Salary guide, May 2025
Quality Engineer pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Manufacturing Headhunters uses the published BLS OEWS figures below. They describe the mapped occupation and area, not an individual offer.
This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.
The median annual wage for Industrial Engineers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN was $101,760 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $82,260 and $126,580.
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is $680 below the national median of $102,440, both from BLS May 2025.
Broader occupation · SOC 17-2112 Industrial Engineers
BLS measures this broader occupation across industries. It does not publish a separate wage for this manufacturing title.
What should you know about chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $74,420 | $82,260 | $101,760 | $126,580 | $155,480 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $35.78 | $39.55 | $48.92 | $60.86 | $74.75 |
BLS estimated 12,750 workers employed in this occupation in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Location quotient: 1.2.
What should you know about united States?
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $74,370 | $83,600 | $102,440 | $129,250 | $159,860 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $35.76 | $40.19 | $49.25 | $62.14 | $76.85 |
What should you know about role pay against all occupations here?
The published Quality Engineer median is $101,760. The all-occupations median in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is $54,720. Ratio: 1.86 (role median divided by all-occupations median, same units, BLS May 2025). Location quotient 1.2 measures how concentrated this occupation's employment is here against the nation. It is not a wage index.
What should you know about two BLS releases?
| Release period | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | $81,230 | $100,940 | $123,820 |
| May 2025 | $82,260 | $101,760 | $126,580 |
These are two separate BLS estimates from different survey panels. The workers and employers behind them differ, so the gap is not like-for-like pay for the same workers and is not a growth rate. We show no percentage change.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 17-2112 Industrial Engineers, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 17-2112 Industrial Engineers, U.S.. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.
What should you know about nearby areas?
| Area | Median | 25th to 75th |
|---|---|---|
| Kankakee, IL | $94,690 | $76,340 to $113,940 |
| Niles, MI | $92,820 | $76,350 to $112,910 |
What does this data mean for your opening?
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area reports a median of $101,760 for industrial engineers, slightly lower than the national median of $102,440. Manufacturing Headhunters observes a local middle band width of $44,320, which is close to the national middle band width of $45,650. 2, this region maintains a high concentration of industrial engineering talent compared to the national average.
As one of the primary industrial hubs in the nation, Chicago's engineering demand is varied, covering both traditional manufacturing and high-compliance technical environments.
For Quality Engineer in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, releases are separate survey estimates. The May 2025 median is $101,760; the May 2024 median is $100,940. Their arithmetic difference is $820. They are not the same workers' raises and do not establish a pay trend or its cause. Nearby markets report medians of $94,690 in Kankakee and $92,820 in Niles. For quality engineers expected to manage sophisticated standards. such as FMEA, SPC, or medical design controls. national industry benchmarks are critical. The national median for Petroleum and Coal Products Manufacturing is $127,140, and the median for Chemical Manufacturing is $118,700. These rows provide a better proxy for the compensation expectations associated with high-technical, mission-critical engineering roles than the broad SOC-level median.
For Quality Engineer in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, OEWS measures straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. Commissions and production bonuses are included; overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits are excluded. The P25 of $82,260 and P75 of $126,580 define the distribution for the middle fifty percent of earners in Chicago. These figures should be used as broad benchmarks rather than rigid constraints. Because the SOC 17-2112 code includes a wide variety of engineering functions, these medians provide a general starting point for compensation modeling. For Quality Engineer in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, releases are separate survey estimates. The May 2025 median is $101,760; the May 2024 median is $100,940. Their arithmetic difference is $820. They are not the same workers' raises and do not establish a pay trend or its cause.
Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?
The primary limitation is that the code is too broad, aggregating all industrial engineers regardless of specialty. For Quality Engineer in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, OEWS measures straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. Commissions and production bonuses are included; overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits are excluded.
How do Chicago's industrial engineer wages compare to local nearby markets?
The Chicago median of $101,760 is higher than both Kankakee at $94,690 and Niles at $92,820. This indicates a competitive salary premium within the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metropolitan area.
What is the primary limitation of the SOC 17-2112 data for hiring managers?
The primary limitation is that the code is too broad, aggregating all industrial engineers regardless of specialty. For Quality Engineer in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, OEWS measures straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. Commissions and production bonuses are included; overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits are excluded.
Why is the $820 median change relevant?
For Quality Engineer in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, releases are separate survey estimates. The May 2025 median is $101,760; the May 2024 median is $100,940. Their arithmetic difference is $820. They are not the same workers' raises and do not establish a pay trend or its cause. For Quality Engineer in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN, OEWS measures straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. Commissions and production bonuses are included; overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits are excluded.
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