High paying medical jobs in Illinois with no experience

The best paid medical occupations in Illinois that require neither a degree nor prior experience in a related job. This is the narrowest cut on the site, so it is also the shortest list: where a field has only two or three such occupations, there is no page at all rather than a page pretending otherwise.

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

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OccupationMedian, Illinois · Employed

1Diagnostic Medical Sonographers$100,660
Associate's degree
$78,350 – $122,6803,270
2Dental Hygienists$96,670
Associate's degree
$74,280 – $118,4108,970
3Respiratory Therapists$84,090
Associate's degree
$64,480 – $100,1004,880
4Surgical Assistants$80,210
Postsecondary nondegree award
$64,220 – $83,7402,300
5Radiologic Technologists and Technicians$79,930
Associate's degree
$59,350 – $104,2107,650
6Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses$75,000
Postsecondary nondegree award
$58,880 – $89,81017,440
7Surgical Technologists$64,650
Postsecondary nondegree award
$48,560 – $91,8903,570
8Medical Records Specialists$56,440
Postsecondary nondegree award
$38,890 – $77,5205,740
9Health Technologists and Technicians, All Other$49,930
Postsecondary nondegree award
$40,520 – $80,7604,620
10Ophthalmic Medical Technicians$47,100
Postsecondary nondegree award
$36,190 – $60,4903,250
11Pharmacy Technicians$46,650
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,550 – $58,26021,340
12Veterinary Technologists and Technicians$46,440
Associate's degree
$38,580 – $60,5205,040
13Opticians, Dispensing$43,960
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,080 – $62,8303,250
14Emergency Medical Technicians$42,260
Postsecondary nondegree award
$36,420 – $135,4907,840

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	Diagnostic Medical SonographersAssociate's degree	$100,660	$78,350 – $122,680	3,270
2	Dental HygienistsAssociate's degree	$96,670	$74,280 – $118,410	8,970
3	Respiratory TherapistsAssociate's degree	$84,090	$64,480 – $100,100	4,880
4	Surgical AssistantsPostsecondary nondegree award	$80,210	$64,220 – $83,740	2,300
5	Radiologic Technologists and TechniciansAssociate's degree	$79,930	$59,350 – $104,210	7,650
6	Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational NursesPostsecondary nondegree award	$75,000	$58,880 – $89,810	17,440
7	Surgical TechnologistsPostsecondary nondegree award	$64,650	$48,560 – $91,890	3,570
8	Medical Records SpecialistsPostsecondary nondegree award	$56,440	$38,890 – $77,520	5,740
9	Health Technologists and Technicians, All OtherPostsecondary nondegree award	$49,930	$40,520 – $80,760	4,620
10	Ophthalmic Medical TechniciansPostsecondary nondegree award	$47,100	$36,190 – $60,490	3,250
11	Pharmacy TechniciansHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,650	$36,550 – $58,260	21,340
12	Veterinary Technologists and TechniciansAssociate's degree	$46,440	$38,580 – $60,520	5,040
13	Opticians, DispensingHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,960	$37,080 – $62,830	3,250
14	Emergency Medical TechniciansPostsecondary nondegree award	$42,260	$36,420 – $135,490	7,840

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 medical jobs in Illinois with no experience

More for Illinois

Metro areas in Illinois

By field in Illinois

Without a degree

High paying medical jobs in each state with no experience