Illinois (IL)
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H1BIndex State Grade
i
B
FY 2026
2023
A+
2024
A+
2025
A+
Total State Visa Volume i
3,415
Filings in FY 2026
Median State Salary i
$111,675
Standard yearly salary
True Purchasing Power i
$105,360
Adjusted for Cost of Living
USCIS Approval Rate i
99.6%
Official Adjudication
State Economic & Immigration Overview
An automated macro-level review of Illinois's tech ecosystem.Illinois Economy Score
Businesses across Illinois filed 3,415 work visa requests. Evaluating this hiring output, Our system grants this area an H1B Index Score of "B".
High Job Growth
Job creation remains strong in this region. A massive 78.4% of visa requests were for brand-new hires, meaning local companies are actively expanding their footprints.
Living Costs
It is important to look past the raw $111,675 salary figure. Because Illinois collects a 4.9% state tax, actual localized purchasing power settles near $105,360.
Reliable Visa Process
If you want a stable career path, Illinois is a great option. Companies successfully get 99.6% of their work visas approved, alongside 937 active Green Card sponsorships.
Expert Skill Sets
If you are a senior candidate, Illinois offers a massive advantage. 42.1% of the sponsored opportunities in this state are engineered for highly experienced specialists.
Regional Hiring Trends
Most of the work visa opportunities in Illinois are located in Chicago. Across the entire state, companies in the Professional, Scientific, and Tech Services sector lead the job market.
Layoff Radar & Risk Indicators
Minor Displacement Notice
Minor State Layoffs: Only 62 permanent employers (6.6%) in Illinois reported recent job cuts in their paperwork.
Top Metro Hubs in Illinois
Hiring volume across major cities mapped against the state baseline compensation rate of $111,675.Talent Sourcing Pipeline
Are companies hiring fresh talent or poaching from competitors?Fresh Hires (78.4%)Corporate Poaching (21.6%)
State Wage Premium
$5,117
Above Legal Minimum
On average, employers in Illinois offer salaries that are $5,117 higher than the baseline prevailing wage required by the Department of Labor.
10-Year Salary Trends
Comparing state-level base compensation growth for temporary H-1B visas versus permanent Green Cards (PERM). Wage Growth: +55.4%. State median pay has risen over the last ten years.
Standard Pay Raise: +$10,000. Transitioning to permanent residency brings a 9.1% salary boost across the state in 2026.
Top Hiring Employers
Companies sponsoring the most visas in this state.
Company & Median Pay
Total Approvals
Top Emerging Startups in Illinois
Looking to join a new company? Here are the 5 most active young startups filing for work visas in Illinois.
Grainger Corporate Services LLC
Talent Strategy 100% Poached / 0% Fresh
Hiring Focus Entry / Mid Level
Residency High GC Sponsorship
$148,920+33.4% vs State Avg
Apex Fintech Services LLC
Talent Strategy Standard Hiring
Hiring Focus Senior / Lead Level
Residency High GC Sponsorship
$150,000+34.3% vs State Avg
Bridge Group, LLC
Talent Strategy Standard Hiring
Hiring Focus Entry / Mid Level
Residency High GC Sponsorship
$108,077-3.2% vs State Avg
Citadel Securities Americas Services LLC
Talent Strategy Standard Hiring
Hiring Focus Senior / Lead Level
Residency High GC Sponsorship
$275,000+146.3% vs State Avg
Huron Research LLC
Talent Strategy Standard Hiring
Hiring Focus Entry / Mid Level
Residency High GC Sponsorship
$160,000+43.3% vs State Avg
O*NET Wage Level Distribution
