Biological Technicians Salary
In Illinois, biological technicians earn $55,790 at the median, or about $26.82 an hour. The range runs from $36K at the entry level to $79K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.85), which stretches that salary to about $59,446 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,407/month, about 38.4% 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 $56K actually covers in Illinois, month by month
About biological technicians
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What this looks like in Illinois
Biological technicians pay in Illinois tracks closely to the national median, $56K locally vs. $58K nationwide, a 3% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,407/month, which is 38.3% 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. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Illinois
Entry-level biological technicians (10th percentile) start around $36K. Mid-career wages sit at $56K. Top earners bring in $79K or more, a $43K spread from bottom to top.
Biological Technicians salary by metro in Illinois
3 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Peoria | $72K | +29% | 50 |
| Champaign-Urbana | $64K | +15% | 80 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $58K | +3% | 470 |
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BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Illinois numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a biological technician afford a 2BR apartment alone in Illinois?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $56K, rent takes 38.3% 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 $1,100/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for biological technicians in Illinois?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new biological technicians typically earn — is $36K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,446/month. At HUD’s $1,407/month FMR, rent would take 58% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is biological technician a high-paying job in Illinois?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $56K locally vs. $58K nationally, a 3% difference.
How does Illinois compare to the national average for biological technicians?
Illinois pays $56K median vs. the U.S. average of $58K — that’s -3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.85), the purchasing-power equivalent is $59K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do biological technicians make in Illinois?
The median is $55,790 a year, that works out to about $27 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $36,230, and experienced biological technicians can clear $79,440. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $56K enough to live in Illinois?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,675/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,407/month, which eats 38.3% 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 biological technicians 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 biological technicians salary is worth about $59,446 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do biological technicians 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.