Salary by City

• The BLS salary data for cities in Illinois show that the cities/counties with the highest median salaries are Lake County-Kenosha County, Illinois-Wisconsin Metropolitan Division, at $67,830; Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Illinois Metropolitan Division, at $67,720; Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Illinois-Indiana-Wisconsin, at $67,350; and Springfield, at $61,470. The cities with the lowest median salaries are Peoria, at $51,770; Bloomington-Normal, at $51,150; and Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, Iowa-Illinois, at $44,300.
  
  

Salaries in Non-metropolitan Areas

• The BLS also reports the following annual median salaries for RNs in non-metropolitan areas of Illinois: Northwest Illinois, at $55,000; West Central Illinois, at $58,760; East Central Illinois, at $49,960; and South Illinois, at $51,540.
  
  

Average Pay

• According to Indeed, as of January 2011, the average salary for job listing for RNs in Illinois is $79,000. An advance practice nurse is an RN who has a master's degree and specializes in advanced nursing practice. According to Indeed, the average salaries for advanced nursing specialties in Illinois include Nurse Practitioner, $96,000; Certified Nurse Midwife, $103,000; Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, $109,000; and Clinical Nurse Specialist, $83,000.
  
  

Considerations

• For RNs represented by unions, such as the National Nurses United or the Illinois Nurses Association, the union negotiates salaries and other benefits.