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Social worker salary in Illinois

Open social worker jobs in Illinois post a median of $38.75 an hour, the middle half $35.25–$41 (about $80,600 a year full time), $2.75 below the national posted median. From 43 jobs at 18 employers that state their pay.

$38.75
Median posted /hr
$35–$41
Middle half /hr
$80,600
A year, full time
estimate, 2,080 hours
$30.90
BLS median in IL
May 2025

The jobs themselves: Social worker jobs in Illinois · Social worker pay nationwide

What social workers are paid in Illinois

Each bar counts the open jobs posting an hourly rate in its step of pay (a range at its midpoint).

Posted hourly rates of 43 open jobs in Illinois. Lowest posted $17.05, highest $55.40.

Posted on open jobs in Illinois

$35.25–$41/hr

Middle half of 30 employer rates (each employer's advertised range once), median $38.75. 60% of the 72 open social worker jobs in Illinois state an hourly rate.

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Social worker pay by town in Illinois

Towns where at least three open jobs state an hourly rate, the towns with the most such jobs first.

TownMedian postedPosted rangeJobs (employers)
Chicago$40$26.78–$5510 (7)
Peoria$33$29.30–$37.057 (1)
Evanston$38.75$31.06–$46.593 (1)

Median of employers' rates in the town, the lowest and highest rate posted, and the jobs and employers behind them. A town opens its own job page.

Social worker pay by employer in Illinois

What each employer posts for social workers here, the employers with the most jobs stating pay first.

EmployerMedian postedPosted rangeJobs stating pay
Northwestern Medicine$41.25$17.05–$5511
OSF HealthCare$34.25$29.30–$37.057
Carle Health$36.50$27.36–$55.405
Endeavor Health$38.75$31.06–$46.594
AdventHealth$39.25$25.90–$52.522
Advocate Health$38.50$30.70–$46.052
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab$50$501
Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago$41.50$31.50–$51.501
Esperanza Health Centers$40$401
Morris Hospital$36.75$29.40–$44.101
Transitions Group$36.50$35–$381
BJC HealthCare$36.25$27.55–$44.851
Hospital Sisters Health System$36.25$28.14–$44.321
Kirby Medical Center$34.75$30.82–$38.531
Prime Healthcare$34.75$28.42–$41.171
Mercyhealth$34.25$24.60–$43.811
Holt International Children's Services$28.50$27–$301
Sinai Chicago$26.75$26.781

Median of each employer's jobs in Illinois (a range at its midpoint), and its lowest and highest rate here. An employer's name opens its pay for social workers nationwide when it has such a page.

Jobs that state a yearly salary

Measured on their own, never converted to hourly.

9 open jobs in Illinois state a yearly salary: a median of $82,000, the middle half $74,900 to $83,700.

Best-paid open social worker jobs in Illinois

The open jobs posting the highest hourly rates tonight, at most two from one employer.

What BLS measures in Illinois

What people employed in the occupation earned in the state, at every level of experience, from the BLS survey. A posting advertises what a new hire is offered.

Hourly wages, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Illinois. Each figure opens its BLS page.
BLS occupation10th pct25th pctMedian75th pct90th pctEmployed
Healthcare Social Workers (21-1022)$22.74 (source: BLS OEWS, Healthcare Social Workers, opens in a new tab)$26.09 (source: BLS OEWS, Healthcare Social Workers, opens in a new tab)$30.90 (source: BLS OEWS, Healthcare Social Workers, opens in a new tab)$37.79 (source: BLS OEWS, Healthcare Social Workers, opens in a new tab)$46.62 (source: BLS OEWS, Healthcare Social Workers, opens in a new tab)4,910 (source: BLS OEWS, Healthcare Social Workers, opens in a new tab)

BLS median by metro area

Social worker salary in Illinois: common questions

How much does a social worker make in Illinois?

Open social worker jobs in Illinois that state an hourly rate post a median of $38.75, the middle half $35.25–$41 (43 jobs from 18 employers). Full time that is about $80,600 a year. BLS measured a median of $30.90/hr ($64,270 a year) for people employed in the occupation in Illinois (May 2025).

Where in Illinois do social workers earn the most?

By the median rate open jobs post, in the towns with the most jobs stating pay: Chicago ($40), Peoria ($33) and Evanston ($38.75). The town table lists 3.

Which employers in Illinois pay social workers the most?

Among employers stating a rate on at least three open jobs here: Northwestern Medicine ($41.25), Endeavor Health ($38.75) and Carle Health ($36.50).

How does Illinois compare with the rest of the country?

The posted median in Illinois ($38.75) is $2.75 below the national posted median of $41.50. In the BLS survey Illinois ranks 28 of 52 by median wage.

Where do these figures come from?

From the pay open jobs state, read every night from each employer's own job board: 43 of 72 open social worker jobs in Illinois (60%) state an hourly rate. No pay is estimated for a job that states none; "up to" ceilings and weekly travel rates are left out.

Social worker pay in other states

Social worker salary nationwide →Every healthcare salary →

Sources and method

Only pay a job states is used, a range at its midpoint. In the state's median and middle half each employer's advertised range counts once, so an employer posting one range in many towns does not set the figure; a town's median follows the same rule. "Up to" ceilings, weekly travel rates and rates far from the occupation's median are left out. A state has a page while at least 8 jobs from 3 employers state a rate there. The yearly estimate is the hourly rate times 2,080 hours. BLS figures are as published.
  1. CareJobs.Now job board: the pay open jobs state, read nightly from each employer's own careers site, published October 24, 2026
  2. BLS OEWS May 2025: Healthcare Social Workers (SOC 21-1022), every state, published May 15, 2026
  3. BLS OEWS May 2025: Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers (SOC 21-1023), every state, published May 15, 2026
  4. BLS OEWS May 2025: Child, Family, and School Social Workers (SOC 21-1021), every state, published May 15, 2026
  5. BLS OEWS May 2025: Healthcare Social Workers, national, published May 15, 2026
  6. BLS OEWS May 2025: Healthcare Social Workers by metropolitan area, published May 15, 2026

Cite this page

CareJobs.Now. (2026). Social worker salary in Illinois. Data as of October 24, 2026. https://carejobs.now/salaries/social-worker/illinois

How the board counts