Linux Kernel Developer
Linux Kernel Developer Salary in Chicago, IL
$104.1K - $111.3K
5% of jobs
$111.3K - $118.6K
4% of jobs
$118.6K - $125.8K
4% of jobs
$125.8K - $133K
2% of jobs
$133K - $140.2K
10% of jobs
$140.9K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$140.2K - $147.4K
11% of jobs
$147.4K - $154.6K
12% of jobs
The median wage is $156.4K / yr.
$154.6K - $161.9K
14% of jobs
$161.9K - $169.1K
14% of jobs
$169.4K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$169.1K - $176.3K
13% of jobs
$176.3K - $183.5K
13% of jobs
$104.1K
$156.7K
$182K
$153,677
/year
$73.88
/hour
Linux Kernel Developer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$149,062
Chicago
Illinois
$153,677
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How much does a Linux Kernel Developer make in Chicago, Illinois?
As of Aug 11, 2026, the average annual pay for a Linux Kernel Developer in Chicago is $153,677 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $73.88 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,955/week or $12,806/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $181,963 and as low as $104,127, the majority of Linux Kernel Developer salaries currently range between $140,700 (25th percentile) to $170,100 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $178,355 annually in Chicago. The average pay range for a Linux Kernel Developer varies little (about 29400), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Linux Kernel Developer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Linux Kernel Developer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Linux Kernel Developer Jobs in Chicago
We found a few jobs that pay more than jobs in the Linux Kernel Developer category in Chicago, IL.
Nevertheless Linux Support Engineer, Malware Reverse Engineer, or Linux Engineer may still be interesting positions to explore.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Linux Support Engineer | $153,354 | $73.73 |
Malware Reverse Engineer | $140,505 | $67.55 |
Linux Engineer | $127,992 | $61.53 |
Active Directory Engineer | $124,632 | $59.92 |
Linux Programmer | $101,033 | $48.57 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
