Cisco - Chicago, IL - 11 Years
Salary Report
Information Technology Job
Cisco
Networking
United States Location
Chicago - Gary - Kenosha
IL - IN - WI
USA Metropolitan Area
Competitive Position® Salary Report
Data Observed 8/3/25 to 7/30/26
Salary Average
$133,844
Experience Requirement
11 Years
Raise +1 Year
$6,736 at 5.03%
Salary and Number of Jobs
About Salary and Jobs
Salary Range :
At required Experience of 11 Years: $133,844 is Salary average; 50% of Jobs pay between $119,566 & $148,122; and, 5% of Jobs top $169,208.
Number of Jobs :
Most Jobs are available closest to the Salary Average.
Fewer Jobs are available at Lower and Higher Salaries.
Salary End Points :
$26,400 = annual salary at $15 per hour working between: 44 weeks at 40 hours a week, to, 52 weeks at 34 hours a week.
$406,431 = annual salary for the highest paying IT Job in the highest paying US City at the Top 2.5% Experience and Top 2.5% Salary.
Job Market :
Job offers, publicly posted in want ads by employers, were observed and measured from 8/3/25 to 7/30/26.
View: Documentation and Methodology.
Top Salaries
| Top Percentile of Job market | Top Salary |
|---|---|
| 2.5% | $176,316 |
| 5% | $169,208 |
| 10% | $161,195 |
| 25% | $148,122 |
| 33% | $142,848 |
| 50% | $133,844 |
Top Percentile of Job Market =
Number of Jobs Above the Top Salary
÷
Number of all Jobs at 11 Years Experience.
Salary Range and Jobs
Percentage of Jobs within Salary Lows and Highs
| Percent of Job Market | Salary Range | |
|---|---|---|
| Low Salary | High Salary | |
| 10% | $131,192 | $136,496 |
| 25% | $127,115 | $140,573 |
| 33% | $124,840 | $142,848 |
| 50% | $119,566 | $148,122 |
| 67% | $113,153 | $154,535 |
| 95% | $91,372 | $176,316 |
Salary Average =
$133,844
Mid Point between each Low/High pair.
Percent of Job Market =
Number of Jobs with Salary between Low/High pair
÷
Number of all Jobs at 11 Years Experience.
Salary and Experience
Salary ±1 Year
| Experience | Salary Average | Raise +1 Year |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Years | $127,091 | $6,753 at 5.31% |
| 11 Years | $133,844 | $6,736 at 5.03% |
| 12 Years | $140,580 | $6,723 at 4.78% |
About Salary and Experience
Salary by Year :
Salary increases gradually in the first years, rises vigorously with greater experience and grows robustly into maturity.
Salary Growth Overall :
The increase in Salary average from low to high experience is equal to that in the USA IT job market as a whole.
Salary and Experience Range :
Salary average rises with experience: $59,029 at the low experience of 10 Months; $112,363 at the average experience of 7 Years and 10 Months; and, $159,604 at the top experience of 14 Years and 10 Months.
Experience End Points :
0 = Entry Level.
16 Years and 3 Months = Top 2.5% Experience in the IT Job with the highest required experience in the USA.
Job Market :
Job offers, publicly posted in want ads by employers, were observed and measured from 8/3/25 to 7/30/26.
View: Documentation and Methodology.
Salary by Year
| Experience | Salary Average | Raise +1 Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Year | $60,814 | $9,223 at 15.17% |
| 2 Years | $70,037 | $7,994 at 11.41% |
| 3 Years | $78,031 | $7,467 at 9.57% |
| 4 Years | $85,498 | $7,191 at 8.41% |
| 5 Years | $92,689 | $7,029 at 7.58% |
| 6 Years | $99,718 | $6,926 at 6.95% |
| 7 Years | $106,644 | $6,858 at 6.43% |
| 8 Years | $113,502 | $6,811 at 6.00% |
| 9 Years | $120,313 | $6,778 at 5.63% |
| 10 Years | $127,091 | $6,753 at 5.31% |
| 11 Years | $133,844 | $6,736 at 5.03% |
| 12 Years | $140,580 | $6,722 at 4.78% |
| 13 Years | $147,302 | $6,713 at 4.56% |
| 14 Years | $154,015 | $6,707 at 4.35% |
Salary and Experience Range
95% of Jobs require Experience between the Low and Top
| Experience | Salary Average | Raise +1 Year | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low | 10 Months | $59,029 | $9,589 at 16.24% |
| Average | 7 Years and 10 Months | $112,363 | $6,818 at 6.07% |
| Top | 14 Years and 10 Months | $159,604 | $6,702 at 4.20% |
Qualifications
Description
Design, install, optimize, monitor, maintain and troubleshoot, Cisco network, are primary position responsibilities.
Skills
The qualifications of this information technology Job:
- Cisco;
-
- System-Network Administrator,
-
Network, System, Server or Virtualization,
and
Administrator, Architect or Engineer.
Characteristics
A+ Skills
Additional IT skills requested in some job descriptions:
- Bachelor of Arts/Science Degree,
- 84.6% of job descriptions;
- Security Clearance,
- 12.8% of job descriptions;
- Telecommunication Industry,
- 10.3% of job descriptions;
- Cisco Video,
- 10.3% of job descriptions;
- CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) or CCNP (Cisco Certified Network Professional),
- 46.2% of job descriptions;
- CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert),
- 46.2% of job descriptions;
- CCDA (Cisco Certified Design Associate) or CCDP (Cisco Certified Design Professional),
- 17.9% of job descriptions;
- CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional),
- 15.4% of job descriptions;
- CISM (Certified Information Security Manager),
- 12.8% of job descriptions;
- ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library),
- 5.1% of job descriptions.
Location
Chicago, IL
- Illinois,
- Addison, Arlington Heights, Aurora, Batavia, Barrington, Berwyn, Bollingbrook, Boone, Buffalo Grove, Burbank, Calumet City, Carol Stream, Carpentersville, Chicago Heights, Chicago, Cicero, Cook County, Crystal Lake, De Kalb County, De Kalb, Deerfield, Des Plaines, Downers Grove, DuPage County, East Chicago, Elgin, Elk Grove, Elk Grove Village, Elmhurst, Evanston, Geneva, Glendale Heights, Glenview, Grundy County, Hanover Park, Harvard, Harvey, Highland Park, Hines, Hinsdale, Hoffman Estates, Homewood, Itasca, Joliet, Kane County, Kankakee County, Kendall County, Lake County, Lake Forest, Lansing, Libertyville, Lincolnshire, Lombard, Maywood, McHenry County, Morris, Mount Prospect, Mundelein, Naperville, Niles, Norridge, North Chicago, Northbrook, Oak Brook, Oak Forest, Oak Lawn, Oak Park, Ogle, Orland Park, Palatine, Park Forest, Park Ridge, Plano, Riverside, Riverwoods, Rochelle, Rockford, Rolling, Romeoville, Rosemont, Schaumburg, Schiller Park, Skokie, St Charles, Streamwood, Tinley Park, Vernon Hills, Warrenville, Waukegan, Westchester, Wheaton, Wheeling, Will County, Wilmette, Winebago, Wood Dale and Woodridge;
- Indiana,
- Cedar Lake, Crown Point, East Chicago, Gary, Hammond, Hobart, Lake County, Lake, Merrilvilee, Merrilville, Portage, Porter County, and Valparaiso;
- Wisconsin,
- Kenosha County and Kenosha.
These locations are all included in the Chicago, IL metropolitan area as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB).