Industry
What does a supply chain analyst earn in the Midwest?
Midwest supply chain analyst pay runs from about $58,000 to $95,000 by state and experience, judged against federal wage data, not a national average.
What to take away
- Midwest supply chain analyst base pay runs about $58,000 at entry, $75,000 mid-career, and $95,000 at senior level. State and metro medians move that spread by $5,000 to $15,000.
- Chicago pays the most of the large Midwest metros in the table below. Kansas City, Cleveland and Grand Rapids pay the least.
- The federal wage line to check is logisticians, SOC code 13-1081, because no supply chain analyst code exists.
- Compare an offer to the state or metro median, not to a national average that blends Chicago with rural Iowa.
- An offer below 0.95 of your state median is a signal to negotiate or walk, unless the role adds scope.
- Base pay is not total pay. Bonus, shift differential and tuition help can add 5 to 15 percent.
The federal line that actually covers this job
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish a supply chain analyst wage. It publishes logisticians, SOC code 13-1081, which covers planning, procurement, inventory and transportation roles. That is the number to use. state and metro estimates for logisticians
Nationally, logistician medians usually land in the high $70,000s to about $80,000. The most recent federal release puts the national median near $80,000. Illinois, Minnesota and Michigan sit above that line. Missouri, Ohio and Iowa sit below it.
The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program publishes median and percentile wages by state and metro area. It updates each May with about a one-year lag. Pull your state page first, then your metro page if one exists.
The release used here is OEWS May 2024, published in April 2025. The linked page carries a state table and, where the metro has enough postings, a metro table for logisticians. Each table prints its release year, so check that date before you quote a figure.
What the Midwest actually pays
These are rounded base salary bands for supply chain analysts across large Midwest metros, drawn from posted ranges and federal logistician medians. Treat them as a starting point for your own comparison, not as an offer.
| Market | Entry (0-2 yrs) | Mid (3-6 yrs) | Senior (7+ yrs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, IL | $62,000-$70,000 | $78,000-$90,000 | $98,000-$120,000 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $60,000-$68,000 | $75,000-$86,000 | $94,000-$112,000 |
| Detroit, MI | $58,000-$66,000 | $72,000-$84,000 | $90,000-$108,000 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $58,000-$66,000 | $73,000-$84,000 | $90,000-$108,000 |
| Columbus, OH | $56,000-$64,000 | $70,000-$80,000 | $86,000-$102,000 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $56,000-$64,000 | $70,000-$81,000 | $86,000-$104,000 |
| St. Louis, MO | $56,000-$64,000 | $70,000-$80,000 | $87,000-$102,000 |
| Des Moines, IA | $56,000-$64,000 | $70,000-$81,000 | $88,000-$103,000 |
| Kansas City, MO | $55,000-$63,000 | $68,000-$79,000 | $85,000-$100,000 |
| Cleveland, OH | $55,000-$63,000 | $69,000-$79,000 | $85,000-$100,000 |
| Grand Rapids, MI | $55,000-$63,000 | $68,000-$78,000 | $84,000-$99,000 |
Cincinnati has no row in the metro table. Ohio demand splits three ways across Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati, and Cincinnati bands sit close to the Columbus and Cleveland rows, so a third Ohio line would repeat the same range.
At the state level, logistician medians typically sit in the low to mid $70,000s. Michigan runs near $73,000, the figure used in the worked example below. Illinois runs higher, and Missouri and Ohio run lower.
The state table covers the eight Midwest states the title speaks to. Values are typical ranges, not published point values. Each state page in the linked release prints the current median for that state and its metros.
| State | Typical logistician median | What sets the state figure |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | Low $80,000s | Chicago metro postings dominate the state total |
| Minnesota | Low $80,000s | Twin Cities headquarters and freight operations |
| Michigan | Near $73,000 | Automotive supplier base |
| Wisconsin | Low to mid $70,000s | Milwaukee and Madison mix |
| Indiana | Low to mid $70,000s | Indianapolis distribution and manufacturing |
| Ohio | Low $70,000s | Demand splits across three metros |
| Missouri | Low $70,000s | Kansas City and St. Louis split the total |
| Iowa | Low $70,000s | Insurance and agribusiness employers |
Employer mix explains part of the gap. Minneapolis hosts Target, C.H. Robinson and UnitedHealth Group. Detroit hosts General Motors, Ford and Stellantis. Moline, Illinois hosts Deere & Company, and Wayzata, Minnesota hosts Cargill.
