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What does a Materials Engineers salary really buy you in Illinois?
Illinois is near the US average cost of livingData: BLS OEWS 2025 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-05-19
Illinois's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 101.3, meaning prices are 1.3% higher the national average. A Materials Engineers earning $126,620 in Illinois has the equivalent purchasing power of $124,995 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) | $71,780 | $70,858 | $-921 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $91,570 | $90,394 | $-1,175 |
| Median (P50) | $126,620 | $124,995 | $-1,624 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $136,710 | $134,955 | $-1,754 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $165,710 | $163,583 | $-2,126 |
Illinois's cost of living is close to the national average, so $126,620 keeps most of its value at $124,995 in real terms. Location choice here is more about career opportunities than cost arbitrage.
With an RPP of 101.3, Illinois is within a few percent of the national cost-of-living baseline. Salary adjustment for Materials Engineers is therefore minor — what you earn is close to what you'd keep in real purchasing power.
After adjusting for Illinois's cost of living, $126,620 nominal nets out to $124,995 in real purchasing power — a small 1.3% loss. The state's cost profile is close enough to average that COL alone shouldn't drive location decisions for this Materials Engineers.
Ranked on COL-adjusted median pay for Materials Engineers, Illinois places #7 of 45 states — top quartile. Either nominal wages run high, cost of living runs low, or both.
Where does Materials Engineers salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Illinois ranks #7 out of 45 states for Materials Engineers after cost-of-living adjustment.
How much do you actually take home? See Materials Engineers take-home pay in Illinois after taxes →
A Materials Engineers in Illinois earns a median salary of $126,620 per year. After adjusting for Illinois's cost of living (RPP=101.3), the real purchasing power is $124,995 — 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 Materials Engineers in Illinois: $126,620 x (100 / 101.3) = $124,995. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
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