SOC 15-1252, wage year 2025-26
Software Developers prevailing wage in Illinois
Short answer
In Illinois, the median prevailing wage for software developers across its 16 areas is $35.16 an hour at Level 1 ($73,143 a year) and $62.34 an hour at Level 4 ($129,678 a year). The Level 2 median of $44.66 is 2% below the national median across areas ($45.35). Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is the highest-paying area at $51.96 at Level 2, and Cape Girardeau, MO-IL the lowest at $37.08.
Every Illinois area for software developers
| Area | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $41.09 | $51.96 | $62.84 | $73.71 |
| Bloomington, IL | $43.41 | $50.82 | $58.23 | $65.64 |
| South Illinois nonmetropolitan area | $36.73 | $47.65 | $58.57 | $69.49 |
| Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | $39.91 | $47.31 | $54.72 | $62.12 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $36.56 | $46.82 | $57.07 | $67.33 |
| Kankakee, IL | $35.80 | $45.89 | $55.98 | $66.07 |
| Springfield, IL | $36.59 | $45.64 | $54.70 | $63.75 |
| Decatur, IL | $34.25 | $44.72 | $55.20 | $65.67 |
| Peoria, IL | $36.25 | $44.61 | $52.98 | $61.34 |
| Paducah, KY-IL | $34.53 | $43.88 | $53.22 | $62.57 |
| Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area | $34.36 | $43.57 | $52.79 | $62.00 |
| Champaign-Urbana, IL | $34.43 | $43.34 | $52.26 | $61.17 |
| Rockford, IL | $33.87 | $42.92 | $51.98 | $61.03 |
| West Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area | $32.43 | $41.23 | $50.04 | $58.84 |
| East Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area | $31.65 | $41.10 | $50.55 | $60.00 |
| Cape Girardeau, MO-IL | $29.50 | $37.08 | $44.67 | $52.25 |
Hourly dollars. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC), prevailing wage data, wage year 2025-26. An LCA is not an H-1B approval or a job opening.
Other occupations in Illinois
- Computer Systems Analysts
- Information Security Analysts
- Computer and Information Research Scientists
- Computer Network Support Specialists
- Computer User Support Specialists
- Computer Network Architects
- Database Administrators
- Database Architects
- Network and Computer Systems Administrators
- Computer Programmers
- Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
- Web Developers
- Web and Digital Interface Designers
- Computer Occupations, All Other
- Data Scientists