Senior Biomedical Engineer salary in Chicago, IL

Based on 17 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level III in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Evanston, Lake Forest, Libertyville, North Chicago, Warrenville.

Median salary$115,669
Middle 50%$100k–$127.3k
vs. all levels here+28%comparison median $90,521
Filings17FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $88,455 and $151,640.
PercentileSalary
10th$99,341
25th$100,000
50th (median)$115,669
75th$127,296
90th$138,799

Cost of living

Chicago's median senior Biomedical Engineer salary of $115,669 is worth about $111,700 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Chicago = 103.6).

Compared with all workers here

All Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers in the Chicago, IL area earned a median of $98,670 in May 2025 (210 employed). The H-1B median here is $115,669, 17% higher.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.

Employers filing at this level

EmployerMedianFilings
Abbott Laboratoriestoo few2
Northwestern Universitytoo few2
Rush University Medical Centertoo few2
University of Illinois Chicagotoo few2

Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $64,678 22
Mid-level · Level II $90,000 23
Senior · Level III $115,669 17
Expert · Level IV too few 2

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Minimum H-1B salary by level

Wage levelPrevailing wage (most common)Median offered salaryFilings
Entry-level · Level I$56,659$64,67822
Mid-level · Level II$81,848$90,00023
Senior · Level III$99,341$115,66917

The prevailing wage is the minimum an employer must pay for this job and area. Amounts vary by county within a metro and by wage source.