Experience requirements matched against pay tiers across the state.| Experience Level | Total Filings | Cohort Size | Minimum Base | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry Level (Level I) | 647 | 18.9% | $40,914 | $71,968 |
| Qualified (Level II) | 1,111 | 32.5% | $48,568 | $105,706 |
| Experienced (Level III) | 725 | 21.2% | $60,000 | $130,707 |
| Fully Competent (Level IV) | 713 | 20.9% | $54,558 | $156,672 |
| Not Disclosed (Blank) | 219 | 6.4% | $31,200 | $120,848 |
Geographic Deployment & Worksites
The top locations where state employers place their workers.| City/Metro Area | Workforce % | City Median Pay | Wage (Level IV) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | 38.2% (1,304 Filings) | $123,400 | 23.6% |
| Riverwoods, IL | 3.7% (128 Filings) | $110,651 | 8.6% |
| Naperville, IL | 3.7% (126 Filings) | $127,757 | 26.2% |
| Schaumburg, IL | 3.0% (101 Filings) | $108,077 | 15.8% |
| Bloomington, IL | 2.5% (85 Filings) | $105,706 | 5.9% |
| Lisle, IL | 2.2% (75 Filings) | $130,062 | 33.3% |
| Aurora, IL | 2.2% (75 Filings) | $121,389 | 22.7% |
| Buffalo Grove, IL | 1.9% (66 Filings) | $116,480 | 22.7% |
| Peoria, IL | 1.6% (54 Filings) | $95,680 | 9.3% |
| Normal, IL | 1.6% (53 Filings) | $110,838 | 15.1% |
| Northbrook, IL | 1.4% (48 Filings) | $135,126 | 37.5% |
| Evanston, IL | 1.4% (47 Filings) | $76,500 | 4.3% |
| Deerfield, IL | 1.3% (44 Filings) | $107,858 | 20.5% |
| Hoffman Estates, IL | 1.1% (38 Filings) | $127,000 | 28.9% |
| Chillicothe, IL | 1.1% (36 Filings) | $100,940 | 25.0% |
| Urbana, IL | 1.1% (36 Filings) | $72,010 | 5.6% |
| Bolingbrook, IL | 0.9% (31 Filings) | $139,006 | 35.5% |
| Waukegan, IL | 0.9% (30 Filings) | $108,077 | 23.3% |
| Elgin, IL | 0.8% (29 Filings) | $126,204 | 20.7% |
| Lemont, IL | 0.8% (29 Filings) | $90,043 | 6.9% |
| Mundelein, IL | 0.8% (29 Filings) | $132,434 | 27.6% |
| North Chicago, IL | 0.8% (27 Filings) | $142,500 | 33.3% |
| Oak Brook, IL | 0.8% (27 Filings) | $129,935 | 40.7% |
| Batavia, IL | 0.7% (24 Filings) | $77,126 | 16.7% |
| Rosemont, IL | 0.6% (21 Filings) | $125,958 | 19.0% |
| Downers Grove, IL | 0.6% (21 Filings) | $125,000 | 28.6% |
| Champaign, IL | 0.6% (21 Filings) | $83,500 | 0.0% |
| Plainfield, IL | 0.6% (20 Filings) | $118,820 | 15.0% |
| Mettawa, IL | 0.6% (20 Filings) | $153,543 | 50.0% |
| Arlington Heights, IL | 0.6% (19 Filings) | $92,468 | 5.3% |
| Moline, IL | 0.6% (19 Filings) | $123,600 | 52.6% |
| Chicago,, IL | 0.6% (19 Filings) | $71,968 | 0.0% |
| Lombard, IL | 0.5% (18 Filings) | $115,000 | 16.7% |
| Lake Forest, IL | 0.5% (18 Filings) | $152,735 | 50.0% |
| Wheeling, IL | 0.5% (18 Filings) | $107,858 | 11.1% |
| Vernon Hills, IL | 0.5% (17 Filings) | $119,739 | 17.6% |
| Oakbrook Terrace, IL | 0.5% (16 Filings) | $119,683 | 37.5% |
| Rockford, IL | 0.4% (15 Filings) | $110,000 | 26.7% |
| East Peoria, IL | 0.4% (15 Filings) | $92,789 | 6.7% |
| Oswego, IL | 0.4% (14 Filings) | $132,125 | 28.6% |
| Warrenville, IL | 0.4% (13 Filings) | $98,176 | 7.7% |
| Dekalb, IL | 0.3% (11 Filings) | $92,325 | 0.0% |
| Springfield, IL | 0.3% (11 Filings) | $109,200 | 27.3% |
| Decatur, IL | 0.3% (11 Filings) | $130,000 | 45.5% |
| Itasca, IL | 0.3% (11 Filings) | $132,434 | 45.5% |
| Palatine, IL | 0.3% (9 Filings) | $132,434 | 33.3% |
| Westchester, IL | 0.3% (9 Filings) | $108,077 | 33.3% |
| Libertyville, IL | 0.3% (9 Filings) | $107,220 | 11.1% |
| Skokie, IL | 0.2% (8 Filings) | $100,750 | 12.5% |
| South Elgin, IL | 0.2% (8 Filings) | $144,838 | 37.5% |
Most Poached Roles
Roles with the highest volume of H-1B transfers, indicating aggressive headhunting.
