Hiring a facilities manager in Chicago, IL

Employers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area pay facilities managers a median of $113,150, with the middle half of the market between $89,330 and $138,710. Chicago residents working in management occupations report a median of $94,104, which is 17% below what the metro pays for this role.

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What does a facilities manager 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	$89,330
Median	$113,150
75th percentile	$138,710

Half of facilities managers in this area earn between $89,330 and $138,710. A band set below $89,330 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Chicago residents earn

$94,104

Median earnings of Chicago residents working in management occupations, 168,375 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 17% 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.

The role pays well above the local residential norm, which usually means you can hire from inside Chicago rather than competing for commuters.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Monitor the facility to ensure that it remains safe, secure, and well-maintained.
Oversee the maintenance and repair of machinery, equipment, and electrical and mechanical systems.
Oversee construction and renovation projects to improve efficiency and to ensure that facilities meet environmental, health, and security standards, and comply with government regulations.
Plan, administer, and control budgets for contracts, equipment, and supplies.
Participate in architectural and engineering planning and design, including space and installation management.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 11-3013.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, Autodesk AutoCAD, Autodesk Revit.

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, management of companies and enterprises employs 33,028 and turns over 5.7% a quarter, with 2,297 hires against 2,508 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $15,035 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 55.

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 facilities managers. 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 $22,630 to $33,945 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

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.