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What does a Political 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 Political Scientists earning $103,780 in Illinois has the equivalent purchasing power of $102,448 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) | $71,990 | $71,066 | $-923 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $85,570 | $84,471 | $-1,098 |
| Median (P50) | $103,780 | $102,448 | $-1,331 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $117,590 | $116,080 | $-1,509 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $127,190 | $125,557 | $-1,632 |
Illinois's cost of living is close to the national average, so $103,780 keeps most of its value at $102,448 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 Political 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, $103,780 nominal nets out to $102,448 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 Political Scientists.
Illinois ranks #11 of 13 — bottom quartile for Political Scientists real purchasing power. Relocation, employer negotiation, or remote roles at higher-paying markets tend to generate the biggest ROI.
Where does Political Scientists salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Illinois ranks #11 out of 13 states for Political Scientists after cost-of-living adjustment.
How much do you actually take home? See Political Scientists take-home pay in Illinois after taxes →
A Political Scientists in Illinois earns a median salary of $103,780 per year. After adjusting for Illinois's cost of living (RPP=101.3), the real purchasing power is $102,448 — 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 Political Scientists in Illinois: $103,780 x (100 / 101.3) = $102,448. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
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