Executive Assistant.
Chicago.
$77,000
median salary, 4% above the national average
$62,000 to $93,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
An Executive Assistant in Chicago earns a median of $77,000 in 2026. That is 4% above the national average. The range runs from $62,000 to $93,000, and where you land depends on your experience, your skills, and how well you negotiate. The seniority of the executive supported is the dominant pay factor. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Executive Assistant in Chicago, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $77,770 for Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants (SOC 43-6011) in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metropolitan area, based on 10,620 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$54,440
25th percentile
$60,420
Median
$77,770
75th percentile
$95,650
90th percentile
$107,430
Workers surveyed
10,620
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants (SOC 43-6011) rather than Executive Assistant specifically. The Chicago range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 43-6011Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $69,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$50,000
to $62,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$65,000
to $81,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$85,000
to $100,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$96,000
to $119,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $16,000 to the total package.
Base
$77,000
Equity
$8,000
Bonus
$6,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $93,000
How Chicago compares.
Chicago, IL
$77,000
Cost of living: 7% above average
National Average
$74,000
Chicago is $3,000 above
Executive Assistant salary by city.
Salary by role in Chicago.
What you should know.
The Executive Assistant landscape in Chicago is not what most salary sites will tell you. Chicago's economy is anchored by finance, manufacturing, and a rapidly expanding tech sector. The city has become a major hub for fintech, enterprise SaaS, and e-commerce. With lower living costs than coastal cities and a deep talent pool from top universities, Chicago offers strong salary to cost of living ratios for professionals across industries. The seniority of the executive supported is the dominant pay factor. EAs to C-suite leaders earn 25 to 40% more than those supporting VPs or directors. Gatekeeping complexity, international travel coordination, and board-level document preparation all push salaries to the higher end of the range.
Junior EAs start at $48,000 to $58,000 supporting directors or VPs. EAs to SVPs and C-suite earn $68,000 to $95,000. Senior EAs and chiefs of staff reach $90,000 to $130,000. Some transition into operations management or business partner roles exceeding $120,000. In Chicago, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Annual bonuses of 5 to 15% are common, often discretionary and based on executive satisfaction. EAs at tech companies frequently receive equity grants worth $5,000 to $25,000 annually. Some receive the same perks as executives, including travel upgrades. And on the tax side: illinois has a flat 4.95% state income tax. Chicago does not levy a separate city income tax, making the overall burden moderate compared to coastal metros. When someone quotes you $77,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Reference the Bay Area or NYC salary band for your role, then negotiate a modest discount. Chicago employers routinely offer 85 to 90% of coastal pay. The range for Executive Assistants in Chicago runs from $62,000 to $93,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
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Common questions.
Executive Assistant salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Chicago.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Executive Assistant Salary in Chicago, IL." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/executive-assistant/chicago
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