Chicago pay at a glance
| Hourly pay | BLS, Chicago | BLS, Illinois | BLS, U.S. | Live staff listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18.97 | $18.40 | $17.50 | – |
| 25th percentile | $22.53 | – | $19.13 | – |
| Median | $23.38 | $23.10 | $22.93 | $20.46 |
| 75th percentile | $27.58 | – | $28.16 | – |
| 90th percentile | $34.25 | $31.92 | $33.63 | – |
| Mean | $25.35 | $24.49 | $24.28 | – |
| Sample | 2,140 employed | 2,800 employed | 77,420 employed | 1 listing with hourly pay |
The BLS median in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area is $23.38 an hour, 2% above the national median of $22.93 and 1% above Illinois as a whole ($23.10). BLS's annual median is $48,630. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, 31-9093 Medical Equipment Preparers (occupation profile)
Live staff technician listings in the metro have a median of $20.46 an hour across 1 listing that publish hourly pay. That is a small sample, so treat it as an indication rather than a benchmark.
Travel contracts here quote a median of $1,252 a week (2 listings), which can include tax-free stipends. See travel SPD pay.
Live sterile processing jobs in the Chicago area
3 live openings in 3 listings (1 staff, 2 travel), in Chicago, Maywood, as of Oct 21, 2026. Listings are matched to the metro by city, using the Census Bureau's county-based metro definitions; listings that only give a state are not counted.
All Illinois jobs All Indiana jobs
Certification rules
Illinois is not on HSPA's list of states that require sterile processing certification, but many employers ask for a CRCST or CSPDT anyway. Source: HSPA: Legislative certification issues (state map)
Indiana is not on HSPA's list of states that require sterile processing certification, but many employers ask for a CRCST or CSPDT anyway. Source: HSPA: Legislative certification issues (state map)
Getting started: how to become an SPD tech · CRCST vs CBSPD · entry-level jobs
How these numbers work
- BLS figures are the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for SOC 31-9093 (medical equipment preparers), pulled from the official BLS data API. They reflect wages actually paid to everyone in the job, including long-tenured staff.
- Posted figures are the median of the midpoint of each live listing's advertised range, for staff technician roles paid hourly, before shift differentials and sign-on bonuses. They rebuild every day.
- Compare every state on one page: salary by state.
More salary guides
California Texas Florida New York Massachusetts Pennsylvania Georgia New Jersey Ohio Arizona New York City Los Angeles Houston Dallas–Fort Worth Boston
Frequently asked questions
How much does a sterile processing tech make in Chicago?
The BLS median wage for medical equipment preparers (SOC 31-9093, which covers sterile processing technicians) in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area was $23.38 an hour, or $48,630 a year, in May 2025, against $22.93 nationally. In live listings on SterileShift (Oct 21, 2026), the median posted pay for staff technicians in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area is $20.46 an hour across 1 listing that show hourly pay. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, 31-9093 Medical Equipment Preparers (occupation profile).
What is the pay range for sterile processing techs in Chicago?
BLS puts the 10th percentile at $18.97 an hour and the 90th percentile at $34.25 in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area (May 2025); the middle half earn between $22.53 and $27.58. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, 31-9093 Medical Equipment Preparers (occupation profile).
Sources
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 31-9093 Medical Equipment Preparers (occupation profile)
- BLS Public Data API: OEWS May 2025 metro and state series for 31-9093
- U.S. Census Bureau: July 2023 metropolitan area delineation files (used to place listings in metros)
- HSPA: Legislative certification issues (state map)
- SterileShift job data: 585 live sterile processing openings collected from public hospital and staffing-agency career sites, Oct 21, 2026. How we collect it.
SterileShift is not affiliated with HSPA, CBSPD or the BLS. Rules, fees and dates change: confirm on the official sites before you apply or pay for anything.