Registered Nurse Salary in Illinois (2026)
The average Registered Nurse in Illinois earns around $86,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $65,871/year ($5,489/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $65,871 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $5,489 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $2,533 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $32/hr |
Federal Tax | $10,090 |
State Tax | $3,460 |
FICA Taxes | $6,579 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 23.41% |
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Registered Nurse Salary Ranges in Illinois
Not all Registered Nurses earn the same — not even close
Illinois nursing compensation is anchored by the Chicago metro, which hosts some of the best hospital systems in the country and pays meaningfully above the national average. Rural Illinois is a different story — shortage designated and actively recruiting.
CRNA (Nurse Anesthetist)
$210,000–$255,000
Requires DNP · strong demand in Chicago metro
Nurse Practitioner
$108,000–$128,000
Restricted practice state — MD collaboration required
ICU / Critical Care
$88,000–$110,000
Northwestern, Rush, UChicago top payers
ER / Emergency
$82,000–$100,000
Cook County Health is high-acuity and well-compensated
OR / Surgical
$85,000–$105,000
Surgical volume strong in Chicago's major systems
Pediatric (PICU / NICU)
$82,000–$105,000
Lurie Children's Hospital is a destination NICU employer
Labor & Delivery
$80,000–$96,000
Consistent demand across Chicago metro
Med-Surg / Telemetry
$72,000–$86,000
Union contracts prevalent — Illinois Nurses Association active
Travel Nurse (IL assignment)
$1,900–$3,000/wk
Lower than coastal travel rates but cost-of-living adjusted
Worth knowing: Illinois is a restricted practice state for NPs. CRNAs, however, have full independent practice authority in Illinois, making it a strong CRNA market.
The Illinois nursing market: Chicago anchor, rural shortage
$28k
added annually with regular overtime in Chicago ICU/ER
4.95%
flat IL state income tax — predictable and moderate
$25k
signing bonuses in rural downstate shortage areas
Chicago is home to Northwestern Memorial, Rush University Medical Center, University of Chicago Medicine, and Advocate Aurora Health — a concentration that creates strong institutional competition for nurses.
ICU nurses willing to pick up extra shifts routinely add $18,000–$28,000 annually to base salaries. The Illinois Nurses Association's strong presence means overtime rates are often contractually protected at 1.5x.
Rural Illinois is a genuine healthcare desert in many areas. Counties downstate have HPSA designations and signing bonuses of $15,000–$25,000 for RNs willing to commit to 2–3 year placements.
Illinois has a state income tax of 4.95% — flat rate, which is relatively low compared to the 5–10%+ progressive rates in NY, CA, and NJ.
Illinois as a place to live — Chicago edition
Chicago is consistently underrated by people who haven't lived there. The food scene is genuinely world-class. The architecture, the lakefront, the neighborhoods — each has a distinct character.
Chicago's cost of living is the key financial advantage over coastal cities. A nurse earning $85,000 in Chicago lives materially better than the same nurse earning $100,000 in San Francisco.
The winters are real. January and February in Chicago are brutally cold — wind chill below -20°F is not unusual.
How Illinois taxes work for nurses (and how to keep more)
Illinois flat 4.95% state income tax. A $90K Chicago staff RN: federal $9K + $6.9K + IL state $4.5K = ~$20.4K total. Take-home ~$69.6K. The 4.95% IL flat is moderate — meaningfully better than CA top (13.3%) or NY+NYC (14.78%) but higher than 0% no-tax states.
The IL retirement income exemption is valuable for IL nurses. 100% of federally-taxable retirement income (, , pension, IRA, Social Security) is EXEMPT from IL state tax. For senior IL nurse retiring with $1.5M-$3M of retirement assets withdrawing $80K-$150K/year, IL state tax on those withdrawals = $0. Over 25-year retirement horizon, $100K-$200K of avoided state tax.
Cook County 2.1% property tax effective is the homeowner cost. On $500K Lincoln Park / Logan Square nurse home: $10.5K/year property tax. DuPage County (1.8-2.0%) saves $1K-$1.5K/year vs Cook on $400K-$500K homes. Suburb arbitrage real.
Most IL nurses are hospital employees with strong defined-benefit pension at non-profit hospitals. Northwestern Memorial, Rush University Medical Center, University of Chicago Medicine, Advocate Health, Loyola Medicine, NorthShore University HealthSystem all offer Tax-Sheltered Annuity + — dual-shelter $47K/year combined. UIC Medical Center participates in SURS (State Universities Retirement System) Tier 6 — defined-benefit pension.
