Is Illinois a good state for your salary to go far?

Illinois ranks #27 of 51 states on the Gera US Real Pay Index, with a mean index of 99.4 across 371 occupations (100 = the average state). Its 2024 BEA cost of living is 100.0 (US = 100), and its 2025 state income tax schedule is applied to each occupation's median wage.

What is the cost of living in Illinois?

Illinois's Regional Price Parity (All Items) for 2024 is 100.0, where the US average is 100. That is at or below the national average, so a dollar buys as much as or more than it does nationally. The Gera US Real Pay Index divides take-home pay by this figure to express salaries in purchasing-power-equivalent dollars.

GeraJobs / US Real Pay Index / Illinois

Where Your Salary Goes Furthest in Illinois

Illinois ranks #27 of 51 states on the Gera US Real Pay Index (mean 99.4, base = 100). Cost of living 100.0 (US = 100); top income tax 4.95%.

Does a salary go further in Illinois? (cost of living + state tax)

In Illinois, the cost of living is 100.0 on the BEA index (US = 100) and the Gera US Real Pay Index averages 99.4 across 371 occupations, ranking it #27 of 51 states for how far pay goes after 2025 state income tax and 2024 BEA cost of living. Real BLS OEWS; re-dated annually.

Source:U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)·As of May 2025 state estimates · updated annually · last refreshed 19 June 2026

Gera US Real Pay Index

Illinois ranks #27 of 51 states. Mean across 371 occupations; 100 = the average state, 99.4 means pay goes -0.6% less far after tax and cost of living.

How this is calculated

99.4

Real pay by occupation in Illinois (best first)

Occupation	BLS median	Real pay	Index
Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators	$115,780	$110,236	150.2
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators	$97,740	$93,082	146.6
Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors	$75,050	$71,506	141.9
Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters	$99,950	$95,184	139.8
Structural Iron and Steel Workers	$101,850	$96,990	139.2
Electricians	$99,560	$94,813	137.7
First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers	$123,500	$117,577	136.0
Roofers	$77,900	$74,216	135.9
Brickmasons and Blockmasons	$89,980	$85,703	133.0
Firefighters	$78,380	$74,673	130.7
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers	$100,520	$95,726	130.5
Sheet Metal Workers	$86,630	$82,518	128.8
Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers	$78,170	$74,473	128.7
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining	$80,600	$76,784	127.8
Carpenters	$79,000	$75,262	127.7
Correctional Officers and Jailers	$79,190	$75,443	127.5
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$135,080	$128,589	127.2
First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers	$105,450	$100,413	126.7
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers	$105,750	$100,699	122.3
Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators	$73,060	$69,614	120.1
Tax Examiners and Collectors, and Revenue Agents	$80,720	$76,898	118.0
Construction Laborers	$60,690	$57,851	117.7
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers	$77,410	$73,750	117.6
Personal Financial Advisors	$120,130	$114,373	117.0
Tree Trimmers and Pruners	$64,450	$61,427	117.0
Labor Relations Specialists	$104,180	$99,206	116.8
Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity	$65,200	$62,140	116.7
Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians	$79,190	$75,443	116.4
Hazardous Materials Removal Workers	$61,330	$58,460	116.1
Lawyers	$160,800	$153,046	115.5
Highway Maintenance Workers	$61,700	$58,812	115.1
Painters, Construction and Maintenance	$61,260	$58,393	114.4
First-Line Supervisors of Protective Service Workers, All Other	$86,260	$82,166	112.1
File Clerks	$49,920	$47,610	112.0
Food Batchmakers	$48,130	$45,908	111.6
Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs	$61,840	$58,945	110.8
Producers and Directors	$81,080	$77,240	110.8
Private Detectives and Investigators	$60,210	$57,395	110.8
Interior Designers	$76,290	$72,685	110.6
Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School	$77,960	$74,273	110.5

Showing the 40 highest real-pay occupations of 371 BLS publishes for Illinois. Real pay = BLS median − 2025 state income tax, divided by the 2024 BEA cost of living (100.0, US = 100).

Where does your salary go furthest?

Enter a salary and a state. We adjust for 2025 state income tax and the 2024 BEA cost of living to show your real, purchasing-power-equivalent pay — then rank every state.

Gross annual salary (USD)Compare against state

In Illinois, a $85,000 salary is worth about $80,826 in cost-of-living-and-tax-adjusted terms.

State income tax $4,208 (flat 4.95%) · take-home $80,793 · BEA cost of living 100.0 (US = 100).

The same salary goes furthest in South Dakota — worth $95,952, a $15,126 gain over Illinois.

#	State	Real value	Cost (RPP)
1	South Dakota	$95,952	88.6
2	Arkansas	$93,959	86.9
3	Louisiana	$93,473	88.2
4	Mississippi	$93,453	87.0
5	Iowa	$93,172	87.8
6	North Dakota	$93,161	89.0
7	Tennessee	$92,522	91.9
8	Oklahoma	$92,167	87.8
9	Wyoming	$91,703	92.7
10	Alabama	$90,911	88.8
11	Kentucky	$90,507	90.2
12	West Virginia	$90,397	89.5

Browse US jobs with salaries

Estimate only. State income tax is approximated from each state's 2025 flat rate (or top marginal rate as an upper bound for graduated states) and ignores federal tax, deductions and credits. The pre-published occupation and state pages use exact 2025 bracket math. Cost of living is the 2024 BEA Regional Price Parity (All Items).

Illinois real pay — FAQ

Is Illinois a good state for your salary to go far?: Illinois ranks #27 of 51 states on the Gera US Real Pay Index, with a mean index of 99.4 across 371 occupations (100 = the average state). Its 2024 BEA cost of living is 100.0 (US = 100), and its 2025 state income tax schedule is applied to each occupation's median wage.
What is the cost of living in Illinois?: Illinois's Regional Price Parity (All Items) for 2024 is 100.0, where the US average is 100. That is at or below the national average, so a dollar buys as much as or more than it does nationally. The Gera US Real Pay Index divides take-home pay by this figure to express salaries in purchasing-power-equivalent dollars.

Compare other states

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Related on GeraJobs

Gera US Real Pay Index — all states ranked
Methodology — the exact BLS + BEA + tax computation.
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Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) (May 2025 state estimates); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (All Items), by state (2024 (US = 100)); Tax Foundation — 2025 State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets. The Gera US Real Pay Index for Illinois is computed by GeraJobs from these figures; no figure is modelled or interpolated.