Quick answer: The Chicago metro employs about 3,350 kindergarten teachers (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and licensing is set at the state level, through your state educator licensure board for school positions, or your state early learning agency for child care settings.
Compare early childhood education programs enrolling now:
Licensing
Licensing is a state matter, not a city one. Two systems govern this field. Public school classrooms require a bachelor’s from a state-approved program, student teaching and the state teaching license. Child care and preschool settings run through the state early learning agency, where training hours, the CDA credential and degree tiers step up with each quality rating level.
See the Illinois licensing and pay overview for the statewide picture, and confirm current requirements with your state educator licensure board for school positions, or your state early learning agency for child care settings.
Schools Near You
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 10 schools
within 11 miles, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
9 of them carry a score.
1 does not have enough federal
outcome data to score, and appears last rather than being hidden.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal
about the institution rather than about this subject.
Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from
this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
What Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education Earn in Chicago
Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education in the Chicago area earn a median $70,250 per year, above the national median of $62,680 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Early Childhood Education Pay in Chicago, IL
Metric
Chicago metro
Illinois
National
Median annual wage
$70,250
$64,020
$62,680
10th percentile
$48,640
$46,040
$46,990
25th percentile
$59,630
$53,010
$52,180
75th percentile
$91,080
$81,390
$79,910
90th percentile
$106,510
$103,420
$101,830
Employment
3,350
4,660
108,870
Location quotient
1.06
-
1.00
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metropolitan statistical area.
What the Numbers Say About This Market
The Chicago median of $70,250 is above the national median of $62,680, and above the Illinois statewide median of $64,020 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 1.06 means kindergarten teachers are more concentrated here than in the average U.S. labor market (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Higher concentration generally means more employers competing for the same people, and an easier job change later.
Early childhood employment tracks families: districts, Head Start grantees and licensed centers hire everywhere, with density following population.
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do kindergarten teachers make in Chicago?
The median annual wage for kindergarten teachers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area is $70,250, above the national median of $62,680 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
How many kindergarten teachers work in the Chicago area?
The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area employs about 3,350 kindergarten teachers (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Do kindergarten teachers in Chicago need a license?
Licensing is handled at state level rather than by city. Two systems govern this field. Public school classrooms require a bachelor's from a state-approved program, student teaching and the state teaching license. Child care and preschool settings run through the state early learning agency, where training hours, the CDA credential and degree tiers step up with each quality rating level. Confirm current requirements with your state educator licensure board for school positions, or your state early learning agency for child care settings.
Can I study early childhood education online from Chicago?
The academic portion of these programs is widely available online for working adults, while labs, clinical hours or supervised field work are completed in person. Check that the program's accreditation satisfies your state educator licensure board for school positions, or your state early learning agency for child care settings.
Is Chicago a better market than the rest of Illinois?
The Chicago metro median is $70,250 against a statewide median of $64,020 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education (SOC 25-2012), national, state and metropolitan estimates
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2024-34
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook - education and licensing requirements
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
