RN Salary in Illinois (2026): The Complete BLS-Anchored Guide
Last verified: April 22, 2026 — all pay figures anchored to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) 29-1141 Registered Nurses, May 2024 release; Illinois staffing context from the Illinois Nurse Staffing by Patient Acuity Act (210 ILCS 85/10.10); union context from INA (Illinois Nurses Association) and NNOC (National Nurses Organizing Committee) collective-bargaining agreements.
Illinois is a Midwestern anchor market concentrated in the Chicago metropolitan area. BLS OEWS 29-1141 May 2024 reports an Illinois state RN median annual wage of $85,7701 — just slightly below the national RN median of $86,070, but heavily skewed by Chicago-metro concentration (Chicago + surrounding counties represent over 75% of Illinois RN employment). Chicago hosts one of the densest academic medical center concentrations in the U.S. — Northwestern Memorial, Rush University Medical Center, UChicago Medicine, Loyola University Medical Center, and University of Illinois Hospital (UI Health) — alongside Lurie Children's, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Pediatric Medical Center, and multiple large community hospital systems (Advocate Aurora / Advocate Health, Endeavor Health, AMITA, Duly, Edward-Elmhurst). This guide is the complete Illinois RN salary picture in 2026: every BLS-reported metro, the INA and NNOC union-premium mechanism, Illinois Nurse Staffing Act context, Chicago academic medical center pay landscape, care-setting differentials, travel-nurse comparison, and how specialty certifications stack on top of Illinois base pay.
The Headline — Illinois RN Pay in One Chart
BLS OEWS 29-1141 Registered Nurses, Illinois state, May 2024 release:1
| Metric | Illinois | U.S. median | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median (50th percentile) annual | $85,770 | $86,070 | -0.3% |
| Mean annual | $89,560 | $94,480 | -5% |
| 10th percentile annual | $59,050 | $61,250 | -4% |
| 25th percentile annual | $68,910 | $72,800 | -5% |
| 75th percentile annual | $104,080 | $107,380 | -3% |
| 90th percentile annual | $121,180 | $132,680 | -9% |
| Median hourly | $41.24 | $41.38 | -0.3% |
| Employment | ~136,000 | ~3.3M | — |
Illinois pay sits near the national median across most percentiles. The Chicago metro concentration carries the state median — downstate Illinois pay is typically 10–20% below Chicago metro rates but still within the national RN-median range.
Why Illinois Pays What It Does — The Structural Drivers
1. Chicago metro concentration. Roughly 75% of Illinois's ~136,000 RNs practice in the Chicago–Naperville–Elgin metropolitan statistical area.1 Chicago hosts one of the densest academic medical center concentrations in the Midwest — seven major academic medical center campuses within a 10-mile radius in the central city (Northwestern Memorial, Rush, UChicago, Loyola, UI Health, Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's, Shriners Chicago). Academic-medical-center density drives competitive pay for RN labor.
2. INA (Illinois Nurses Association) and NNOC (National Nurses Organizing Committee / Illinois). Illinois has moderate RN union density — NNOC (NNU's Illinois arm) represents approximately 8,000 Illinois RNs concentrated at University of Illinois Hospital (UI Health), University of Chicago Medical Center, John H. Stroger Hospital of Cook County, Jackson Park, and other public and Cook County Health facilities. INA represents a smaller RN population and functions more as professional association + selected local bargaining.2 Illinois union density is materially below California and New York but meaningfully above Texas. Union-facility pay typically runs 5–12% above non-union Illinois facilities at similar acuity.
3. Chicago academic medical center scale and competition.
- Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Streeterville campus) — flagship of Northwestern Medicine (11-hospital integrated system).
- Rush University Medical Center (Near West Side) — academic medical center with strong clinical-ladder.
- UChicago Medicine (University of Chicago Medical Center) (Hyde Park) — academic; NNOC-represented.
- Loyola University Medical Center (Maywood, western suburbs) — Trinity Health-affiliated academic.
- UI Health (University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System) (Near West Side) — academic; NNOC-represented.
- Advocate Aurora Health / Advocate Health — largest non-profit system in IL (Advocate Christ, Advocate Lutheran General, Advocate Good Samaritan, Advocate Illinois Masonic, and others).
- Endeavor Health (NorthShore + Edward-Elmhurst merger) — major north + western suburban system.
- AMITA Health / Ascension — Catholic nonprofit with substantial Chicago presence.
- Lurie Children's (Streeterville) — leading pediatric academic medical center.
- Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (Streeterville) — leading physical medicine / rehabilitation facility.
These systems compete for RN labor in a dense geographic market, lifting pay at both academic and large community settings.
