Prices, pay, taxes, homes and family budgets, county by county, from the same official data the site's calculators use.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis measures price levels in every state against a national average of 100. Illinois scores 100.0 overall, so a $75,000 salary at average US prices buys what $74,969 buys here. Compare any salary with another state.
| Price level | Illinois (US = 100) | Rank, most expensive first |
|---|---|---|
| Everything | 100.0 | 19th of 51 |
| Rents | 93.9 | 21st of 51 |
| Goods | 103.8 | — |
| Other services | 100.2 | — |
Home electricity averaged 15.87 cents a kilowatt-hour in 2024, against 17.06 across all states. A gallon of regular gas cost $4.28 at the end of August 2026, against $4.12.
Across all 6,098,130 jobs the Bureau of Labor Statistics counts in Illinois, the median pay is $51,960 a year, or $24.98 an hour; that ranks 20th of the 50 states and DC. One worker in ten earns less than $32,900 and one in ten more than $127,770.
Illinois taxes wages at a flat 4.95%. The brackets in Illinois. A single filer on the median $51,960, with no retirement or health deductions, takes home about $41,358 a year, or $1,591 every two weeks, after $4,055 of federal income tax, $3,975 of Social Security and Medicare and $2,572 of state income tax. Work out your own paycheck in Illinois.
The five occupations employing the most people, with their median annual pay:
| Occupation | Jobs | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 195,390 | $40,550 |
| General and Operations Managers | 171,300 | $103,570 |
| Cashiers | 139,630 | $34,490 |
| Registered Nurses | 138,910 | $95,990 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 134,100 | $38,060 |
Of the 20 largest occupations, the best paid are general and operations managers ($103,570), registered nurses ($95,990), elementary school teachers, except special education ($75,320). See what common jobs pay in every state.
Across the 102 Illinois counties with their own Zillow home value, the median typical home is worth $160,090, and across the 34 with their own rent figure the median typical rent is $1,203 a month. A typical home costs 1.87 years of the county's median family income, at the median county.
With 10% down at 7.03%, the average 30-year rate on September 24, 2026, that home costs about $1,340 a month with tax, insurance and mortgage insurance, which takes $57,426 a year of income under the usual 28% guideline. The median family can afford its own county's typical home in 91.2% of Illinois's counties, against 44.9% of counties nationally. Try it with your own income.
At the median county, home values changed +5.3% over the past year and +20.9% over five years, and rents +4.7% over the past year.
The most expensive Illinois counties are DuPage County ($446,623), Lake County ($401,229) and Kendall County ($399,731); the least expensive are Alexander County ($61,221), Pulaski County ($88,805) and Saline County ($92,395).
The Economic Policy Institute prices what a modest but adequate standard of living costs in every county: housing, food, transport, healthcare, childcare, other necessities and taxes. In the median Illinois county, that comes to $46,460 a year for one adult and $102,179 for two adults and two children, of which $12,061 is childcare. The national averages are $47,367 and $101,771. Median family income in the median county is $85,417.
| Two adults, two children | Per year, median county | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | $10,554 | $880 |
| Food | $11,683 | $974 |
| Transportation | $19,716 | $1,643 |
| Healthcare | $22,903 | $1,909 |
| Childcare | $12,061 | $1,005 |
| Other necessities | $6,912 | $576 |
| Taxes | $15,648 | $1,304 |
Each line is its own median across counties, so the lines do not add up exactly to the total.
The Department of Education's College Scorecard lists 236 colleges in Illinois, 64 of them public. The median public college reports a cost of attendance of $14,541 a year, covering tuition, housing, books and other expenses. Ten years after enrolling, the median school's former students earn $39,657. Compare degrees and schools.
