Creative pay 2026
Video editor salary in Illinois (2026)
Video editors in Illinois earn a median $72,460 a year ($34.84 an hour), according to BLS wage data for May 2025. That is close to the US median for the job ($75,420), 12th of 43 states and territories. The median for every job in Illinois is $51,960, so this pays 39% more than the typical job there.
- $72,460median a year in Illinois
- $34.84median an hour
- −4%vs the US median ($75,420)
- 310employee jobs (BLS estimate)
What is the salary range for a video editor in Illinois?
Half of video editors in Illinois earn between $59,030 and $91,340. Pay is bunched more tightly than nationally: the 90th percentile is 2.5 times the 10th, against 3.7 times across the US.
| 10th percentile | $46,710 | $40,280 | $22.46 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | $59,030 | $52,720 | $28.38 |
| Median | $72,460 | $75,420 | $34.84 |
| 75th | $91,340 | $105,310 | $43.91 |
| 90th percentile | $116,720 | $148,550 | $56.11 |
The mean (average) is $77,150, above the median, pulled up by the highest earners.
How does Illinois compare with other states?
Illinois sits 12th of 43, between Alabama ($74,410) and Oregon ($72,300).
Which cities in Illinois pay video editors best?
Of the 2 metro areas in Illinois where BLS publishes a median for the job, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin pays most, at $78,210, 8% above the state median.
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 250 | $78,210 | $37.60 |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis, MO-IL | 120 | $72,300 | $34.76 |
How many video editors work in Illinois?
BLS estimates 310 employee jobs, 0.05 in every 1,000 jobs in the state. The job is rarer here than nationally: a location quotient of 0.30, where 1 is the US average. The employment estimate is rough: its relative standard error is 38%.
Employees only. BLS does not count the self-employed, who are a large share of several creative jobs.
What do other creative jobs pay in Illinois?
3 of the 6 other creative jobs below pay a higher median in Illinois.
| Videographer | $100,170 | 1,060 |
|---|---|---|
| UX/UI designer | $85,710 | 2,050 |
| Motion designer | $81,180 | 630 |
| Copywriter | $68,220 | 2,640 |
| Graphic designer | $62,560 | 8,960 |
| Photographer | $36,570 | 2,150 |
What do freelance video editors charge?
Upwork, video editors list $10 to $60 an hour, worldwide. Illinois's employee median of $34.84 an hour is inside that range. The rate calculator works out an hourly rate from the salary you want.
Questions
What is the average video editor salary in Illinois?
The median is $72,460 a year and the mean is $77,150, from BLS data for May 2025 covering about 310 employee jobs.
How much does a video editor make an hour in Illinois?
The median hourly wage is $34.84. The bottom 10% earn under $22.46 and the top 10% over $56.11.
What does a starting video editor earn in Illinois?
BLS does not publish pay by experience. The lowest-paid quarter of video editors in Illinois earn under $59,030 a year and the lowest-paid tenth under $46,710, which is the nearest guide to starting pay.
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Where do these numbers come from?
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (published 15 May 2026). Occupation 27-4032, Film and Video Editors. Employees only; annual figures are hourly times 2,080.
n = 310 jobs in the Illinois estimate. Last updated 2 October 2026.
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Video editor pay in other states
- New York $103,440
- District of Columbia $98,830
- Massachusetts $92,130
- California $88,490
- Colorado $84,620
- Connecticut $83,550
- New Jersey $82,890
- Maryland $78,380
- Utah $76,240
- Oregon $72,300
- Washington $66,870
- Nevada $65,720