4. Cook County Health (CCH) public-system scale. Stroger Hospital (formerly Cook County Hospital), Provident Hospital, and CCH ambulatory clinics constitute one of the largest public-safety-net health systems in the Midwest. NNOC-represented RNs at CCH earn union-bargained scales plus Cook County pension eligibility — competitive total compensation.
5. Illinois Nurse Staffing by Patient Acuity Act (210 ILCS 85/10.10). Illinois requires hospitals to develop written staffing plans, including a nurse staffing committee with majority direct-care RN membership and public disclosure requirements.3 Not a statutory ratio law like California AB 394; closer in structure to New York's 2021 Safe Staffing law. Effect: formalized RN voice in staffing decisions and enforceable committee process, but less structural pay-floor effect than CA ratios.
6. Cost of living. Chicago metro housing costs run meaningfully below coastal metros (NYC / SF / LA / Boston / Seattle) and roughly comparable to Austin / Denver / Dallas. Downstate Illinois is much more affordable. Nominal RN pay at national-median-adjacent levels translates to reasonably strong net real purchasing power in most Illinois markets.
Metro Breakdown — All BLS-Reported Illinois Areas
Illinois metros with BLS OEWS 29-1141 published data (May 2024):1
| Metro | Median hourly | Median annual | Employment | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago–Naperville–Elgin (IL portion) | $43.97 | $91,450 | ~99,000 | Northwestern + Rush + UChicago + Loyola + UI Health + Advocate + Endeavor + AMITA + Lurie. Heaviest employment concentration. |
| Rockford | $37.97 | $78,990 | ~4,000 | SwedishAmerican (UW Health) + Mercyhealth + OSF St. Anthony. |
| Peoria | $38.17 | $79,400 | ~5,500 | OSF Saint Francis (Catholic Health Initiatives / CommonSpirit) + UnityPoint. |
| Bloomington | $38.88 | $80,860 | ~2,500 | OSF St. Joseph + Carle BroMenn. |
| Springfield | $39.42 | $82,000 | ~6,000 | HSHS St. John's + Memorial Medical Center + SIU School of Medicine. |
| Champaign–Urbana | $38.97 | $81,060 | ~3,000 | Carle Foundation + OSF Heart of Mary + UI Health Mile Square. |
| Kankakee | $37.40 | $77,790 | ~1,500 | AMITA St. Mary's + Riverside Medical Center. |
| Decatur | $37.52 | $78,050 | ~1,500 | HSHS St. Mary's + Decatur Memorial Hospital. |
| Danville | $36.80 | $76,540 | ~1,000 | OSF Sacred Heart + Carle Foundation Hospital. |
| Bloomington (separate MSA listing for Central Illinois) | included above | — | — | See above. |
The Chicago metro dominates Illinois RN employment and pay. Downstate metros run modestly below Chicago but still within range of the national median.
Illinois Pay by Care Setting
Base pay varies by care setting on top of the state BLS median. Typical 2026 Illinois base ranges (before differentials), Chicago metro:
| Care setting | Typical 2026 IL base (Chicago metro) | Source link |
|---|---|---|
| Acute care med-surg / stepdown | $75,000–$105,000 | Hub F acute |
| ICU | $85,000–$125,000 | Hub F ICU |
| ED | $80,000–$120,000 | Hub F ED |
| OR / perioperative | $80,000–$115,000 | Hub F OR |
| L&D | $82,000–$120,000 | Hub F L&D |
| Pediatric specialty | $85,000–$130,000 | Hub F pediatric |
| Ambulatory | $70,000–$95,000 | Hub F ambulatory |
| Home health | $75,000–$100,000 | Hub F home health |
| Hospice | $72,000–$95,000 | Hub F hospice |
| School nursing | $55,000–$85,000 (10-month contract) | Hub F school |
Shift differentials typical in Chicago hospital contracts: night +$3–$7/hour, weekend +$2–$5/hour, charge +$1–$4/hour, specialty-cert stipend varies by employer. Downstate Illinois typically runs 10–20% below Chicago metro pay for equivalent settings.
Top Illinois Employers — 2026 Pay Landscape
Northwestern Medicine — Northwestern Memorial Hospital (flagship) + 10 additional community and specialty hospitals across Chicago and the suburbs. Strong clinical-ladder at the flagship.
Rush University Medical Center + Rush Oak Park + Rush Copley — academic. Magnet-designated at the main campus.
UChicago Medicine / University of Chicago Medical Center + Comer Children's — academic; NNOC-represented. Part of University of Chicago Health System.
Loyola University Medical Center (Maywood) + Loyola MacNeal (Berwyn) + Loyola Gottlieb (Melrose Park) — Trinity Health-affiliated academic.
UI Health (University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences System) — academic; NNOC-represented. Part of University of Illinois at Chicago.
