High paying management jobs in Illinois

Every management occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Illinois. Read the percentile range, not just the median: the gap between the 10th and 90th inside a single management job is usually wider than the gap between two different ones, so where you land in a field matters more than which field you pick.

Cost of living: prices in Illinois run 0.0% below the national average (2024), so a Illinois salary is worth about 1.00× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in Illinois.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find management jobs in Illinois

OccupationMedian, Illinois · Employed

1Chief Executives$331,920
Bachelor's degree
$133,170 – $589,7204,620
2Computer and Information Systems Managers$171,730
Bachelor's degree
$105,350 – $273,50031,680
3Financial Managers$165,880
Bachelor's degree
$100,070 – $313,11052,720
4Architectural and Engineering Managers$163,610
Bachelor's degree
$112,090 – $231,8808,900
5Marketing Managers$162,860
Bachelor's degree
$95,990 – $276,34021,140
6Natural Sciences Managers$159,670
Bachelor's degree
$85,210 – $281,6602,810
7Sales Managers$155,280
Bachelor's degree
$78,760 – $282,89032,240
8Purchasing Managers$153,370
Bachelor's degree
$100,990 – $225,4504,160
9Human Resources Managers$151,370
Bachelor's degree
$90,820 – $267,52013,520
10Managers, All Other$140,240
Bachelor's degree
$82,230 – $235,26031,680
11Public Relations Managers$131,990
Bachelor's degree
$75,730 – $221,4402,770
12Industrial Production Managers$127,270
Bachelor's degree
$82,900 – $205,31011,570
13Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers$120,250
High school diploma or equivalent
$68,310 – $207,57011,030
14Medical and Health Services Managers$117,850
Bachelor's degree
$75,920 – $227,18022,460
15Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary$113,360
Master's degree
$78,070 – $169,40014,850
16Construction Managers$109,160
Bachelor's degree
$58,170 – $172,41019,160
17Facilities Managers$106,980
Bachelor's degree
$62,700 – $165,4009,180
18Administrative Services Managers$106,860
Bachelor's degree
$55,410 – $175,69012,040
19Fundraising Managers$106,290
Bachelor's degree
$67,700 – $173,3902,860
20General and Operations Managers$103,570
Bachelor's degree
$53,240 – $269,320171,300
21Education Administrators, Postsecondary$99,770
Master's degree
$62,270 – $172,5409,530
22Social and Community Service Managers$78,380
Bachelor's degree
$50,840 – $118,1707,520
23Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except Gambling$77,310
Bachelor's degree
$45,450 – $121,7203,260
24Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers$74,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,570 – $143,20011,180
25Food Service Managers$63,930
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,390 – $101,96011,270
26Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and Daycare$58,550
Bachelor's degree
$43,700 – $78,5003,090

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianIllinois	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Chief ExecutivesBachelor's degree	$331,920	$133,170 – $589,720	4,620
2	Computer and Information Systems ManagersBachelor's degree	$171,730	$105,350 – $273,500	31,680
3	Financial ManagersBachelor's degree	$165,880	$100,070 – $313,110	52,720
4	Architectural and Engineering ManagersBachelor's degree	$163,610	$112,090 – $231,880	8,900
5	Marketing ManagersBachelor's degree	$162,860	$95,990 – $276,340	21,140
6	Natural Sciences ManagersBachelor's degree	$159,670	$85,210 – $281,660	2,810
7	Sales ManagersBachelor's degree	$155,280	$78,760 – $282,890	32,240
8	Purchasing ManagersBachelor's degree	$153,370	$100,990 – $225,450	4,160
9	Human Resources ManagersBachelor's degree	$151,370	$90,820 – $267,520	13,520
10	Managers, All OtherBachelor's degree	$140,240	$82,230 – $235,260	31,680
11	Public Relations ManagersBachelor's degree	$131,990	$75,730 – $221,440	2,770
12	Industrial Production ManagersBachelor's degree	$127,270	$82,900 – $205,310	11,570
13	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution ManagersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$120,250	$68,310 – $207,570	11,030
14	Medical and Health Services ManagersBachelor's degree	$117,850	$75,920 – $227,180	22,460
15	Education Administrators, Kindergarten through SecondaryMaster's degree	$113,360	$78,070 – $169,400	14,850
16	Construction ManagersBachelor's degree	$109,160	$58,170 – $172,410	19,160
17	Facilities ManagersBachelor's degree	$106,980	$62,700 – $165,400	9,180
18	Administrative Services ManagersBachelor's degree	$106,860	$55,410 – $175,690	12,040
19	Fundraising ManagersBachelor's degree	$106,290	$67,700 – $173,390	2,860
20	General and Operations ManagersBachelor's degree	$103,570	$53,240 – $269,320	171,300
21	Education Administrators, PostsecondaryMaster's degree	$99,770	$62,270 – $172,540	9,530
22	Social and Community Service ManagersBachelor's degree	$78,380	$50,840 – $118,170	7,520
23	Entertainment and Recreation Managers, Except GamblingBachelor's degree	$77,310	$45,450 – $121,720	3,260
24	Property, Real Estate, and Community Association ManagersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$74,980	$44,570 – $143,200	11,180
25	Food Service ManagersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,930	$36,390 – $101,960	11,270
26	Education and Childcare Administrators, Preschool and DaycareBachelor's degree	$58,550	$43,700 – $78,500	3,090

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Illinois. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

More for Illinois

Metro areas in Illinois

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in Illinois

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Illinois to rank honestly.

High paying management jobs in Illinois

More for Illinois

Metro areas in Illinois

By field in Illinois

Without a degree

High paying management jobs in each state