Hiring a computer network support specialist in Chicago, IL

Employers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area pay computer network support specialists a median of $73,340, with the middle half of the market between $60,880 and $88,550. Chicago residents working in computer and mathematical occupations report a median of $101,216, which is 38% above what the metro pays for this role.

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What does a computer network support specialist earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile	$60,880
Median	$73,340
75th percentile	$88,550

Half of computer network support specialists in this area earn between $60,880 and $88,550. A band set below $60,880 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Chicago residents earn

$101,216

Median earnings of Chicago residents working in computer and mathematical occupations, 64,128 people. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. Where people live, not where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

The 38% figure is not a pay gap. ACS counts the civilian employed population 16 and over, part-time and part-year work included; OEWS counts wage-and-salary jobs only. The two populations differ, so read this number against other cities rather than as a shortfall: the same definitional difference applies to every city equally, which is what makes a city-to-city reading sound.

Residents here already earn more than this role pays, so your offer is competing with whatever they currently commute to.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Back up network data.
Configure security settings or access permissions for groups or individuals.
Analyze and report computer network security breaches or attempted breaches.
Identify the causes of networking problems, using diagnostic testing software and equipment.
Document network support activities.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 15-1231.

Tools and technologies in demand

Border Gateway Protocol BGP, Firewall software, Microsoft Active Directory, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Windows Server, Operating system software, ServiceNow.

O*NET 29.1, flagged in demand or hot for this occupation. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Chicago?

This is a job zone four: considerable preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

That matters here, because 43.3% of Chicago adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a workable pool, but the search will reach beyond the city line. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501.

The average Chicago commute runs 33.5 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 18.3% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Cook County, computer systems design and related services employs 46,733 and turns over 6.3% a quarter, with 3,627 hires against 3,796 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $13,495 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5415.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about computer network support specialists. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a low-churn market, where people do not move often and passive candidates are the whole game.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's median would bill roughly $14,668 to $22,002 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Price this search

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