Role & Transfer Pay
Total Transferred
Dominant Industries
Distribution of cases by broad industry sector.48.4%
11.0%
10.6%
10.1%
6.8%
Historical Retention Rate
Year-over-year percentage of successful visa renewals and extensions.Top Third-Party End Clients i
Where consultants are deployed.
End Client & Placement Data
Total Approvals
Highest Compensation Roles i
Top positions ranked by median base pay.
Role & Market Data
Median Base
Law Firms & Third-Party Work i
Leading legal counsel for visas.
Law Firm & Market Data
Total Approvals
Visa Volume & Success
-87.1% YoY Decline
LCA approvals, denials, and overall certification rates.
USCIS Petition Processing
New vs. Renewed approvals and denials in the state.Green Card Sponsorships
PERM residency applications and median GC wages.Noticing a difference in dates? Salary metrics reflect real-time DOL filings, while approval metrics rely on finalized USCIS historical data. View timelines
Complete Employers Matrix
A detailed ledger of all corporate clients operating in Illinois.| Sponsoring Employer | Market Share | LCA Count | Median Salary | Vs State Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grandison Management, Inc. | 5.6% | 192 | $71,968 | -35.6% Avg |
| Ernst & Young U.S. LLP | 3.5% | 119 | $177,625 | +59.1% Avg |
| Cognizant Technology Solutions Us Corp. | 3.1% | 105 | $107,640 | -3.6% Avg |
| Dfs Corporate Services LLC | 2.2% | 74 | $108,012 | -3.3% Avg |
| Northwestern University | 2.0% | 69 | $71,532 | -35.9% Avg |
| Medline Industries, Lp. | 1.9% | 66 | $139,300 | +24.7% Avg |
| Capgemini America Inc. | 1.7% | 59 | $130,707 | +17.0% Avg |
| Tata Consultancy Services Limited | 1.4% | 47 | $82,846 | -25.8% Avg |
| University Of Illinois | 1.2% | 42 | $72,010 | -35.5% Avg |
| The University Of Chicago | 1.2% | 41 | $78,478 | -29.7% Avg |
| Infosys Limited | 1.0% | 35 | $107,640 | -3.6% Avg |
| Deloitte Consulting LLP | 1.0% | 34 | $163,238 | +46.2% Avg |
| Rivian Automotive, LLC | 0.9% | 32 | $124,332 | +11.3% Avg |
| Traton R&D Us LLC | 0.8% | 28 | $147,909 | +32.4% Avg |
| Caterpillar Inc. | 0.8% | 28 | $110,936 | Market Rate |
| University Of Illinois Chicago | 0.8% | 28 | $92,000 | -17.6% Avg |
| Abbvie Inc. | 0.7% | 24 | $161,742 | +44.8% Avg |
| Uchicago Argonne, LLC | 0.7% | 23 | $90,063 | -19.4% Avg |
| Discover Products Inc. | 0.6% | 21 | $125,000 | +11.9% Avg |
| Htc Global Services Inc. | 0.6% | 20 | $86,528 | -22.5% Avg |
| Deere & Company | 0.6% | 20 | $129,210 | +15.7% Avg |
| Wipro Limited | 0.6% | 19 | $98,946 | -11.4% Avg |
| Accenture LLP | 0.5% | 18 | $139,800 | +25.2% Avg |
| Motorola Solutions, Inc. | 0.5% | 18 | $133,973 | +20.0% Avg |
| Northwestern Memorial Healthcare | 0.5% | 17 | $84,552 | -24.3% Avg |
| The Northern Trust Company | 0.5% | 17 | $140,000 | +25.4% Avg |
| Amazon Web Services, Inc. | 0.5% | 17 | $174,001 | +55.8% Avg |
