Platform 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 Platform Engineer in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is $103,170 a year, and the middle half of workers earned between $82,750 and $130,120 (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 15-1244).
Broader occupation
BLS does not report this exact title. The figures shown are for SOC 15-1244, Network and Computer Systems Administrators. BLS reports Network and Computer Systems Administrators as a broader occupation. It does not separate Platform 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 15-1244. 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 $4,040 above the national median of $99,130 (4.1%).
Role median / all-occupation median1.89x$103,170 / $54,720
Location quotient (employment concentration)0.76Not 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
Platform Engineer, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median by BLS reference period
Period
Median
May 2024
$98,790
May 2025
$103,170
The median moved up $4,380 (+4.4%), from $98,790 in May 2024 to $103,170 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 Platform Engineer in Chicago?
Technology Headhunters uses the May 2025 occupation-wide wage distribution to discuss Platform Engineer in Chicago. The Platform Engineer comparison uses a $103,170 median for Network and Computer Systems Administrators (SOC 15-1244) in Chicago. That $103,170 point divides the published distribution for Platform Engineer in Chicago; it is not a quote from a candidate. Before using $103,170 for Platform Engineer in Chicago, compare the BLS occupation with the work you need done.
For Platform Engineer in Chicago, the published middle band runs from $82,750 at P25 to $130,120 at P75. The middle-band width in this Platform Engineer in Chicago comparison is $47,370. The $82,750 and $130,120 markers for Platform 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 Platform Engineer requires checking the responsibilities first.
The lower published marker for Platform Engineer in Chicago is $68,990 at P10, and the upper marker is $162,290 at P90. Those Platform Engineer in Chicago values do not identify an exact percentile for an amount between them. If the $162,290 marker for Platform Engineer in Chicago says “or more,” it is a lower bound from the May 2025 release. A suppressed Platform Engineer in Chicago cell means BLS did not publish that estimate, not that the opening has no cash-pay cost.
For Platform Engineer in Chicago, the $103,170 area median compares with $99,130 for the same national occupation. The published difference in this Platform Engineer in Chicago comparison is $4,040. Both Platform Engineer in Chicago comparison cells use SOC 15-1244, so the contrast does not change the occupation definition. That Chicago-national difference for Platform Engineer is not a cost-of-living adjustment or a premium that every local candidate receives.
The nearby published metro comparisons for Platform Engineer in Chicago are Kankakee, IL, with a $79,310 median for SOC 15-1244; Niles, MI, with a $79,040 median for SOC 15-1244. These Platform Engineer in Chicago neighbors are selected by distance between Census geographic reference points, not by commuting time. Read each neighboring Platform 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 Platform Engineer in Chicago selection, so no release-to-release difference is calculated. The $103,170 May 2025 median for Platform Engineer in Chicago stands on its own reference period. A missing prior Platform Engineer in Chicago cell does not establish growth, decline or unchanged pay. Keep the Chicago area and SOC 15-1244 labels attached when sharing this Platform Engineer in Chicago result.
The published mean for Platform Engineer in Chicago is $108,870, alongside the $103,170 median. The mean-minus-median difference for Platform Engineer in Chicago is $5,700. The mean and median for Platform Engineer in Chicago summarize the same occupation differently; neither is a recommended starting salary. Do not choose the higher Platform 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 Platform Engineer in Chicago offer needs terms the Network and Computer Systems Administrators (SOC 15-1244) wage cell cannot price. Keep equity and RSUs separate from the $103,170 Platform Engineer in Chicago comparison. Check the BLS include-and-exclude definition when discussing on-call terms or shift differential for Platform Engineer in Chicago; a job-specific arrangement is not another published percentile. For Platform Engineer in Chicago, spell out the reporting line and work-location expectations alongside cash pay rather than presenting $103,170 as the complete package.
The BLS employment estimate attached to Platform Engineer in Chicago is 6,950 for Network and Computer Systems Administrators (SOC 15-1244). That Platform Engineer in Chicago estimate describes employment in the surveyed occupation, not candidates available for your opening. Workers counted in the Chicago estimate for Platform Engineer are not a ready-made shortlist. Use the May 2025 Platform 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 Platform Engineer in Chicago?
The table below gives released national industry medians for Network and Computer Systems Administrators (SOC 15-1244), selected for this Platform Engineer in Chicago discussion. These Platform Engineer industry rows are national cuts, not industry-specific wages for Chicago.
National industry rows for Platform Engineer in Chicago, BLS May 2025
BLS industry
NAICS
Published median
Employment
Other Investment Pools and Funds
525900
$152,460
60
Poured Concrete Foundation and Structure Contractors
238110
$139,970
Not published by BLS
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank
521000
$127,530
300
Monetary Authorities-Central Bank
521100
$127,530
300
Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles
525000
$117,910
150
Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds
525100
$116,750
90
Questions about Platform Engineer in Chicago
Which occupation prices Platform Engineer in Chicago?
The Platform Engineer in Chicago figures use Network and Computer Systems Administrators, SOC 15-1244. BLS does not release an exact rate for an employer's particular Platform Engineer opening in Chicago.
Does the Platform Engineer in Chicago band price seniority?
The $82,750 to $130,120 band describes the published occupation distribution for Platform Engineer in Chicago. It is not a junior-to-senior ladder for Platform Engineer in Chicago.
Can I treat the May 2025 Platform Engineer in Chicago median as a complete offer?
The $103,170 wage cell for Platform Engineer in Chicago starts a cash-pay comparison. Benefits and equity for Platform Engineer in Chicago need a separate discussion from this BLS cell.