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What does a Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School 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 Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School earning $77,960 in Illinois has the equivalent purchasing power of $76,959 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) | $49,790 | $49,151 | $-638 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $60,700 | $59,921 | $-778 |
| Median (P50) | $77,960 | $76,959 | $-1,000 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $97,370 | $96,120 | $-1,249 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $104,490 | $103,149 | $-1,340 |
Illinois's cost of living is close to the national average, so $77,960 keeps most of its value at $76,959 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 Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School 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, $77,960 nominal nets out to $76,960 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 Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School.
Ranked on COL-adjusted median pay for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School, Illinois places #11 of 51 states — top quartile. Either nominal wages run high, cost of living runs low, or both.
Where does Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Illinois ranks #11 out of 51 states for Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School after cost-of-living adjustment.
How much do you actually take home? See Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School take-home pay in Illinois after taxes →
A Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School in Illinois earns a median salary of $77,960 per year. After adjusting for Illinois's cost of living (RPP=101.3), the real purchasing power is $76,959 — 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 Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten and Elementary School in Illinois: $77,960 x (100 / 101.3) = $76,959. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
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