Automotive suppliers in Michigan and agribusiness employers in Iowa and Illinois run flatter bands than coastal tech. They pay for retention, not title inflation. A first offer above the top of these ranges is rare outside Chicago.
The index that tells you if an offer is fair
Take the base salary midpoint in the offer, divide it by the state median for logisticians, then adjust for years of experience.
Is the offer fair?
Index below 0.90?
Pay trails state median; check experience and scope
Index 0.90 to 1.05?
Local pay index = offer base midpoint / state median. A value of 1.00 means the offer matches the state median. A value of 0.85 means it sits 15 percent below.
On a $73,000 Michigan median, a 1.00 index is an offer at $73,000. A 0.95 index is $69,350. A 0.90 index is $65,700.
What it usually means
- Below 0.90
- Pay trails the state median
- 0.90 to 1.05
- Roughly market for a qualified hire
- Above 1.05
- Premium pay for a hard-to-fill role
First check
- Below 0.90
- Years of experience and scope
- 0.90 to 1.05
- Bonus and shift differential
- Above 1.05
- Whether the premium is base or temporary
Pay bands widen with scope. The Project management salary guide shows how scope changes the number in a related field.
Where the state and metro numbers diverge
In Illinois, the Chicago metro estimate carries more weight than the state figure, because most postings sit in that metro. In Ohio and Missouri, the state figure is the more useful anchor. Ohio splits demand across Columbus, Cleveland and Cincinnati, and no single metro dominates.
Minnesota and Wisconsin behave like Illinois, with one metro carrying most of the state total. Indiana and Iowa spread thinner, so a state median there covers a wider mix of employers and can sit several thousand dollars from your city. Use the metro row when your city has one, and the state row when it does not.
What the index cannot tell you
The index compares base pay only. It does not see a 10 percent annual bonus, a shift differential, or tuition assistance. It also cannot see cost of living. A 1.00 index in Grand Rapids buys more housing than a 1.00 index in Chicago. The Business analyst salary by state article handles that comparison directly.
The metric also assumes the state median reflects your specialty. A demand planner and a transportation analyst share the logistician code in the federal data, yet employers pay them differently. That is the main limitation.
Worked example: a Detroit offer read three ways
The offer base is $68,000. The Michigan logistician median is $73,000. The index is 0.93. The role adds a rotation through procurement.
Detroit offer, three ways
- $68,000Offer base
- $73,000Michigan median
- 0.93Index
- 1.00Target after 12 months
The rotation may justify the gap if it closes within two years. Ask for a written review at 12 months with a target index of 1.00. If the employer refuses, treat the offer as a 0.93 and compare it against the next one.
Where the numbers come from
The estimates come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. The state page for logisticians is the anchor, and the national overview for logisticians gives the broader picture.
The data lag the market by about a year. In a tight market for planners, actual offers can run above the published median. In a soft market, they can run below it. Use the index as a direction, not a verdict.
For a second reference point, compare state data for management analysts, which moves with operations and consulting roles.
When to stop measuring and decide
Set the threshold before you compare. Act when the index is 0.95 or lower and the employer will not commit to a review within 12 months. Act when the index is 1.05 or higher and the non-pay factors pass.
Stop measuring when you have two offers within 0.05 of each other. At that point the index has done its job. The decision belongs to commute, manager quality and the work itself. If you are weighing a step into management, the management careers salary takeaways explain what changes.
Common questions
Why not use a supply chain analyst salary Midwest average from a job board?
Job boards blend titles, seniority and commission. They produce a single number that hides the state difference, while federal state and metro estimates are narrower and public.
Does the index work for entry level supply chain analyst salary offers?
Yes. Compare the offer to the state median, then weigh what the role adds. A structured rotation, a paid certification or a written review date can offset a gap of a few index points.
What if my state page shows a median far from my city?
Use the metro estimate when it exists. For Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis, the metro page is more accurate than the state figure.
Is a logistics analyst salary Midwest figure the same as a supply chain analyst figure?
Close enough for a first read. The work overlaps in planning, inventory and transportation. For how promotion changes pay in a related field, the business development career path article covers the pattern.
