CRNA Salary in Illinois
Updated for 2026
Quick Answer
How much do CRNAs make in Illinois?
BLS source: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2023, SOC 29-1151 (Nurse Anesthetists). View the Illinois BLS table →
Some Illinois figures are BLS-topcoded: BLS reports wages at or above $115.00/hour ($239,200/year) as "(5)" rather than an exact number, to protect respondent confidentiality at the high end. Where that applies below, we show the topcode note instead of guessing a number.
CRNA Club Snapshot
Illinois CRNA Salary & Programs at a Glance
BLS wage data for Illinois
| Metric | Illinois | National |
|---|---|---|
| Mean annual wage | $281,240 | $214,200 |
| Mean hourly wage | $135 | $103 |
| Median hourly wage | $115.00+ (topcoded) | $102 |
| Reported employment | 1,330 | 47,810 |
| Location quotient | 0.70 | 1.00 |
Location quotient is BLS's measure of how concentrated Nurse Anesthetist employment is in Illinois relative to the national average (1.00 = average concentration). Source: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes_il.htm
How Illinois compares to nearby-ranked states
These are the states immediately above and below Illinois in BLS's May 2023 mean annual wage ranking — not geographic neighbors, but wage-rank neighbors.
| Rank | State | Mean Annual Wage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Illinois | $281,240 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $272,510 |
| 3 | Montana | $256,460 |
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Illinois CRNA programs: cost vs. earnings
We track 6 CRNA programs in Illinois. Published in-state tuition ranges from $84,556 to $189,616, averaging $135,052. Program length runs 3 yr on average.
Simple tuition-payback math: average total tuition ($135,052) ÷ BLS mean annual wage ($281,240) ≈ 0.5 years of pre-tax salary. This is a single-variable comparison — it does not account for loan interest, taxes, cost of living, or the RN income you forgo while in school. For the full picture, see our CRNA school cost and financing guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Click a question to see the answer.
How much do CRNAs make in Illinois?
CRNAs in Illinois earn a mean annual wage of $281,240, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2023). That works out to $135 per hour on average. This is a mean across all reporting employers in the state — your actual offer will vary by practice setting, call schedule, and experience.
Is Illinois a high-paying state for CRNAs?
Illinois ranks #1 of 44 states with a published BLS figure for Nurse Anesthetists, at $281,240/year against a national average of $214,200. That puts Illinois above the national average, though cost of living, tax rates, and call pay all change what that salary is actually worth day to day.
How many CRNA programs are in Illinois?
We track 6 CRNA programs in Illinois, with an average published tuition of $135,052 and an average program length of 3 yr. See the full list, with tuition and admissions requirements, on our Illinois programs page.
Does a higher CRNA salary in Illinois offset the cost of school?
Using the average published tuition across Illinois CRNA programs ($135,052) against the state's BLS mean annual wage ($281,240), tuition equals roughly 0.5 years of pre-tax salary. That is a simple division, not a full return-on-investment model — it ignores loan interest, taxes, cost of living, and the years of RN income you give up while in school. Use it as a starting point, then run your own numbers with our CRNA school cost and financing guide.
Our Final Thoughts
Salary numbers are a starting point, not the whole decision. Illinois's BLS figure tells you what CRNAs there report earning on average — it doesn't tell you what a specific employer will offer you, what taxes and cost of living do to that number, or whether the program that gets you there is worth its tuition. Run your own numbers before you commit to a state or a program.
Salary data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2023, SOC 29-1151 (Nurse Anesthetists). Program and tuition data from The CRNA Club's verified school database. Learn about our methodology →
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