What does a Commercial Pilots salary really buy you in Illinois?
Illinois is near the US average cost of livingData: BLS OEWS 2024 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-03-31
Illinois's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 101.3, meaning prices are 1.3% higher the national average. A Commercial Pilots earning $105,290 in Illinois has the equivalent purchasing power of $103,938 in an average-cost US state.
Illinois's cost of living is close to the national average, so $105,290 keeps most of its value at $103,938 in real terms. Location choice here is more about career opportunities than cost arbitrage.
Where does Commercial Pilots salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Illinois ranks #41 out of 49 states for Commercial Pilots after cost-of-living adjustment.
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A Commercial Pilots in Illinois earns a median salary of $105,290 per year. After adjusting for Illinois's cost of living (RPP=101.3), the real purchasing power is $103,938 — 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 Commercial Pilots in Illinois: $105,290 x (100 / 101.3) = $103,938. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.