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What does a Materials Scientists 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 Scientists earning $125,850 in Illinois has the equivalent purchasing power of $124,234 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) | $84,070 | $82,991 | $-1,078 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $104,350 | $103,010 | $-1,339 |
| Median (P50) | $125,850 | $124,234 | $-1,615 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $145,620 | $143,751 | $-1,868 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $184,130 | $181,767 | $-2,362 |
Illinois's cost of living is close to the national average, so $125,850 keeps most of its value at $124,234 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 Scientists 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, $125,850 nominal nets out to $124,235 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 Scientists.
Illinois sits at #8 of 30 states for Materials Scientists COL-adjusted salary — comfortably above the national midpoint.
Where does Materials Scientists salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Illinois ranks #8 out of 30 states for Materials Scientists after cost-of-living adjustment.
How much do you actually take home? See Materials Scientists take-home pay in Illinois after taxes →
A Materials Scientists in Illinois earns a median salary of $125,850 per year. After adjusting for Illinois's cost of living (RPP=101.3), the real purchasing power is $124,234 — 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 Scientists in Illinois: $125,850 x (100 / 101.3) = $124,234. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
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