Correspondence Clerks Salary
Correspondence Clerks in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN make a median of $56,030 a year, or about $26.94 an hour. The range runs from $32K at the entry level to $72K for experienced workers.
So what does $56K get you in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Chicago-Naperville-Elgin’s Regional Price Parity (103.6). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About correspondence clerks
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What this looks like in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin sits well above the national pay line for correspondence clerks, local pay runs about 20% higher than the U.S. median of $47K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,462/month, which is 39.6% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 103.6) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. The pay premium is real, but so are the offsets.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
Entry-level correspondence clerks (10th percentile) start around $32K. Mid-career wages sit at $56K. Top earners bring in $72K or more, a $40K spread from bottom to top.
Correspondence Clerks pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Correspondence Clerks salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | $61K | +31% | 70 |
| Oregon | $61K | +31% | 110 |
| California | $54K | +15% | 240 |
| Idaho | $51K | +9% | 40 |
| Nebraska | $50K | +6% | 60 |
| New Hampshire | $50K | +6% | 120 |
| Indiana | $50K | +6% | 70 |
| Ohio | $50K | +6% | 40 |
| New York | $49K | +5% | 540 |
| Maine | $49K | +5% | 40 |
| Texas | $49K | +4% | 830 |
| New Jersey | $49K | +4% | 40 |
| Virginia | $48K | +3% | N/A |
| Nevada | $48K | +2% | 130 |
| Utah | $47K | +1% | 140 |
| Wisconsin | $47K | +1% | N/A |
| Illinois | $46K | -1% | 50 |
| Colorado | $46K | -3% | 50 |
| Missouri | $43K | -7% | 70 |
| Tennessee | $42K | -9% | 100 |
| North Carolina | $42K | -10% | 50 |
| South Carolina | $42K | -11% | 130 |
| Michigan | $41K | -13% | 40 |
| Pennsylvania | $40K | -14% | 140 |
| Arizona | $40K | -15% | 110 |
| Louisiana | $37K | -21% | 60 |
Showing 1–10 of 26 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track correspondence clerks salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Chicago-Naperville-Elgin numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a correspondence clerk afford a 2BR apartment alone in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $56K, rent takes 39.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,462/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,100/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for correspondence clerks in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new correspondence clerks typically earn — is $32K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,928/month. At HUD’s $1,462/month FMR, rent would take 76% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is correspondence clerk a high-paying job in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
Local pay is 20% above the national median — $56K here vs. $47K nationally.
How does Chicago-Naperville-Elgin compare to the national average for correspondence clerks?
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin pays $56K median vs. the U.S. average of $47K — that’s +20%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 103.6), the purchasing-power equivalent is $54K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do correspondence clerks make in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?
The median is $56,030 a year, that works out to about $27 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $32,130, and experienced correspondence clerks can clear $72,090. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $56K enough to live in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,691/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,462/month, which eats 39.6% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a correspondence clerks salary go in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin?
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median correspondence clerks salary is worth about $54,083 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do correspondence clerks get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.