Network Engineer.
Chicago.
$134,000
median salary, 3% above the national average
$105,000 to $168,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
A Network Engineer in Chicago earns a median of $134,000 in 2026. That is 3% above the national average. The range runs from $105,000 to $168,000, and where you land depends on your experience, your skills, and how well you negotiate. CCIE certification remains the single largest salary differentiator, adding 20 to 30% to base pay. 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 Network Engineer 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 $143,800 for Computer Network Architects (SOC 15-1241) in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metropolitan area, based on 5,400 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$95,930
25th percentile
$120,070
Median
$143,800
75th percentile
$169,500
90th percentile
$205,340
Workers surveyed
5,400
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Computer Network Architects (SOC 15-1241) rather than Network Engineer 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 15-1241Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $121,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$87,000
to $107,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$114,000
to $141,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$147,000
to $174,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$168,000
to $208,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $31,000 to the total package.
Base
$134,000
Equity
$17,000
Bonus
$11,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $165,000
How Chicago compares.
Chicago, IL
$134,000
Cost of living: 7% above average
National Average
$130,000
Chicago is $4,000 above
Network Engineer salary by city.
Salary by role in Chicago.
What you should know.
Here is what the Network Engineer market actually looks like in Chicago. 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. CCIE certification remains the single largest salary differentiator, adding 20 to 30% to base pay. Engineers managing SD-WAN rollouts, hybrid cloud networking, or large-scale data center fabrics command premium rates. Telecom and financial services sectors consistently offer the highest compensation for network specialists.
Help desk and NOC technicians start at $50,000 to $65,000, advancing to network engineer at $78,000 to $135,000 in three to five years. Senior network architects earn $140,000 to $180,000, and director of network engineering roles reach $185,000 to $240,000. 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. Bonuses of 8 to 15% are standard, with on-call stipends adding $5,000 to $12,000 annually. Employers frequently cover CCIE lab fees and ongoing Cisco or Juniper certification renewals as part of retention packages. 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 $134,000, 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 Network Engineers in Chicago runs from $105,000 to $168,000. 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.
Network Engineer 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.
"Network Engineer Salary in Chicago, IL." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/network-engineer/chicago
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