+ dual-shelter at IL non-profit hospitals = $47K/year of pre-tax retirement contributions. At $90K marginal rate, every $1,000 deferred saves ~$200 federal + $50 IL = $250/year. Maxing both saves ~$11,800/year.
special catch-up rule — 3 years before normal retirement age, contribute up to $47K. $141K window in final 3 years.
Chicago shift differential + overtime culture is genuinely lucrative for ICU / ER / OR specialty. Northwestern Memorial / Rush / U of Chicago / Lurie Children's pay strong night shift + weekend differentials. Senior ICU / ER / OR RNs at Chicago academic medical centers routinely add $20K-$35K/year via shift differentials + overtime.
Lurie Children's pediatric specialty (BCPPS-equivalent CPN cert) valuable — top US pediatric nursing specialty alongside Texas Children's / Children's Colorado / Boston Children's / CHOP. PGY1/PGY2 pediatric residency at Lurie highly competitive.
Backdoor Roth IRA $7,500/year. Bypasses phase-out at senior RN+ comp.
if eligible ($4,400 single / $8,750 family). Triple-tax-advantaged.
Bright Start 529 deduction $10K single / $20K — saves up to $495/$990/year IL state tax for nurses with kids.
CRNA path at Chicago $200K-$280K — UIC + Rush + Northwestern offer top US CRNA programs. Senior Chicago CRNAs $230K-$300K.
Nurse Practitioner path — Illinois has full practice authority post-2017 (with some collaboration requirement during early career). NP comp $130K-$180K typical at Chicago academic medical centers.
IL is structured for FIRE for nurses — moderate state tax + IL retirement income exemption + Cook → DuPage suburb arbitrage + Chicago academic medical center career path.
- →Cook → DuPage suburb arbitrage — saves $1K-$1.5K/year property tax on $400K-$500K nurse-tier homes.
- →IL retirement income exemption — keeps 100% of //pension/SS state-tax-free in retirement. Senior IL nurses can retire in-state without relocation to escape state tax.
- →Max AND at IL non-profit hospital — $47K/year combined dual-shelter. At $90K marginal rate, $11,800/year tax savings.
- →Use special catch-up in final 3 years before retirement — $141K window.
- →Lurie Children's pediatric specialty (CPN cert) — valuable IL nursing specialty career path. Top US pediatric nursing alongside Texas Children's / Children's Colorado.
- →Pursue ICU / OR / ECMO / NICU specialty + cert — valuable IL shift differential premium. Senior specialty RNs add $20K-$35K/year via shift differentials.
- →CRNA path at Chicago $200K-$280K — UIC + Rush + Northwestern offer top US CRNA programs.
- →Backdoor Roth IRA $7K/year — bypasses phase-out at senior RN+ comp.
- → max + don't spend — triple-tax-advantaged.
- →Bright Start 529 — $10K/$20K deduction. $495-$990/year savings if you have kids.
- →Property tax appeal — Cook County triennial reassessment. Comparable sales-based appeals save $300-$1K/year on nurse-tier homes.
Three IL nursing submarkets — what each one looks like
Chicago academic medical centers (Northwestern / Rush / U of Chicago / Lurie pediatric), DuPage suburban hospitals (Edward-Elmhurst / Loyola), and downstate IL (Springfield / Peoria / Champaign-Urbana) are three different IL nursing career paths.
Chicago Academic Medical Centers (Northwestern / Rush / U of Chicago / UIC / Lurie Children's)
Staff RN $90K-$130K · ICU/OR specialty + premium $130K-$170K · CRNA $200K-$280K · Director of Nursing $180K-$250KNorthwestern Memorial Healthcare (Streeterville flagship), Rush University Medical Center (West Side), University of Chicago Medicine (Hyde Park), University of Illinois Chicago (UIC Medical Center), Advocate Lurie Children's Hospital (top US pediatric specialty, Lincoln Park), Advocate Health, Loyola Medicine (Maywood), NorthShore University HealthSystem. + dual-shelter at non-profit. Workforce housing in Lincoln Park / Lakeview / Wicker Park / Logan Square / Oak Park.
Lurie Children's pediatric nursing is the premier US pediatric specialty career path. Northwestern Memorial + Rush + U of Chicago combined create world-class Chicago academic nursing depth.
