Lawyer · Chicago, IL
Lawyer in Chicago: $6,050/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median lawyer wage in Chicago at $165,660 a year. About 28,320 lawyer jobs are in the metro. The job is a larger share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 1.29). The 10th percentile is $87,070 and the 90th is $331,140. Pay ranks 23rd-highest of 376 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 7.7× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,782/mo). Illinois charges a 4.95% flat income tax. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $6,050 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Peoria, about 110 miles away, at $6,623 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
After tax and rent
$6,050
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$165,660
$87,070 to $331,140
Rent (1 bd)
$1,782
$2,122 (2 bd)
Employment
28,320
Location quotient 1.29
Pay rank
23rd of 376
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
7.7×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, lawyer pay of $165,660.
- Taxes$4,102
- Rent$1,782
- Other$1,871
- Left$6,050
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $165,660
- Federal income tax
- −$28,492
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$12,673
- State income tax (IL)
- −$8,063
- Take-home pay
- $116,432
- Effective tax rate
- 29.7%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $1,782
- Groceries
- $408
- Getting around
- $392
- Healthcare
- $459
- Utilities and internet
- $255
- Everything else
- $357
- Total spending
- $3,653
After tax and rent
$6,050 left/mo
Rank every metro for a lawyer
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Peoria, $6,623/mo.
Lawyer leftover by city →Best cities for lawyers to move to →Lawyer nearby
Compare Chicago with another city
Other jobs in Chicago
- Registered nurse
- Software developer
- Elementary school teacher
- High school teacher
- Accountant / auditor
- Truck driver (heavy)
- Electrician
- Civil engineer
- Police officer
- Financial analyst
- Pharmacist
- Product / project manager
- Physical therapist
- Nurse practitioner
- Physician
- Construction manager
- Data scientist
- Firefighter
- Mechanical engineer
Questions
What does a lawyer make in Chicago?
$165,660 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 28,320 lawyer jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a lawyer in Chicago?
$6,050 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. Illinois charges a 4.95% flat income tax Rent is $1,782, and pay covers 7.7× a year of it.
Where nearby would a lawyer keep more?
Peoria, about 110 miles away, leaves $6,623 a month, more than Chicago.