Average Nanny Salary in Illinois, United States for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Nanny salary for 2026 in Illinois and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a Nanny Make in Illinois?

A Nanny working in Illinois will typically earn around 42,800 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 20,400 USD to the highest average salary of 66,900 USD.

Average Annual Salary42,800 USD
Average Monthly Salary3,566 USD
Average Lowest Salary20,400 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary1,700 USD
Average Highest Salary66,900 USD
Highest Monthly Salary5,575 USD

These are average salaries for a Nanny in Illinois and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Nanny to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Nanny salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Nanny Salaries in Illinois

So we've looked at the average salaries a Nanny will earn in Illinois. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Nanny can earn between 20,400 USD and 66,900 USD on average in Illinois. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Nanny in Illinois is 41,900 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 41,900 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 41,900 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Nanny salary in Illinois, 25% of the population are earning less than 26,900 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 26,900 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 50,000 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 50,000 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Nanny Salary by Experience Level in Illinois

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average Nanny salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Nanny in Illinois that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 23,600 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Nanny salary would increase to 33,500 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Nanny, the average salary would be 45,200 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 54,300 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Nanny with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 57,400 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Nanny with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 62,600 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
23,600 USD
2-5 Years+34%
33,500 USD
5-10 Years+30%
45,200 USD
10-15 Years+21%
54,300 USD
15-20 Years+9%
57,400 USD
20+ Years+5%
62,600 USD

Nanny Salary by Education Level in Illinois

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Nanny in Illinois based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Nanny in Illinois with a high school education can earn an average salary of 31,200 USD.
  • Certificate or Diploma. A Nanny in Illinois with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 41,500 USD.
  • Bachelor's Degree. A Nanny in Illinois with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 58,500 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School-
31,200 USD
Certificate or Diploma+43%
41,500 USD
Bachelor's Degree+38%
58,500 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Nanny Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Illinois, a male nanny will earn an average of 38,000 USD, while a female nanny will earn around 40,700 USD.

This means that a male nanny earns approximately 7% less than a female nanny for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Illinois

Male-
38,000 USD
Female+7%
40,700 USD

Nanny Average Pay Raise in Illinois

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Nanny in Illinois is around 10% every 16 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 10 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Nanny in Illinois can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Illinois for 2026

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking-
4%
Energy-
8%
Information Technology-
3%
Healthcare-
7%
Travel-
2%
Construction-
6%
Education-
1%

Nanny Bonus and Incentive Rates in Illinois

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Nanny is a low bonus based job, with 31% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

69% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4%.

Received Bonus-
31%
No Bonus-
69%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
98,800 USD
Private Sector-6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Nanny

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Nanny in Illinois.

Job TitleCategorySalary
Activity AssistantCare Giving and Child Care31,800 USD
Advice WorkerCare Giving and Child Care36,700 USD
Care ManagerCare Giving and Child Care112,700 USD
Care WorkerCare Giving and Child Care33,000 USD
Child Care Assistant DirectorCare Giving and Child Care80,500 USD
Child Care SpecialistCare Giving and Child Care128,400 USD
Child Care TeacherCare Giving and Child Care41,900 USD
Child Development Center AssistantCare Giving and Child Care52,300 USD
Child Development SpecialistCare Giving and Child Care134,100 USD
Child Life SpecialistCare Giving and Child Care139,100 USD
Child Protection OfficerCare Giving and Child Care44,500 USD
Child PsychotherapistCare Giving and Child Care148,300 USD
Child Support OfficerCare Giving and Child Care39,800 USD
Clinical Care CoordinatorCare Giving and Child Care46,400 USD
Clinical OfficerCare Giving and Child Care42,400 USD
CustodianCare Giving and Child Care59,100 USD
Day Care DirectorCare Giving and Child Care152,700 USD
Elderly Care GiverCare Giving and Child Care34,000 USD
Group Home ManagerCare Giving and Child Care160,700 USD
Kids Activity AssistantCare Giving and Child Care31,800 USD
Live In CarerCare Giving and Child Care36,400 USD
Nursery NurseCare Giving and Child Care43,400 USD
Nursery TeacherCare Giving and Child Care35,100 USD
Nursing Home AdministratorCare Giving and Child Care55,100 USD
Personal AssistantCare Giving and Child Care32,900 USD
Physical Health and Wellness SpecialistCare Giving and Child Care139,100 USD
Preschool Education CoordinatorCare Giving and Child Care62,500 USD
Primary TherapistCare Giving and Child Care107,700 USD
Psychiatric AideCare Giving and Child Care43,800 USD
Rehabilitation CounselorCare Giving and Child Care128,400 USD
Support WorkerCare Giving and Child Care30,200 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

CityAverage Salary
Atlanta34,800 USD
Austin45,600 USD
Baltimore38,100 USD
Boston41,000 USD
Bristol29,400 USD
Chicago45,700 USD
Cincinnati32,200 USD
Cleveland35,300 USD
Dallas42,300 USD
Denver41,500 USD
Detroit40,200 USD
Honolulu32,600 USD
Houston44,700 USD
Indianapolis39,800 USD
Iowa City32,200 USD
Jacksonville41,400 USD
Kansas City37,300 USD
Kent31,700 USD
Las Vegas36,200 USD
Long Beach35,000 USD
Los Angeles43,800 USD
Memphis38,900 USD
Miami38,100 USD
Minneapolis37,100 USD
New Orleans35,100 USD
New York47,200 USD
Oakland36,800 USD
Oklahoma City39,100 USD
Orlando32,900 USD
Philadelphia45,300 USD
Phoenix45,600 USD
Sacramento39,600 USD
San Antonio44,500 USD
San Diego43,800 USD
San Francisco44,900 USD
San Jose42,800 USD
Seattle42,000 USD
Tampa33,500 USD
Vancouver33,000 USD
Washington D.C.43,200 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

StateAverage Salary
Alabama41,000 USD
Alaska35,100 USD
Arizona45,000 USD
Arkansas36,200 USD
California43,800 USD
Colorado39,600 USD
Connecticut38,000 USD
Delaware33,300 USD
District of Columbia36,400 USD
Florida42,300 USD
Georgia45,600 USD
Hawaii35,000 USD
Idaho36,200 USD
Indiana41,500 USD
Iowa38,100 USD
Kansas40,000 USD
Kentucky37,900 USD
Louisiana38,900 USD
Maine35,500 USD
Maryland41,500 USD
Massachusetts41,700 USD
Michigan45,000 USD
Minnesota40,000 USD
Mississippi39,600 USD
Missouri39,300 USD
Montana36,800 USD
Nebraska34,800 USD
Nevada39,600 USD
New Hampshire35,500 USD
New Jersey44,900 USD
New Mexico37,300 USD
New York45,700 USD
North Carolina41,400 USD
North Dakota35,300 USD
Ohio40,300 USD
Oklahoma39,000 USD
Oregon39,100 USD
Pennsylvania44,700 USD
Rhode Island33,800 USD
South Carolina40,200 USD
South Dakota33,800 USD
Tennessee41,500 USD
Texas45,100 USD
Utah37,900 USD
Vermont35,300 USD
Virginia44,900 USD
Washington39,800 USD
West Virginia39,100 USD
Wisconsin39,300 USD
Wyoming36,600 USD

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