Architects, Except Landscape and Naval in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Architects, Except Landscape and Naval pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN at a median of $81,790 per year ($39.32/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $99,280, the metro estimate is 18% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 4,460 architects, except landscape and naval are employed across the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin MSA in SOC 17-1011.

The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin pay distribution spans from $60,750 at the 10th percentile to $130,990 at the 90th, a 2.2× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $65,820 and the 75th at $105,090, so half of Chicago-Naperville-Elgin-based architects, except landscape and naval earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide IL estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.