Advocate Aurora Health / Advocate Health (post-merger with Atrium Health, headquartered in Charlotte NC but with substantial Illinois operations) — largest non-profit system in Illinois. Includes Advocate Christ (Oak Lawn), Advocate Lutheran General (Park Ridge), Advocate Good Samaritan (Downers Grove), Advocate Illinois Masonic (Chicago), Advocate Condell (Libertyville), Advocate South Suburban (Hazel Crest), Advocate Trinity (Chicago), Advocate BroMenn (Normal, central IL), Advocate Sherman (Elgin), Advocate Good Shepherd (Barrington), and others.
Endeavor Health (formed from 2023 merger of NorthShore University HealthSystem and Edward-Elmhurst Health) — north + western suburban system.
AMITA Health / Ascension Illinois — Catholic Ascension-affiliated hospitals across Chicago metro.
Cook County Health (Stroger + Provident + CORE Center + ambulatory clinics) — NNOC-represented; public safety-net system with Cook County pension.
Lurie Children's (Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago) — leading pediatric academic medical center.
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab — leading physical medicine / rehabilitation hospital.
John H. Stroger Hospital / Cook County Health — largest public-safety-net hospital in IL.
HSHS (Hospital Sisters Health System) — central and southern IL Catholic system.
OSF HealthCare — central IL Catholic system headquartered in Peoria; OSF Saint Francis Medical Center (Peoria) is the flagship.
Memorial Health System — central IL (Springfield-area).
Carle Health — central IL (Champaign-Urbana-area).
VA Medical Centers (Chicago Jesse Brown, Hines, North Chicago/Lovell FHCC, Danville) — federal pay scale + federal pension.
Compare specific facilities at Hospital Pay Band Comparator.
Specialty Certifications — What They Stack on Illinois Base
Illinois union-represented facilities (UChicago Medicine, UI Health, Cook County Health) codify specialty-cert differentials; non-union facilities typically pay modest differentials to remain competitive.
- CCRN — AACN; IL differential typically $1–$2/hour + clinical-ladder step at Magnet facilities.
- CEN — BCEN; IL differential typically $0.75–$2/hour.
- OCN — ONCC; IL differential typically $1–$2/hour at Rush / UChicago / Northwestern oncology programs.
- CNOR — CCI; IL differential typically $0.75–$2/hour + RNFA pathway at tertiary programs.
- PCCN — AACN; IL differential typically $0.50–$1.50/hour.
- CMSRN — MSNCB; IL differential typically $0.50–$1.50/hour.
- RNC-OB / C-EFM / RNC-NIC / CPN / TCRN / CPEN — codified at Magnet and union facilities.
Model at Specialty Cert Worth-It.
Travel Nurse Baseline — Illinois Comparison
Illinois is a moderate-rate travel-nurse market. Chicago metro contracts benefit from academic-center acuity and census cycling.
Typical 2026 weekly gross for experienced travelers on Illinois contracts (Chicago metro):
| Specialty | Weekly gross (typical) | Weekly gross (crisis rate) |
|---|---|---|
| Med-surg | $1,700–$2,200 | $2,500–$2,900 |
| Telemetry/PCU | $1,900–$2,400 | $2,700–$3,100 |
| ED | $2,000–$2,600 | $2,900–$3,300 |
| ICU | $2,100–$2,700 | $3,000–$3,500 |
| CVICU/NICU/PICU | $2,300–$3,000 | $3,200–$3,700 |
| L&D | $1,900–$2,500 | $2,700–$3,100 |
| OR | $2,000–$2,700 | $2,900–$3,400 |
Downstate Illinois contracts typically run 15–20% below Chicago metro rates.
Important: Illinois is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC). Travel RNs assigned to Illinois need an Illinois-issued single-state license; IDFPR processing is typically 4–10 weeks. Agencies reimburse licensing costs.
Real take-home after IRS Publication 463 tax-home compliance, Chicago metro housing, and contract-specific terms typically runs 20–30% below headline. Run at Travel Nurse Contract Analyzer.
Illinois RN Licensing — Non-Compact State
Illinois is not a Nurse Licensure Compact state. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) issues single-state RN licenses.4 Practical implications:
- Out-of-state RNs moving to Illinois or accepting IL travel contracts must obtain an Illinois RN license by endorsement — typically 4–10 weeks processing.
- Illinois RNs cannot practice in NLC states on their IL license; need separate state licenses or compact-state residency.
Full Illinois licensing detail: Illinois Nurse Licensing Guide.
Career Lattice — How Illinois RNs Grow Pay
Clinical ladder (typical Magnet / academic hospital structure): Clinical Nurse I → II → III → IV → V. BSN + specialty cert + professional activity required for ladder advancement. Chicago Magnet hospitals (Northwestern Memorial, Rush, UChicago, Lurie Children's, Advocate Christ, Loyola) have competitive ladder structures.
