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What does a Sound Engineering Technicians 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 Sound Engineering Technicians earning $73,130 in Illinois has the equivalent purchasing power of $72,191 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) | $31,200 | $30,799 | $-400 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $40,460 | $39,940 | $-519 |
| Median (P50) | $73,130 | $72,191 | $-938 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $99,460 | $98,183 | $-1,276 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $113,460 | $112,003 | $-1,456 |
Illinois's cost of living is close to the national average, so $73,130 keeps most of its value at $72,191 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 Sound Engineering Technicians 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, $73,130 nominal nets out to $72,192 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 Sound Engineering Technicians.
Illinois sits at #9 of 35 states for Sound Engineering Technicians COL-adjusted salary — comfortably above the national midpoint.
Where does Sound Engineering Technicians salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Illinois ranks #9 out of 35 states for Sound Engineering Technicians after cost-of-living adjustment.
How much do you actually take home? See Sound Engineering Technicians take-home pay in Illinois after taxes →
A Sound Engineering Technicians in Illinois earns a median salary of $73,130 per year. After adjusting for Illinois's cost of living (RPP=101.3), the real purchasing power is $72,191 — 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 Sound Engineering Technicians in Illinois: $73,130 x (100 / 101.3) = $72,191. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
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