What does a Civil Engineers salary really buy you in Illinois?
Illinois is near the US average cost of livingData: BLS OEWS 2024 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-04-02
Illinois's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 101.3, meaning prices are 1.3% higher the national average. A Civil Engineers earning $97,870 in Illinois has the equivalent purchasing power of $96,614 in an average-cost US state.
Every dollar goes further in low-cost states. Here is how each salary percentile compares after adjusting for Illinois's cost of living.
| Percentile | Nominal Salary | COL-Adjusted | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (P10) | $66,580 | $65,725 | $-854 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $78,010 | $77,008 | $-1,001 |
| Median (P50) | $97,870 | $96,614 | $-1,255 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $123,030 | $121,451 | $-1,578 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $139,190 | $137,403 | $-1,786 |
Illinois's cost of living is close to the national average, so $97,870 keeps most of its value at $96,614 in real terms. Location choice here is more about career opportunities than cost arbitrage.
Where does Civil Engineers salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Illinois ranks #16 out of 51 states for Civil Engineers after cost-of-living adjustment.
Some links are affiliate links. See our disclosure.
How much do you actually take home? See Civil Engineers take-home pay in Illinois after taxes →
A Civil Engineers in Illinois earns a median salary of $97,870 per year. After adjusting for Illinois's cost of living (RPP=101.3), the real purchasing power is $96,614 — a -1.3% difference.
Illinois's cost of living is 1.3% higher than the national average according to the BEA Regional Price Parities (2022). The RPP index for Illinois is 101.3 (US average = 100).
Regional Price Parities (RPPs) are price indexes published by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) that measure differences in price levels across states. They are expressed as a percentage of the national average (US = 100). Higher RPP means higher cost of living.
The adjusted salary is calculated as: Nominal Salary x (100 / RPP). For a Civil Engineers in Illinois: $97,870 x (100 / 101.3) = $96,614. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.