| Compunnel Software Group, Inc. | 0.5% | 16 | $112,975 | +1.2% Avg |
| Fermi Forward Discovery Group, LLC | 0.4% | 15 | $99,362 | -11.0% Avg |
| Paypal, Inc. | 0.4% | 15 | $150,000 | +34.3% Avg |
| Osf Healthcare System | 0.4% | 14 | $75,681 | -32.2% Avg |
| Zurich American Insurance Company | 0.4% | 14 | $132,500 | +18.6% Avg |
| Abbott Laboratories | 0.4% | 14 | $138,000 | +23.6% Avg |
| Jpmorgan Chase & Co. | 0.4% | 13 | $150,500 | +34.8% Avg |
| Bitwise Inc. | 0.4% | 12 | $108,650 | -2.7% Avg |
| Osf Multi-Specialty Group | 0.3% | 11 | $300,000 | +168.6% Avg |
| Capital One Services, LLC | 0.3% | 11 | $162,100 | +45.2% Avg |
| Augmented Reality Technologies LLC | 0.3% | 11 | $85,467 | -23.5% Avg |
| Machine Intelligence LLC | 0.3% | 11 | $74,277 | -33.5% Avg |
| Cloud Social Technologies LLC | 0.3% | 11 | $85,467 | -23.5% Avg |
Complete Jobs Matrix
The job titles most frequently sponsored in this state.| Job Title in State | LCA Count | Median Pay | Salary Variance | Legal Wage Premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Occupational Therapist | 157 | $71,968 | $8,341 Range | Baseline Pay |
| Software Developer | 128 | $108,077 | $124,600 Range | Baseline Pay |
| Software Engineer | 108 | $108,077 | $140,000 Range | Baseline Pay |
| Senior Software Engineer | 42 | $130,707 | $85,363 Range | +$1,571 Over Min |
| Application Engineer | 40 | $108,012 | $25,062 Range | Baseline Pay |
| Physical Therapist | 39 | $70,179 | $27,144 Range | Baseline Pay |
| Postdoctoral Scholar | 35 | $62,652 | $23,516 Range | +$3,726 Over Min |
| Research Associate | 31 | $71,532 | $33,414 Range | +$11,815 Over Min |
| Data Engineer | 27 | $113,500 | $95,120 Range | +$6,942 Over Min |
| Assistant Professor | 25 | $133,000 | $175,691 Range | +$54,780 Over Min |
| Manager Jc50 - Computer Systems Engineers/Architects | 24 | $107,640 | Fixed Pay | Baseline Pay |
| Principal Application Engineer | 21 | $148,971 | $7,929 Range | Baseline Pay |
| Senior Associate Jc60 -Computer Systems Engineers/Architects | 21 | $82,846 | Fixed Pay | Baseline Pay |
| Manager | 21 | $171,000 | $109,809 Range | +$17,683 Over Min |
| Architect | 19 | $82,846 | $23,982 Range | Baseline Pay |
| Consultant | 18 | $117,500 | $122,400 Range | +$9,423 Over Min |
| Business Analyst | 18 | $96,928 | $73,648 Range | +$3,619 Over Min |
| Network Engineer | 16 | $98,176 | $148,666 Range | +$11,690 Over Min |
| Applications Consultant 3 | 16 | $131,636 | $46,123 Range | Baseline Pay |
| Research Assistant Professor | 15 | $98,354 | $80,537 Range | +$34,394 Over Min |
| Programmer Analyst | 15 | $86,528 | $9,693 Range | Baseline Pay |
| Mgr. Jc50 - Software Quality Assurance Analysts And Testers | 15 | $104,728 | Fixed Pay | Baseline Pay |
| Project Engineer | 15 | $105,000 | $76,526 Range | +$14,125 Over Min |
| Research Scientist | 14 | $85,000 | $49,916 Range | +$8,810 Over Min |
