Updated · 2026 tax rules · Data: IRS, BLS, BEA, HUD · How we calculate

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products Salary in Chicago, IL

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area earn a median $112,150 a year — 7% more than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $82,321 take-home, or $6,860 a month.

Median salary
$112,150
$53.92 per hour
Typical range
$56,220 – $196,950
10th to 90th percentile
Jobs in Chicago, IL
5,510
0.67× national concentration
▼3.2%
Pay trend: The median for sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products in Chicago, IL fell from $115,910 (May 2024) to $112,150 (May 2025). That trailed inflation (2.4%), so buying power slipped about 5.6%.

Take-home pay calculator

Pre-filled with the median sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products salary in Chicago, IL. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products in Chicago, IL
Deductions, kids & local tax

2026 tax year. Federal brackets from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32.

Your take-home pay
$82,321
per year · effective tax rate 26.6%
$6,860Monthly
$3,430Twice a month
$3,166Every 2 weeks
$39.58Hourly
  • Federal income tax$15,843
  • Social Security (6.2%)$6,953
  • Medicare (1.45%)$1,626
  • Illinois income tax$5,407
  • Take-home pay$82,321

Marginal rate: 22% federal + 4.95% state

The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro spans Illinois, Indiana. Pick the state you live in — state income tax follows your residence.

Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products pay by experience in Chicago, IL

PercentileSalaryHourlyTake-home / yrPer month
10th percentile (entry level)$56,220$27.03$44,715$3,726
25th percentile$79,240$38.10$60,798$5,066
Median (50th)$112,150$53.92$82,321$6,860
75th percentile$156,080$75.04$110,366$9,197
90th percentile (top earners)$196,950$94.69$137,049$11,421

Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, Illinois resident, 2026 tax rules.

What $112,150 buys in Chicago, IL

Prices in Chicago, IL are 3.6% higher than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.12× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products's $82,321 take-home pay has the buying power of $79,464 in a typical American city.

1-bedroom rent
$1,534
22% of monthly take-home
2-bedroom rent
$1,743
25% of monthly take-home
Left after 1-BR rent
$5,326
per month for everything else

Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.

Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Technical and Scientific Products jobs are less concentrated in Chicago, IL than nationally (location quotient 0.67), so openings may be scarcer.

Best-paying cities for sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products, adjusted for cost of living

Chicago, IL ranks #12 of 23 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.

#Metro areaMedian salaryTake-homeReal value*
1San Jose, CA $167,630$112,302$101,702
2Charlotte, NC $124,370$91,819$94,321
3Detroit, MI $129,070$94,251$93,971
4Denver, CO $136,100$99,010$93,598
5Atlanta, GA $126,330$91,679$91,626
6Seattle, WA $129,550$99,813$89,814
7Philadelphia, PA $121,180$90,360$88,110
8New York, NY $133,690$95,796$85,104
12Chicago, IL$112,150$82,321$79,464

*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 23 metros →

About the job: sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products

Sell goods for wholesalers or manufacturers where technical or scientific knowledge is required in such areas as biology, engineering, chemistry, and electronics, normally obtained from at least 2 years of postsecondary education.

Typical education
Bachelor's degree
Work experience
None required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Job outlook, 2025–35
+1.2% (slower than average)

Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products make in Chicago, IL?

The median sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products salary in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area is $112,150 a year, or about $53.92 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $79,240 and $156,080.

What is a sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products’s take-home pay in Chicago, IL?

On the median $112,150 salary, a single filer living in Illinois takes home about $82,321 a year ($6,860 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $5,407 in Illinois taxes in 2026.

Is Chicago, IL a good place to work as a sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products?

Pay here is 7% above the national median of $104,920. Local prices are 3.6% above the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $79,464 would in a typical U.S. city. Chicago, IL ranks #12 of 23 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.

Can a sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products afford rent in Chicago, IL?

HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in Chicago, IL is $1,534 a month ($1,743 for two bedrooms) — 22% of a median sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.

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