| Adams County | $189,629 | +6.4% | $1,288 | $86,166 | $95,142 |
| Alexander County | $61,221 | −19.2% | — | $60,875 | $103,941 |
| Bond County | $166,285 | +11.2% | — | $86,638 | $99,294 |
| Boone County | $289,666 | +6.5% | — | $99,747 | $118,205 |
| Brown County | $164,743 | +2.1% | — | $85,645 | $98,508 |
| Bureau County | $154,318 | +6.5% | — | $82,471 | $98,499 |
| Calhoun County | $205,735 | +4.6% | — | $107,903 | $89,823 |
| Carroll County | $163,681 | +11.3% | — | $77,768 | $99,571 |
| Cass County | $104,396 | −5.0% | — | $76,426 | $101,542 |
| Champaign County | $242,111 | +5.9% | $1,343 | $97,100 | $111,543 |
| Christian County | $136,686 | +5.0% | — | $80,181 | $98,631 |
| Clark County | $151,412 | +9.3% | — | $84,951 | $98,161 |
| Clay County | $112,001 | +6.3% | — | $74,401 | $102,756 |
| Clinton County | $226,277 | +7.4% | $1,087 | $102,033 | $100,846 |
| Coles County | $147,276 | +5.1% | $763 | $73,684 | $98,524 |
| Cook County | $344,339 | +5.3% | $2,322 | $102,297 | $109,645 |
| Crawford County | $135,537 | −8.1% | — | $86,023 | $104,643 |
| Cumberland County | $177,792 | +8.6% | — | $93,996 | $99,559 |
| De Witt County | $162,002 | +11.1% | — | $89,912 | $102,002 |
| DeKalb County | $303,352 | +5.4% | $1,421 | $93,970 | $116,484 |
| Douglas County | $160,945 | +6.3% | — | $87,355 | $100,139 |
| DuPage County | $446,623 | +4.2% | $2,137 | $136,376 | $134,094 |
| Edgar County | $113,878 | −1.5% | — | $74,364 | $98,892 |
| Edwards County | $133,773 | +7.1% | — | $73,895 | $107,387 |
| Effingham County | $224,314 | +3.0% | — | $93,649 | $104,415 |
| Fayette County | $155,601 | −0.5% | — | $72,652 | $106,485 |
| Ford County | $161,629 | +4.7% | — | $85,122 | $102,878 |
| Franklin County | $112,395 | +2.1% | — | $67,459 | $106,032 |
| Fulton County | $110,893 | +1.9% | — | $74,828 | $101,940 |
| Gallatin County | $93,289 | −6.0% | — | $72,386 | $109,099 |
| Greene County | $115,810 | −0.2% | — | $74,519 | $94,531 |
| Grundy County | $326,662 | +3.9% | $1,385 | $109,922 | $104,461 |
| Hamilton County | $121,439 | −3.4% | — | $75,333 | $108,307 |
| Hancock County | $117,877 | +5.1% | — | $85,081 | $95,085 |
| Hardin County | $106,276 | +1.6% | — | $68,008 | $108,904 |
| Henderson County | $127,534 | +3.7% | — | $76,563 | $97,472 |
| Henry County | $176,192 | +8.7% | — | $89,207 | $99,138 |
| Iroquois County | $155,743 | 0.0% | — | $81,973 | $98,864 |
| Jackson County | $134,847 | +8.5% | $714 | $77,348 | $112,782 |
| Jasper County | $175,156 | +12.3% | — | $92,214 | $104,160 |
| Jefferson County | $148,135 | +8.1% | $918 | $74,499 | $107,188 |
| Jersey County | $207,945 | +3.7% | — | $97,557 | $97,063 |
| Jo Daviess County | $252,820 | +4.6% | — | $93,609 | $100,824 |
| Johnson County | $189,628 | −2.7% | — | $77,213 | $111,002 |
| Kane County | $387,210 | +4.5% | $2,102 | $116,477 | $123,476 |
| Kankakee County | $228,870 | +6.3% | $1,410 | $86,403 | $91,215 |
| Kendall County | $399,731 | +2.8% | $2,353 | $119,150 | $120,698 |
| Knox County | $120,012 | +15.0% | $853 | $79,128 | $95,702 |
| La Salle County | $197,897 | +6.1% | $1,208 | $88,077 | $104,961 |
| Lake County | $401,229 | +5.9% | $2,242 | $132,828 | $122,206 |
| Lawrence County | $101,391 | −12.2% | — | $74,741 | $103,850 |
| Lee County | $188,791 | +7.2% | $1,112 | $85,122 | $104,015 |
| Livingston County | $173,658 | +11.2% | — | $89,586 | $103,248 |
| Logan County | $144,450 | +7.2% | — | $82,344 | $97,811 |
| Macon County | $127,195 | +6.3% | $1,003 | $84,901 | $100,086 |
| Macoupin County | $145,423 | +1.5% | — | $84,339 | $98,170 |
| Madison County | $200,352 | +5.7% | $1,185 | $96,412 | $102,142 |
| Marion County | $126,429 | +6.7% | — | $77,817 | $101,207 |
