Actuaries Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $114K, rent takes 25.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,781/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new actuaries typically earn — is $80K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,778/month. At HUD’s $1,781/month FMR, rent would take 37% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 13% below the national median — $114K here vs. $130K nationally.

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin pays $114K median vs. the U.S. average of $130K — that’s -13%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 103.59), the purchasing-power equivalent is $110K — below the national median.

The median is $113,730 a year, that works out to about $55 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $79,640, and experienced actuaries can clear $209,260. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,897/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,781/month, which eats 25.8% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin has a Regional Price Parity of 103.59 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median actuaries salary is worth about $109,789 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.