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What does a Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education 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 Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education earning $79,990 in Illinois has the equivalent purchasing power of $78,963 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) | $49,020 | $48,390 | $-629 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $62,330 | $61,530 | $-799 |
| Median (P50) | $79,990 | $78,963 | $-1,026 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $104,670 | $103,326 | $-1,343 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $135,960 | $134,215 | $-1,744 |
Illinois's cost of living is close to the national average, so $79,990 keeps most of its value at $78,963 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 Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education 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, $79,990 nominal nets out to $78,963 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 Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education.
Ranked on COL-adjusted median pay for Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education, Illinois places #11 of 51 states — top quartile. Either nominal wages run high, cost of living runs low, or both.
Where does Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Illinois ranks #11 out of 51 states for Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education after cost-of-living adjustment.
How much do you actually take home? See Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education take-home pay in Illinois after taxes →
A Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in Illinois earns a median salary of $79,990 per year. After adjusting for Illinois's cost of living (RPP=101.3), the real purchasing power is $78,963 — 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 Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in Illinois: $79,990 x (100 / 101.3) = $78,963. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
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