Mid-level Systems Engineer / Architect salary in Chicago, IL

Based on 1,192 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level II in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Naperville, Schaumburg, Riverwoods, Deerfield, Waukegan.

Median salary$88,150
Middle 50%$82.8k–$88.2k
vs. all levels here−18%comparison median $107,640
Filings1,192FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $82,846 and $155,454.
PercentileSalary
10th$82,846
25th$82,846
50th (median)$88,150
75th$88,151
90th$109,280

Salary by year

Median salary

$60k $80k $100k FY2020: median $77,438 (1,180 filings) FY2021: median $76,045 (973 filings) FY2022: median $76,045 (1,143 filings) FY2023: median $72,800 (809 filings) FY2024: median $78,354 (1,050 filings) FY2025: median $88,150 (796 filings) FY2026: median $82,846 (396 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 1,180 filings FY20 FY2021: 973 filings FY21 FY2022: 1,143 filings FY22 FY2023: 809 filings FY23 FY2024: 1,050 filings FY24 FY2025: 796 filings FY25 FY2026: 396 filings FY26 1,180
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$77,438$77,438$80,4001,180
FY2021$76,045$75,754$87,360973
FY2022$76,045$76,045$90,9411,143
FY2023$72,800$72,426$80,000809
FY2024$78,354$78,354$88,1501,050
FY2025$88,150$88,150$88,150796
FY2026$82,846$82,846$89,222396

Cost of living

Chicago's median mid-level Systems Engineer / Architect salary of $88,150 is worth about $85,100 at national average prices.

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

Compared with all workers here

All Computer Systems Engineers/Architects in the Chicago, IL area earned a median of $101,660 in May 2025 (7,800 employed). The H-1B median here is $88,150, 13% lower.

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
Cognizant$88,150230
Tata Consultancy Services$88,150207
Infosys$82,846166
Wipro$88,15025
HCLTech$88,15024
ZS Associates$130,50019
IBS SOFTWARE AMERICAS, INC. (f/k/a IBS Software Services Americas, Inc.)$97,20013
LTIMindtree$95,67512
Compunnel Software Group$95,00011
Hexaware Technologiestoo few9

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

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $72,000 113
Mid-level · Level II $88,150 1,192
Senior · Level III $112,965 972
Expert · Level IV $137,758 692

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$63,357$72,000113
Mid-level · Level II$88,150$88,1501,192
Senior · Level III$112,965$112,965972
Expert · Level IV$132,434$137,758692

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.