| Data Analyst | 14 | $80,000 | $42,827 Range | +$5,723 Over Min |
| Senior Software Developer | 14 | $116,000 | $67,850 Range | +$6,862 Over Min |
| Data Scientist | 13 | $119,558 | $111,958 Range | +$22,630 Over Min |
| Postdoctoral Research Associate | 13 | $64,829 | $32,660 Range | Baseline Pay |
| Clinical Lab Scientist | 13 | $76,086 | $9,277 Range | +$20,654 Over Min |
| Lead Software Engineer | 13 | $153,317 | $128,882 Range | Baseline Pay |
| Developer | 12 | $76,835 | $20,175 Range | Baseline Pay |
| Devops Engineer | 12 | $108,077 | $76,000 Range | Baseline Pay |
| Medical Laboratory Scientist | 11 | $74,256 | $37,668 Range | Baseline Pay |
| Computer Programmer | 11 | $76,835 | $99,000 Range | Baseline Pay |
| Embedded Software Engineer | 11 | $97,032 | $32,470 Range | +$4,243 Over Min |
| Java Developer | 11 | $86,000 | $39,645 Range | Baseline Pay |
| Sr. Software Engineer | 11 | $130,707 | $71,533 Range | Baseline Pay |
| Senior Data Scientist | 10 | $161,800 | $74,898 Range | +$40,058 Over Min |
| Sr Analyst Business Systems It | 9 | $133,000 | $22,952 Range | +$8,699 Over Min |
| Director | 9 | $243,000 | $148,000 Range | +$69,674 Over Min |
Historical Compensation Ledger
Year-over-year salary data comparing historical averages.| Fiscal Year | YoY Growth | Maximum | Median | Top-Heavy Skew i | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | In Progress | $365,000 | $110,000 | Balanced | $22.00/hr |
| 2025 | +3.8% | $400,000 | $106,558 | Balanced | $16.00/hr |
| 2024 | +7.8% | $400,000 | $102,690 | Balanced | $16.00/hr |
| 2023 | +1.8% | $400,000 | $95,300 | +8.5% Skew | $14.00/hr |
| 2022 | +4.2% | $400,000 | $93,600 | +6.6% Skew | $15.00/hr |
| 2021 | +5.6% | $400,000 | $89,794 | +5.4% Skew | $15.00/hr |
| 2020 | +4.9% | $400,000 | $85,000 | +6.8% Skew | $9.00/hr |
| 2019 | -1.8% | $400,000 | $81,000 | +6.3% Skew | $14.00/hr |
| 2018 | +11.2% | $400,000 | $82,484 | Balanced | $8.00/hr |
| 2017 | +4.8% | $400,000 | $74,173 | +6.1% Skew | $10.00/hr |
| 2016 | N/A | $400,000 | $70,765 | +7.4% Skew | $8.00/hr |
Recent Visa Filings (FY 2026)
Raw, unedited federal disclosures processed in this state.State Intelligence (FAQ)
Common questions and insights regarding Illinois.Which business sector leads H-1B hiring in Illinois?
The Professional, Scientific, and Tech Services sector represents the biggest sponsor, making up 48.4% of all local visa requests.
Which city in Illinois pays the highest H-1B salaries?
Chicago represents the top-paying metro area in the state, where H-1B salaries reach a local median of $123,400.
What are the Green Card chances for H-1B workers in Illinois?
During this cycle, employers in Illinois filed 937 permanent Green Card applications, yielding a 27.4% retention rate.
Do H-1B workers pay high taxes in Illinois?
The state income tax is estimated at 4.9%. Earning the median salary of $111,675 means paying around $5,472 in local taxes.