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Cook County · Illinois

Chicago sales tax rate (IL)

Chicago's 10.25% is the highest combined rate among the largest US cities, and groceries and prescription drugs are taxed at a reduced 1% state rate.

Ten dollar bills on a dark surface, illustrating state sales tax rates

Quick answer

The combined sales tax rate in Chicago, IL is 10.25% as of January 1, 2026 — 6.25% state + 1.75% county + 1.25% city + 1% special district. On a $100 purchase that is $10.25 in tax, for a total of $110.25. Illinois's statewide base is 6.25%.

Verified against state tableEffective January 1, 2026 · rank 4 of 94 covered metros
Combined rate
10.25%
State share
6.25%
Local share
4%County + city + districts
Tax on $100
$10.25

Calculate Chicago sales tax

Pre-filled with the Chicago combined rate.

Sales tax calculator

The full combined rate of 10.25% applies to general merchandise.

Enter a pre-tax amount to see the tax due in Chicago, IL.

Pre-tax
$100
Sales tax at 10.25%
$10.25
Total
$110.25

Tax is rounded to the nearest cent on the full transaction, which is how most registers compute it. Line-item rounding can differ by a cent or two on long receipts.

Is 10.25% high?

Where Chicago sits against the state and the covered-metro median, in points and in dollars.

vs covered median
+2.3 ptsMedian 7.95%
Local share
39%4% of the total
Cost per household
$2,665Per year on $26,000 taxable spend
Jurisdiction layers
4Stacked into the combined rate

10.25% in Chicago — high. It ranks 4 of 94 covered metros, +2.3 pts against the 7.95% median. On $26,000 of taxable household spending that is $2,665 a year, $598 above it.

Local government sets 4% of the total, 39% of the bill; the state takes 6.25%. 4 layers stack: Illinois state 6.25%, Cook County 1.75%, City of Chicago 1.25%, Regional Transportation Authority 1%. The Cook County increment at 1.75% is the largest local piece — 44% of everything local, worth $455 a year on its own.

Same bracket nationally: Long Beach, CA (10.25%); Oakland, CA (10.25%). A household relocating between Chicago and any of them sees no meaningful change in sales tax.

Scale: 2,664,452 residents, roughly 1,065,781 households. At $26,000 of taxable spend each, the 4% local share pulls about $1,108,412,240 a year from residents alone — before any visitor or business spending, which in a metro this size is where the rest comes from.

Chicago's 10.25% is the highest combined rate among the largest US cities, and groceries and prescription drugs are taxed at a reduced 1% state rate.

Rates move when a district measure passes or a local option expires. Confirm the current figure with the Illinois Department of Revenue before filing or quoting it to a customer.

Jurisdiction breakdown

Every layer that makes up the combined rate, and how much of the total each one contributes.

Sales tax rate composition for Chicago, IL: 6.25% Illinois state, 1.75% Cook County, 1.25% City of Chicago, 1% Regional Transportation Authority, totalling 10.25%.
Sales tax rate components for Chicago, IL
JurisdictionLevelRateShare of total
Illinois statestate6.25%
61%
Cook Countycounty1.75%
17%
City of Chicagocity1.25%
12%
Regional Transportation Authorityspecial district1%
10%
Combined rate10.25%
Source: Illinois Department of Revenue rate tables · rates as published for 2026

Chicago sales tax reference table

Tax due at 10.25% on common purchase amounts.

Tax due at 10.25% for common purchase amounts
PurchaseSales taxTotal
$10$1.03$11.03
$25$2.56$27.56
$50$5.13$55.13
$100$10.25$110.25
$500$51.25$551.25
$1,000$102.50$1102.50
$5,000$512.50$5512.50
$25,000$2562.50$27562.50

Reverse out sales tax

Enter a receipt total and we split the item price from the 10.25% tax collected.

Backing out 10.25% for Chicago, IL.

Item price before tax
$100
Sales tax collected
$10.25

What this rate applies to

Illinois publishes the taxable base separately from the rate. Groceries, prescription drugs, clothing and services are treated differently state to state, and several categories in Illinois are taxed at reduced rates or exempt entirely. Chicago's 10.25% is the highest combined rate among the largest US cities, and groceries and prescription drugs are taxed at a reduced 1% state rate. Check the Illinois Department of Revenue guidance for the category you are pricing before assuming 10.25% applies.

Chicago at a glance

Population
2,664,452
Median household income
$71,673
County
Cook County
ZIP codes covered
12
Chicago demographicsZIP codesSeller registration

Neighboring districts tax profiles

The closest covered jurisdictions by county and ZIP sectional centre, with the rate difference against this metro.

Compare Chicago with another metro

Side-by-side rate stacks and the dollar difference on a $1,000 purchase.

Cities near Chicago

Straight-line distance, estimated drive time and the rate charged there.

All metros within 250 miles of Chicago →

Download this metro's data

The Chicago jurisdiction stack, combined rate (10.25%), effective date and Census figures are published as open files. Free to use with attribution — no key, no signup.

Download CSV data fileChicago JSON endpointFull rate set (JSON)

Other Chicago datasets on this site.

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