High paying office and admin jobs in Illinois with no degree

The best paid office and admin occupations in Illinois that require no bachelor's degree — a high school diploma, a certificate, or an associate's degree is the typical entry. 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

Find office jobs in Illinois

OccupationMedian, Illinois · Employed

1Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants$74,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$50,750 – $104,85014,900
2First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers$69,010
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,780 – $103,77042,400
3Brokerage Clerks$63,350
High school diploma or equivalent
$44,980 – $95,0302,060
4Postal Service Mail Carriers$62,070
No formal educational credential
$43,120 – $81,04014,730
5Postal Service Clerks$61,710
No formal educational credential
$42,600 – $75,0302,720
6Payroll and Timekeeping Clerks$61,390
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,670 – $86,4605,580
7Public Safety Telecommunicators$61,260
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,920 – $94,9704,350
8Cargo and Freight Agents$59,750
High school diploma or equivalent
$40,030 – $80,5806,110
9Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators$58,300
No formal educational credential
$42,600 – $75,2805,370
10Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks$57,880
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,880 – $87,96011,900
11Financial Clerks, All Other$56,980
High school diploma or equivalent
$53,330 – $83,1501,940
12Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants$52,790
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,600 – $99,4708,030
13Loan Interviewers and Clerks$50,000
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,030 – $67,4006,850
14File Clerks$49,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,120 – $73,0403,780
15Billing and Posting Clerks$49,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,560 – $76,86021,010
16Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks$49,560
Some college, no degree
$32,360 – $71,48051,470
17New Accounts Clerks$49,040
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,090 – $60,4702,020
18Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks$48,440
High school diploma or equivalent
$38,520 – $65,5809,060
19Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$48,310
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,930 – $76,79074,280
20Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping$48,310
Associate's degree
$38,180 – $66,3304,140
21Bill and Account Collectors$48,140
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,490 – $65,7805,080
22Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks$47,850
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,850 – $77,2007,080
23Procurement Clerks$47,770
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,490 – $64,5001,950
24Order Clerks$47,670
Some college, no degree
$36,000 – $60,6303,540
25Court, Municipal, and License Clerks$46,920
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,450 – $75,2308,370
26Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks$46,760
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,750 – $63,40033,030
27Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants$46,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,440 – $58,32027,560
28Customer Service Representatives$46,130
High school diploma or equivalent
$33,590 – $71,400100,970
29Office Clerks, General$45,730
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,560 – $68,49095,980
30Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan$43,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,200 – $59,2302,240
31Data Entry Keyers$42,840
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,200 – $59,9205,910
32Office and Administrative Support Workers, All Other$42,030
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,200 – $67,1902,790
33Tellers$38,670
High school diploma or equivalent
$34,670 – $47,75016,960
34Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service$38,190
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,230 – $50,6403,150
35Receptionists and Information Clerks$37,400
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,200 – $48,35040,370
36Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks$35,410
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,200 – $44,9006,390
37Library Assistants, Clerical$34,680
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,200 – $44,5206,620

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	Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative AssistantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$74,390	$50,750 – $104,850	14,900
2	First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$69,010	$46,780 – $103,770	42,400
3	Brokerage ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$63,350	$44,980 – $95,030	2,060
4	Postal Service Mail CarriersNo formal educational credential	$62,070	$43,120 – $81,040	14,730
5	Postal Service ClerksNo formal educational credential	$61,710	$42,600 – $75,030	2,720
6	Payroll and Timekeeping ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,390	$39,670 – $86,460	5,580
7	Public Safety TelecommunicatorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$61,260	$38,920 – $94,970	4,350
8	Cargo and Freight AgentsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$59,750	$40,030 – $80,580	6,110
9	Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$58,300	$42,600 – $75,280	5,370
10	Production, Planning, and Expediting ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,880	$39,880 – $87,960	11,900
11	Financial Clerks, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$56,980	$53,330 – $83,150	1,940
12	Legal Secretaries and Administrative AssistantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$52,790	$41,600 – $99,470	8,030
13	Loan Interviewers and ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$50,000	$39,030 – $67,400	6,850
14	File ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,920	$32,120 – $73,040	3,780
15	Billing and Posting ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,730	$38,560 – $76,860	21,010
16	Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing ClerksSome college, no degree	$49,560	$32,360 – $71,480	51,470
17	New Accounts ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$49,040	$39,090 – $60,470	2,020
18	Insurance Claims and Policy Processing ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,440	$38,520 – $65,580	9,060
19	Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and ExecutiveHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,310	$31,930 – $76,790	74,280
20	Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and TimekeepingAssociate's degree	$48,310	$38,180 – $66,330	4,140
21	Bill and Account CollectorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,140	$37,490 – $65,780	5,080
22	Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,850	$37,850 – $77,200	7,080
23	Procurement ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$47,770	$37,490 – $64,500	1,950
24	Order ClerksSome college, no degree	$47,670	$36,000 – $60,630	3,540
25	Court, Municipal, and License ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,920	$35,450 – $75,230	8,370
26	Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,760	$36,750 – $63,400	33,030
27	Medical Secretaries and Administrative AssistantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,670	$37,440 – $58,320	27,560
28	Customer Service RepresentativesHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,130	$33,590 – $71,400	100,970
29	Office Clerks, GeneralHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,730	$31,560 – $68,490	95,980
30	Interviewers, Except Eligibility and LoanHigh school diploma or equivalent	$43,200	$31,200 – $59,230	2,240
31	Data Entry KeyersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,840	$31,200 – $59,920	5,910
32	Office and Administrative Support Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,030	$31,200 – $67,190	2,790
33	TellersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,670	$34,670 – $47,750	16,960
34	Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal ServiceHigh school diploma or equivalent	$38,190	$31,230 – $50,640	3,150
35	Receptionists and Information ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$37,400	$31,200 – $48,350	40,370
36	Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk ClerksHigh school diploma or equivalent	$35,410	$31,200 – $44,900	6,390
37	Library Assistants, ClericalHigh school diploma or equivalent	$34,680	$31,200 – $44,520	6,620

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 office and admin jobs in Illinois with no degree

More for Illinois

Metro areas in Illinois

By field in Illinois

Without a degree

High paying office and admin jobs in each state with no degree