Bailiffs Salary
In Illinois, bailiffs earn $46,390 at the median, or about $22.3 an hour. The range runs from $31K at the entry level to $77K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.85), which stretches that salary to about $49,430 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,407/month, about 44.5% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Illinois. Jump to a metro for precise data:
Where the paycheck goes
What $46K actually covers in Illinois, month by month
About bailiffs
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What this looks like in Illinois
Pay for bailiffs in Illinois runs about 18% below the U.S. median of $57K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,407/month, which is 45.6% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 93.85 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 6% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for bailiffs.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Illinois
Entry-level bailiffs (10th percentile) start around $31K. Mid-career wages sit at $46K. Top earners bring in $77K or more, a $46K spread from bottom to top.
Bailiffs salary by metro in Illinois
4 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Champaign-Urbana | $55K | +18% | 70 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $51K | +9% | 500 |
| Rockford | $45K | -3% | 40 |
| Peoria | $31K | -33% | 60 |
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Track bailiffs salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Illinois numbers change.
Related careers in Public Safety
Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a bailiff afford a 2BR apartment alone in Illinois?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $46K, rent takes 45.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,407/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for bailiffs in Illinois?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new bailiffs typically earn — is $31K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,130/month. At HUD’s $1,407/month FMR, rent would take 66% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is bailiff a high-paying job in Illinois?
Local pay runs 18% below the national median — $46K here vs. $57K nationally. Cost of living is 6% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Illinois compare to the national average for bailiffs?
Illinois pays $46K median vs. the U.S. average of $57K — that’s -18%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.85), the purchasing-power equivalent is $49K — below the national median.
How much do bailiffs make in Illinois?
The median is $46,390 a year, that works out to about $22 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $31,200, and experienced bailiffs can clear $76,840. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $46K enough to live in Illinois?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,085/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,407/month, which eats 45.6% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a bailiffs salary go in Illinois?
Illinois has a Regional Price Parity of 93.85 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median bailiffs salary is worth about $49,430 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do bailiffs get paid the most?
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.