Technical Writing Salary in Chicago

What you should make. What you should ask for. Calculated from 1M+ data points, refreshed monthly.

25th pctl

$80K

Median (p50)

$98K

75th pctl

$117K

90th pctl

$135K

Adjusted for Chicago at 1.05× the national baseline. See the math →

What this number means.

Technical Writing in Chicago pulls a median of $97,860 at mid-IC, with a top-quartile band reaching $116,970 and the 90th percentile at $134,820. Chicago's cost-of-living tilt is 1.05× — the band reflects that. The number to anchor on for a counter is $116,970. The data supports it.

How to negotiate this

Anchor$116,970 — the top-quartile number. This is the number you say first.
Target$107,415 — where a fair counter lands. Above the median, below the anchor.
Floor$97,860 — below this, you're underpaid. Walking away gets cheaper than staying.

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