Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks Salary
In Illinois, bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks earn $49,560 at the median, or about $23.83 an hour. The range runs from $32K at the entry level to $71K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.85), which stretches that salary to about $52,808 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,407/month, about 41.6% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Illinois. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $50K get you in Illinois?
About bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks
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What this looks like in Illinois
Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks pay in Illinois tracks closely to the national median, $50K locally vs. $51K nationwide, a 2% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,407/month, which is 42.8% 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 bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks (10th percentile) start around $32K. Mid-career wages sit at $50K. Top earners bring in $71K or more, a $39K spread from bottom to top.
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks salary by metro in Illinois
8 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $51K | +4% | 35,660 |
| Springfield | $51K | +2% | 860 |
| Champaign-Urbana | $49K | -1% | 710 |
| Decatur | $48K | -3% | 330 |
| Peoria | $48K | -4% | 1,390 |
| Kankakee | $47K | -5% | 400 |
| Rockford | $47K | -6% | 1,020 |
| Bloomington | $45K | -9% | 590 |
Compare to other states
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BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Illinois numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerk afford a 2BR apartment alone in Illinois?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $50K, rent takes 42.8% 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 $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks in Illinois?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks typically earn — is $32K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,942/month. At HUD’s $1,407/month FMR, rent would take 72% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerk a high-paying job in Illinois?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $50K locally vs. $51K nationally, a 2% difference.
How does Illinois compare to the national average for bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks?
Illinois pays $50K median vs. the U.S. average of $51K — that’s -2%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.85), the purchasing-power equivalent is $53K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks make in Illinois?
The median is $49,560 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $32,360, and experienced bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks can clear $71,480. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $50K enough to live in Illinois?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,284/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,407/month, which eats 42.8% 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 bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks 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 bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks salary is worth about $52,808 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks 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.