High school teacher · Chicago, IL
High school teacher in Chicago: $2,488/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median high school teacher wage in Chicago at $98,970 a year. About 32,790 high school teacher jobs are in the metro. The job is about the same share of local employment as nationwide (location quotient 1.06). The 10th percentile is $60,380 and the 90th is $140,600. Pay ranks 36th-highest of 369 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 4.6× 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 $2,488 a month after tax and rent. Within 250 miles, Dayton is the strongest other metro for this job ($2,196 left over a month), and Chicago still leaves more.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
After tax and rent
$2,488
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$98,970
$60,380 to $140,600
Rent (1 bd)
$1,782
$2,122 (2 bd)
Employment
32,790
Location quotient 1.06
Pay rank
36th of 369
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
4.6×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, high school teacher pay of $98,970.
- Taxes$2,106
- Rent$1,782
- Other$1,871
- Left$2,488
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $98,970
- Federal income tax
- −$12,943
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$7,571
- State income tax (IL)
- −$4,762
- Take-home pay
- $73,694
- Effective tax rate
- 25.5%
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
$2,488 left/mo
Rank every metro for a high school teacher
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Dayton, $2,196/mo.
High school teacher leftover by city →Best cities for high school teachers to move to →High school teacher nearby
Compare Chicago with another city
Other jobs in Chicago
- Registered nurse
- Software developer
- Elementary school teacher
- Accountant / auditor
- Truck driver (heavy)
- Electrician
- Civil engineer
- Lawyer
- Police officer
- Financial analyst
- Pharmacist
- Product / project manager
- Physical therapist
- Nurse practitioner
- Physician
- Construction manager
- Data scientist
- Firefighter
- Mechanical engineer
Questions
What does a high school teacher make in Chicago?
$98,970 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 32,790 high school teacher jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a high school teacher in Chicago?
$2,488 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. Illinois charges a 4.95% flat income tax Rent is $1,782, and pay covers 4.6× a year of it.
Where nearby would a high school teacher keep more?
Chicago leaves more than the other metros within 250 miles. The next one is Dayton at $2,196 a month.