What does a Firefighter 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 Firefighter earning $79,080 in Illinois has the equivalent purchasing power of $78,065 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) | $33,760 | $33,326 | $-433 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $45,760 | $45,172 | $-587 |
| Median (P50) | $79,080 | $78,065 | $-1,014 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $107,120 | $105,745 | $-1,374 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $117,060 | $115,557 | $-1,502 |
Illinois's cost of living is close to the national average, so $79,080 keeps most of its value at $78,065 in real terms. Location choice here is more about career opportunities than cost arbitrage.
Where does Firefighter salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Illinois ranks #4 out of 49 states for Firefighter after cost-of-living adjustment.
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A Firefighter in Illinois earns a median salary of $79,080 per year. After adjusting for Illinois's cost of living (RPP=101.3), the real purchasing power is $78,065 — 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 Firefighter in Illinois: $79,080 x (100 / 101.3) = $78,065. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.