the complete package.
The BLS employment estimate attached to Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago is 40,370 for Software Developers (SOC 15-1252). That Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago estimate describes employment in the surveyed occupation, not candidates available for your opening. Workers counted in the Chicago estimate for Machine Learning Engineer are not a ready-made shortlist. Use the May 2025 Machine Learning 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 Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago?
The table below gives released national industry medians for Software Developers (SOC 15-1252), selected for this Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago discussion. These Machine Learning Engineer industry rows are national cuts, not industry-specific wages for Chicago.
National industry rows for Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago, BLS May 2025
BLS industry
NAICS
Published median
Employment
Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians)
621330
$241,610
100
Offices of Other Health Practitioners
621300
$166,710
630
Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists
621340
$166,670
Not published by BLS
Software Publishers
513200
$164,550
173,080
Offices of All Other Health Practitioners
621390
$163,630
Not published by BLS
Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities
523000
$163,290
34,940
Questions about Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago
Which occupation prices Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago?
The Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago figures use Software Developers, SOC 15-1252. BLS does not release an exact rate for an employer's particular Machine Learning Engineer opening in Chicago.
Does the Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago band price seniority?
The $104,530 to $167,650 band describes the published occupation distribution for Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago. It is not a junior-to-senior ladder for Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago.
Can I treat the May 2025 Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago median as a complete offer?
The $134,380 wage cell for Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago starts a cash-pay comparison. Benefits and equity for Machine Learning Engineer in Chicago need a separate discussion from this BLS cell.