High paying teaching and library jobs in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

Every teaching and library occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Read the percentile range, not just the median: the gap between the 10th and 90th inside a single teaching and library 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 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN run 3.6% above the national average (2024), so a Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN salary is worth about 0.97× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order.

Local wage estimates are suppressed more often than state ones — BLS withholds any figure too few local employers report — so an occupation missing here simply has no published local estimate.

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

Find teaching jobs in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

OccupationMedian, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN · Employed

1Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary$101,960
Doctoral or professional degree
$47,340 – $208,9601,760
2Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary$101,010
Doctoral or professional degree
$58,870 – $214,0906,390
3Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$98,970
Bachelor's degree
$60,380 – $140,60032,790
4Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School$98,170
Bachelor's degree
$55,860 – $148,2101,640
5Business Teachers, Postsecondary$93,670
Doctoral or professional degree
$35,030 – $215,5002,450
6Special Education Teachers, Secondary School$82,350
Bachelor's degree
$60,540 – $131,5307,360
7Nursing Instructors and Teachers, Postsecondary$80,440
Doctoral or professional degree
$47,790 – $103,2203,840
8Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School$79,690
Bachelor's degree
$53,010 – $104,49011,210
9English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary$78,620
Doctoral or professional degree
$31,200 – $128,5901,850
10Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education$78,390
Bachelor's degree
$48,960 – $105,25045,840
11Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$78,000
Bachelor's degree
$50,530 – $120,62017,300
12Instructional Coordinators$77,900
Master's degree
$45,660 – $120,8407,790
13Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary$77,860
Doctoral or professional degree
$38,570 – $130,9501,620
14Special Education Teachers, Middle School$77,840
Bachelor's degree
$56,020 – $105,1803,190
15Special Education Teachers, All Other$74,180
Bachelor's degree
$49,550 – $103,0301,550
16Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education$70,250
Bachelor's degree
$48,640 – $106,5103,350
17Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary$68,050
Doctoral or professional degree
$45,120 – $128,1001,810
18Librarians and Media Collections Specialists$66,250
Master's degree
$46,870 – $113,1503,740
19Career/Technical Education Teachers, Postsecondary$63,100
Bachelor's degree
$45,260 – $123,8303,160
20Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary$62,960
Master's degree
$31,200 – $122,7402,950
21Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors$62,370
Bachelor's degree
$47,930 – $98,4701,510
22Education Teachers, Postsecondary$61,350
Doctoral or professional degree
$38,390 – $99,5302,650
23Library Technicians$47,100
Postsecondary nondegree award
$36,260 – $62,9101,520
24Self-Enrichment Teachers$45,020
High school diploma or equivalent
$31,270 – $82,21012,740
25Substitute Teachers, Short-Term$43,460
Bachelor's degree
$32,940 – $58,04011,110
26Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education$43,050
Associate's degree
$36,650 – $61,12017,180
27Tutors$38,100
Some college, no degree
$31,200 – $65,7104,780
28Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary$37,840
Some college, no degree
$31,200 – $48,10046,770
29Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary$35,760
Bachelor's degree
$35,280 – $96,8508,860

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

#	Occupation	MedianChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Biological Science Teachers, PostsecondaryDoctoral or professional degree	$101,960	$47,340 – $208,960	1,760
2	Health Specialties Teachers, PostsecondaryDoctoral or professional degree	$101,010	$58,870 – $214,090	6,390
3	Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical EducationBachelor's degree	$98,970	$60,380 – $140,600	32,790
4	Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary SchoolBachelor's degree	$98,170	$55,860 – $148,210	1,640
5	Business Teachers, PostsecondaryDoctoral or professional degree	$93,670	$35,030 – $215,500	2,450
6	Special Education Teachers, Secondary SchoolBachelor's degree	$82,350	$60,540 – $131,530	7,360
7	Nursing Instructors and Teachers, PostsecondaryDoctoral or professional degree	$80,440	$47,790 – $103,220	3,840
8	Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary SchoolBachelor's degree	$79,690	$53,010 – $104,490	11,210
9	English Language and Literature Teachers, PostsecondaryDoctoral or professional degree	$78,620	$31,200 – $128,590	1,850
10	Elementary School Teachers, Except Special EducationBachelor's degree	$78,390	$48,960 – $105,250	45,840
11	Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical EducationBachelor's degree	$78,000	$50,530 – $120,620	17,300
12	Instructional CoordinatorsMaster's degree	$77,900	$45,660 – $120,840	7,790
13	Psychology Teachers, PostsecondaryDoctoral or professional degree	$77,860	$38,570 – $130,950	1,620
14	Special Education Teachers, Middle SchoolBachelor's degree	$77,840	$56,020 – $105,180	3,190
15	Special Education Teachers, All OtherBachelor's degree	$74,180	$49,550 – $103,030	1,550
16	Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special EducationBachelor's degree	$70,250	$48,640 – $106,510	3,350
17	Mathematical Science Teachers, PostsecondaryDoctoral or professional degree	$68,050	$45,120 – $128,100	1,810
18	Librarians and Media Collections SpecialistsMaster's degree	$66,250	$46,870 – $113,150	3,740
19	Career/Technical Education Teachers, PostsecondaryBachelor's degree	$63,100	$45,260 – $123,830	3,160
20	Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, PostsecondaryMaster's degree	$62,960	$31,200 – $122,740	2,950
21	Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language InstructorsBachelor's degree	$62,370	$47,930 – $98,470	1,510
22	Education Teachers, PostsecondaryDoctoral or professional degree	$61,350	$38,390 – $99,530	2,650
23	Library TechniciansPostsecondary nondegree award	$47,100	$36,260 – $62,910	1,520
24	Self-Enrichment TeachersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$45,020	$31,270 – $82,210	12,740
25	Substitute Teachers, Short-TermBachelor's degree	$43,460	$32,940 – $58,040	11,110
26	Preschool Teachers, Except Special EducationAssociate's degree	$43,050	$36,650 – $61,120	17,180
27	TutorsSome college, no degree	$38,100	$31,200 – $65,710	4,780
28	Teaching Assistants, Except PostsecondarySome college, no degree	$37,840	$31,200 – $48,100	46,770
29	Teaching Assistants, PostsecondaryBachelor's degree	$35,760	$35,280 – $96,850	8,860

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. 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.

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The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN to rank honestly.

High paying teaching and library jobs in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

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