| Marshall County | $147,632 | +5.8% | — | $88,156 | $103,629 |
| Mason County | $104,269 | +13.2% | — | $80,426 | $95,772 |
| Massac County | $121,265 | +6.0% | — | $76,848 | $105,983 |
| McDonough County | $100,528 | +1.6% | $788 | $74,951 | $96,000 |
| McHenry County | $372,372 | +4.4% | $1,994 | $121,624 | $126,699 |
| McLean County | $262,590 | +1.7% | $1,317 | $112,015 | $120,950 |
| Menard County | $212,146 | +7.4% | — | $96,413 | $105,539 |
| Mercer County | $175,928 | +7.9% | — | $92,255 | $102,287 |
| Monroe County | $329,004 | +3.8% | — | $128,922 | $98,935 |
| Montgomery County | $136,270 | +5.7% | — | $86,565 | $94,034 |
| Morgan County | $138,568 | +4.3% | — | $89,250 | $95,178 |
| Moultrie County | $188,285 | +8.1% | — | $91,635 | $95,626 |
| Ogle County | $231,798 | +8.5% | $1,150 | $94,155 | $101,675 |
| Peoria County | $166,664 | +6.5% | $1,217 | $88,576 | $102,422 |
| Perry County | $117,768 | +0.2% | — | $75,049 | $108,622 |
| Piatt County | $230,748 | +2.2% | — | $98,731 | $109,280 |
| Pike County | $123,682 | +6.2% | — | $80,158 | $92,439 |
| Pope County | $166,060 | +9.9% | — | $88,393 | $109,273 |
| Pulaski County | $88,805 | −10.6% | — | $60,905 | $111,083 |
| Putnam County | $194,216 | +2.9% | — | $93,265 | $100,188 |
| Randolph County | $157,464 | +8.3% | — | $89,319 | $93,776 |
| Richland County | $142,727 | +10.9% | — | $78,589 | $103,045 |
| Rock Island County | $161,018 | +5.2% | $934 | $87,207 | $97,262 |
| Saline County | $92,395 | −4.7% | — | $72,510 | $107,831 |
| Sangamon County | $201,554 | +8.4% | $1,198 | $101,807 | $102,998 |
| Schuyler County | $159,059 | +5.1% | — | $85,464 | $93,752 |
| Scott County | $95,714 | −3.9% | — | $92,169 | $96,313 |
| Shelby County | $169,443 | +5.4% | — | $84,015 | $96,626 |
| St. Clair County | $181,995 | +1.9% | $1,358 | $92,727 | $94,679 |
| Stark County | $140,410 | +7.0% | — | $81,042 | $99,340 |
| Stephenson County | $161,884 | +9.7% | $954 | $79,462 | $99,062 |
| Tazewell County | $192,627 | +7.8% | $1,023 | $97,571 | $102,216 |
| Union County | $155,386 | +1.9% | — | $83,539 | $108,690 |
| Vermilion County | $105,054 | +2.1% | $869 | $75,464 | $100,091 |
| Wabash County | $130,747 | +4.6% | — | $83,731 | $105,107 |
| Warren County | $122,099 | −0.9% | — | $82,684 | $92,438 |
| Washington County | $172,645 | +10.2% | — | $94,529 | $97,637 |
| Wayne County | $136,458 | +6.2% | — | $76,472 | $108,270 |
| White County | $117,359 | +7.7% | — | $69,832 | $108,963 |
| Whiteside County | $150,218 | +4.6% | $817 | $85,370 | $98,990 |
| Will County | $379,299 | +2.5% | $2,376 | $124,227 | $118,610 |
| Williamson County | $159,235 | −0.4% | $1,060 | $85,336 | $109,700 |
| Winnebago County | $213,138 | +9.2% | $1,255 | $81,456 | $102,385 |
| Woodford County | $241,013 | +8.9% | — | $109,137 | $116,639 |
A dash means the source publishes no figure for that county. Home values and rents are Zillow's own county figures only; counties Zillow does not cover are left blank rather than filled with a state average.
Chicago, IL (typical rent $2,253), St. Louis, MO (typical rent $1,445).
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Run the numbersTake-home pay in Illinois · What a salary is worth in Illinois · How much rent you can afford · What a car costs in Illinois
Writing about Illinois? Paste this code into your page for a small card with the figures above, which update when the site's data does. It has no tracking and no cookies.
County figures are medians across Illinois's counties, each counting once, so they describe the spread of places rather than of people. Property tax and insurance vary widely; the calculators let you use your own.