This page is built from the open postings on hospital and health-system career sites in Illinois listed on Betterleap's job board: 9,302 open positions from 74 employers as of October 26, 2026, 4.4% of all open postings on the board, which ranks Illinois #5 of 51 states. Registered nurses are 49.4% of the state's postings (2,286). Every figure below is a count or a posted pay range, never a job description; the method is at the end.
Where the jobs are in Illinois
| # | City | Open postings | of which RN | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago, IL | 1,166 | 324 | 33 |
| 2 | Peoria, IL | 883 | 210 | 4 |
| 3 | Rockford, IL | 505 | 133 | 10 |
| 4 | Evanston, IL | 349 | 112 | 4 |
| 5 | Urbana, IL | 319 | 96 | 5 |
| 6 | Aurora, IL | 268 | 56 | 10 |
| 7 | Kankakee, IL | 217 | 59 | 6 |
| 8 | Arlington Heights, IL | 209 | 56 | 5 |
Every city links to its live listings; the state's registered-nurse listings are at RN jobs in Illinois.
Health systems hiring the most in Illinois
Counted by open postings on the system's own career site, so a system that lists every unit and shift separately ranks higher than one that posts one evergreen requisition per role.
| # | Employer | Open postings in IL |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | OSF Healthcare System | 1,510 |
| 2 | NorthShore � Edward-Elmhurst Health | 1,220 |
| 3 | Prime Healthcare Services | 822 |
| 4 | The Carle Foundation | 743 |
| 5 | UChicago Medicine | 525 |
| 6 | Advocate Health | 453 |
| 7 | Trinity Health | 331 |
| 8 | Hospital Sisters Health System | 297 |
Which roles Illinois employers are hiring
| Role | Open postings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| registered nurses | 2,286 | 49.4% |
| physicians | 592 | 12.8% |
| medical assistants | 429 | 9.3% |
| patient care technicians | 309 | 6.7% |
| radiologic technologists | 295 | 6.4% |
| certified nursing assistants | 252 | 5.4% |
| respiratory therapists | 234 | 5.1% |
| physical therapists | 234 | 5.1% |
What nursing jobs pay in Illinois
For reference, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 138,910 registered nurses employed in Illinois with a mean wage of $45.36 an hour ($94,360 a year), OEWS May 2025.
Where enough Illinois postings state a pay range with both ends (24.6% of them do), the median midpoint of the posted range, converted to hourly (annual divided by 2,080), with the middle half of postings and the BLS May 2025 state mean for the same occupation:
| Role | Postings with a range | Median posted midpoint | Middle half of postings | BLS mean | Posted vs BLS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| registered nurses | 613 | $42.50/hr | $41.50 to $46.00 | $45.36/hr | -6.3% |
Not shown: licensed practical nurses (no BLS reference loaded for this occupation yet); certified nursing assistants (no BLS reference loaded for this occupation yet).
Licensing: working as a nurse in Illinois
Illinois is not a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact, per NCSBN's compact map (read September 26, 2026, which lists 40 member states). A nurse licensed in another state needs a Illinois license by endorsement before starting work, so employers here draw mostly on nurses already licensed in the state. The state's board of nursing contact page is on NCSBN.
The full licensing path, from education to the NCLEX-RN and the board application, is in How to become a nurse in Illinois.
How this is built
- Scope: open postings on public hospital and health-system career sites, counted as of the date shown; job descriptions are never republished. Only postings whose location is in Illinois count here; a posting listing several sites counts once, at its first site.
- Pay point: midpoint of the posted range, hourly (annual ÷ 2080), only where both ends and the unit are posted. The top of a posted range is never used as "the pay". A posted median is published only with at least 100 postings and within a third of the BLS mean.
- Freshness: counts are refreshed monthly and the page shows its date; a posting that leaves an employer's site drops out.
- References: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state estimates; NCSBN Nurse Licensure Compact map data, read September 26, 2026.
Data as of October 26, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How many open nursing jobs are there in Illinois right now?
9,302 open postings from 74 hospital and health-system employers in Illinois as of October 26, 2026, 2,286 of them for registered nurses. Chicago has the most (1,166), then Peoria (883).
What do registered nurses earn in Illinois?
The BLS OEWS May 2025 mean for registered nurses in Illinois is $45.36 an hour, $94,360 a year, across 138,910 employed RNs. Open postings that state a range (613 of them) have a median midpoint of $42.50 an hour, -6.3% versus the BLS mean.
Is Illinois a Nurse Licensure Compact state?
No. Illinois is not an NLC member (NCSBN map, read September 26, 2026); nurses licensed elsewhere need a Illinois license by endorsement.
Which hospitals are hiring nurses in Illinois?
By open postings on their own career sites: OSF Healthcare System (1,510), NorthShore � Edward-Elmhurst Health (1,220), Prime Healthcare Services (822) and 5 more listed above, as of October 26, 2026.
