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Source: https://deftridge.com/rates/reference-answer-writer/illinois/
Title: Reference-Answer Writer hourly rate in Illinois | Deftridge
Summary: Reference-Answer Writer pay in Illinois: median wage $41 an hour, typical part-time contractor rate $50. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2024.

IL · United States · **Updated November 3, 2026**

# Reference-Answer Writer hourly rate in Illinois

The market median wage for a Reference-Answer Writer in Illinois is **$40.62 an hour**. A senior part-time contractor typically receives **$50 an hour** on Deftridge, -9% against the United States rate.

**$50/hr** typical contractor rate, senior

**$40.62/hr** median wage

**$30-57** middle half of wages

**$1,080** a month at 5 hours a week

## Reference-Answer Writer wage percentiles in Illinois

Employee wages for the role. The yellow row is the median.

| Percentile | Per hour | 5 h a week, per month | Full time, per year |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 10th | $22.67 | $490 | $47,200 |
| 25th | $30.10 | $650 | $62,600 |
| Median | $40.62 | $880 | $84,500 |
| 75th | $57.44 | $1,240 | $119,500 |
| 90th | $74.30 | $1,610 | $154,500 |

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2024; aged to October 2026; about 2,010 people employed in the role. [How rates are built](https://deftridge.com/rates/methodology/).

## Illinois in numbers

What sets Illinois apart for a Reference-Answer Writer, from the same sources as the table above.

- **-8%** median wage against the United States median of $44.33

- **23rd of 51** states by median wage for this role

- **2,010** people employed in the role in this place

- **$42.43** median wage in the Chicago metro area, the highest here

- **$35** country floor: no United States rate is published below it

## What contractors receive

The Deftridge rate for a Reference-Answer Writer in Illinois by level and by format. The company adds 15% on top; you keep all of the rate shown.

| Level | Per hour | Per month at 5 h/week |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Senior | $50 | $1,080 |
| Manager | $60 | $1,300 |
| Director | $75 | $1,630 |

- AI expert review **$50**

## Reference-Answer Writer pay across United States

Typical contractor rate for a senior Reference-Answer Writer, highest first; 10 of 51 places shown. By median wage Illinois ranks **23 of 51**.

| Place | Median wage | Contractor rate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| District of Columbia | $77.05 | $95 |
| Maryland | $63.26 | $80 |
| California | $57.72 | $70 |
| Idaho | $41.63 | $50 |
| Maine | $41.33 | $50 |
| Nebraska | $40.79 | $50 |
| Illinois | $40.62 | $50 |
| North Carolina | $40.20 | $50 |
| Ohio | $39.88 | $50 |
| Arizona | $39.83 | $50 |

## Metro areas in Illinois

Median employee wage for the role in the metro area (BLS OEWS).

- [Chicago $42.43/hr median wage · range $31-58](https://deftridge.com/rates/reference-answer-writer/illinois/)

- [Bloomington $40.62/hr median wage · range $30-57](https://deftridge.com/rates/reference-answer-writer/illinois/)

- [Champaign $40.62/hr median wage · range $30-57](https://deftridge.com/rates/reference-answer-writer/illinois/)

- [Decatur $40.62/hr median wage · range $30-57](https://deftridge.com/rates/reference-answer-writer/illinois/)

- [Kankakee $40.62/hr median wage · range $30-57](https://deftridge.com/rates/reference-answer-writer/illinois/)

- [Rockford $40.62/hr median wage · range $30-57](https://deftridge.com/rates/reference-answer-writer/illinois/)

- [Springfield $40.62/hr median wage · range $30-57](https://deftridge.com/rates/reference-answer-writer/illinois/)

- [Peoria $36.24/hr median wage · range $25-48](https://deftridge.com/rates/reference-answer-writer/illinois/)

## Questions about pay, fees and privacy

The same rules apply to every task, so they live on two pages: [Pricing](https://deftridge.com/pricing/) explains the 15% fee, prepayment and when you are paid; [How it works](https://deftridge.com/how-it-works/) covers matching, what a company sees and side work next to a job.

[Reference-Answer Writer rates in every country](https://deftridge.com/rates/reference-answer-writer/) · [Reference-Answer Writer jobs in Illinois](https://deftridge.com/jobs/reference-answer-writer/illinois/) · [Methodology](https://deftridge.com/rates/methodology/)