Public-sector ladder — Cook County Health + UI Health offer pension eligibility (Cook County Pension Fund + State Universities Retirement System) + strong benefits, substantial total-compensation advantage vs private-sector equivalents.
APRN track — MSN/DNP → FNP / AGPCNP / AGACNP / PMHNP / CNM / CRNA / PNP. Illinois grants APRN prescriptive authority with physician collaborative agreement after transition-to-practice period. Full practice authority has been proposed repeatedly but not yet enacted as of 2026.
Model educational investment ROI at BSN-to-MSN ROI.
Regional Realities — Cost-of-Living Adjustment
Illinois has more favorable cost-of-living-to-RN-pay ratio than coastal metros:
- Chicago metro: High absolute wages, moderate-to-high cost of living (manageable outside the most desirable neighborhoods). Net real RN compensation strong for household / couple earners.
- Chicago near suburbs (Oak Park / Evanston / Schaumburg / Naperville): Strong pay, meaningfully lower housing cost than Chicago city center. Often best net real purchasing power.
- Downstate Illinois: Pay $75,000–$85,000; housing cost substantially below national average; strong net real purchasing power despite lower nominal pay.
Model net purchasing power at RN Salary by State with an Illinois cost-of-living overlay.
FAQ
What's the median RN salary in Illinois in 2026? BLS OEWS 29-1141 May 2024 release: $85,770 median Illinois RN annual wage.1 Mean: $89,560. 90th percentile: $121,180.
Which Illinois metro pays the most? Chicago–Naperville–Elgin: $91,450 median annual (highest IL metro by far). Downstate metros run $76,000–$82,000.
Is Illinois in the Nurse Licensure Compact? No. Illinois is non-compact. Out-of-state RNs need IL license by endorsement (4–10 week processing). IL RNs need separate state licenses to practice outside IL.
How does NNOC / INA affect Illinois RN pay? NNOC (NNU Illinois) represents ~8,000 IL RNs concentrated at UChicago Medicine, UI Health, Cook County Health. Union-facility pay typically 5–12% above non-union. INA is a smaller professional association with selected local bargaining.
What's the Illinois Nurse Staffing by Patient Acuity Act? 210 ILCS 85/10.10 requires IL hospitals to develop written staffing plans with majority-direct-care-RN staffing committee input and public disclosure.3 Not statutory ratios like CA AB 394; closer to NY 2021 committee framework.
How much do Illinois travel nurses earn? Chicago metro weekly gross (2026): $1,700 (med-surg) to $3,000 (CVICU/NICU crisis). Downstate 15–20% below. Real take-home after IRS Pub 463 and Chicago housing typically 20–30% below headline.
Is specialty certification worth it in Illinois? Yes. Union and Magnet facilities codify specialty-cert differentials; other facilities pay modest differentials. CCRN, CEN, OCN, CNOR, PCCN, CMSRN, RNC-OB, RNC-NIC all stack.
Are public-sector Illinois RN jobs competitive? Yes. VA (Jesse Brown Chicago, Hines, Lovell FHCC, Danville), Cook County Health, UI Health, state facilities offer strong pay + pension (County Pension Fund, SURS, federal) + stable work-life structure.
What about CRNA pay in Illinois? CRNAs in Illinois typically earn $200,000–$320,000 base in 2026; top academic and private-practice settings reach $375,000+. Illinois CRNAs practice under physician supervision (Illinois has not adopted full-practice-authority for CRNAs as of 2026).
How does Chicago's academic medical center density affect career opportunity? Positively. Seven major academic medical centers within a 10-mile radius in central Chicago create dense career lattice — RNs can progress from Advocate community hospital to Rush academic to Northwestern tertiary without relocation. Specialty access (NICU Level IV, transplant, oncology, cardiac surgery, neurology, trauma) is among the densest in the Midwest.
Sources
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U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), "29-1141 Registered Nurses," May 2024 data release, Illinois state and metro tables. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_il.htm and https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes291141.htm ↩↩↩↩↩
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Illinois Nurses Association (INA) and National Nurses Organizing Committee / National Nurses United (NNOC/NNU) Illinois — public collective-bargaining agreements and membership data. https://www.illinoisnurses.com/ and https://www.nationalnursesunited.org/ ↩
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Illinois Nurse Staffing by Patient Acuity Act, 210 ILCS 85/10.10, and implementing administrative rules. https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ ↩↩
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Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Division of Professional Regulation — Registered Professional Nurse Licensure by Endorsement. https://www.idfpr.com/profs/RN.asp ↩