DuPage Suburban Hospitals (Edward-Elmhurst / Loyola / NorthShore Evanston / Glenbrook)
Staff RN $85K-$120K · senior $120K-$155K · NP / Director $160K-$220KEdward-Elmhurst Health (Naperville / Elmhurst), Loyola Medicine (Maywood), NorthShore University HealthSystem (Evanston / Glenbrook / Highland Park / Skokie), Advocate Good Samaritan (Downers Grove). Workforce housing in Naperville / Wheaton / Glen Ellyn / Hinsdale ($450K-$700K). DuPage County 1.8-2.0% property tax (vs Cook 2.1%).
DuPage suburban hospital + suburb arbitrage offers advantage — strong hospital comp + lower property tax + family-friendly + top schools. NorthShore University HealthSystem premium tier.
Downstate IL (Springfield / Peoria / Champaign-Urbana / Quad Cities)
Staff RN $70K-$100K · specialty $100K-$130K · NP / Director $130K-$180KSpringfield Memorial Health, OSF HealthCare (Peoria + statewide), Carle Foundation Hospital (Champaign-Urbana), Genesis Health (Quad Cities), University of Illinois Hospital + Health Sciences System (Champaign). Lower comp than Chicago metro but dramatically lower COL — $200K-$350K modest homes. Real homeowner economics on RN income. Rural shortage signing bonuses common.
Downstate IL nursing is genuinely affordable — Carle Foundation (Champaign-Urbana) + OSF (Peoria) provide academic specialty opportunities at lower comp + dramatically better homeowner economics. IL retirement income exemption applies statewide — long-term wealth-building genuinely favorable.
The career arc — from new RN to Chicago specialty / Lurie pediatric / IL retirement
Year 1-2 (New Grad RN): $70K-$90K. ADN or BSN graduate. IL RN license (NCSBN compact state — practice in 41+ states). Most major IL hospitals require BSN or BSN-in-progress. Specialty residencies at Northwestern / Rush / U of Chicago / Lurie highly competitive.
Year 3-7 (Staff RN / Specialty Pursuit): $90K-$130K. Specialty cert pursuit common — CCRN (critical care), CNOR (operating room), CEN (emergency), CPN (pediatric, Lurie path), TCRN (trauma). Specialty + shift differentials add $20K-$35K to base.
Year 7-15 (Senior Specialty / Charge Nurse / NP transition): $115K-$170K. Senior ICU / OR / ECMO RN $130K-$170K. Some pursue MSN-NP transition at year 5-10 (NP $130K-$180K at Chicago academic medical centers).
Year 15-25 (Director of Nursing / NP / CRNA / DNP): $170K-$280K. Director of Nursing Northwestern / Rush / U of Chicago $200K-$250K. CRNA $200K-$280K. NP at Chicago academic medical centers $160K-$220K.
Retirement (age 60-65 with 30+ year service): SURS pension (UIC) or hospital / IRA-rollover + home sale exclusion. IL retirement income exemption keeps senior IL nurses in-state — no incentive to relocate to escape state tax. Most senior IL nurses retire in-state or relocate to FL / TN for warmer climate retirement (already 0% state tax destination).
Where Chicago-area nurses live
Chicago's hospital systems are spread across the city and suburbs. This distribution means nurses can often find a reasonable commute from many neighborhoods.
Evanston
NorthShore Evanston nearby · transit to Northwestern · diverse, walkable
Oak Park
Rush Oak Park proximity · Metra to city · historic neighborhood · good schools
Naperville
Edward Hospital nearby · top-rated suburb · family-popular · 45 min Metra to city
Schaumburg / Palatine
Advocate Good Samaritan proximity · affordable · good highway access
Downers Grove
Advocate Good Samaritan area · strong schools · suburban feel
Wicker Park / Logan Square (city)
Urban living option · vibrant neighborhoods · transit to most hospitals
Chicago's El train and Metra suburban rail are genuine assets for nurses who live on transit lines near their hospital.
Is this the right move?
Illinois nursing — the bottom line
Working in your favor
- +World-class hospital systems in Chicago (Northwestern, Rush, UChicago)
- +Urban lifestyle at a fraction of coastal city costs
- +Consistent overtime availability in Chicago metro
- +Strong union presence — INA protects rates and conditions
- +Rural downstate offers genuine shortage incentives
- +Flat 4.95% state tax — predictable and moderate
Worth knowing before you sign
- −Restricted NP practice — MD collaboration required statewide
- −Chicago winters are genuinely brutal (Jan–Feb)
- −Travel nurse rates lower than coastal markets
- −Rural Illinois can be professionally isolating
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