Civil Engineers Salary
Civil Engineers in Illinois make a median of $99,760 a year, or about $47.96 an hour. The range runs from $70K at the entry level to $157K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.85), which stretches that salary to about $106,297 in buying power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,407/month, or 22.3% of estimated take-home pay.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Illinois. Jump to a metro for precise data:
Where the paycheck goes
What $100K actually covers in Illinois, month by month
About civil engineers
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Illinois
Civil engineers pay in Illinois tracks closely to the national median, $100K locally vs. $101K nationwide, a 1% difference. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,407/month, 22.9% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. 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 civil engineers (10th percentile) start around $70K. Mid-career wages sit at $100K. Top earners bring in $157K or more, a $88K spread from bottom to top.
Civil Engineers salary by metro in Illinois
7 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield | $106K | +6% | 440 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $100K | +0% | 9,760 |
| Champaign-Urbana | $99K | -1% | 230 |
| Bloomington | $97K | -3% | 120 |
| Decatur | $96K | -4% | 100 |
| Peoria | $95K | -5% | 430 |
| Rockford | $95K | -5% | 160 |
Compare to other states
Track civil engineers salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Illinois numbers change.
Related careers in Engineering
Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a civil engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Illinois?
Yes — at the median salary of $100K, rent takes 22.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,407/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for civil engineers in Illinois?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new civil engineers typically earn — is $70K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,491/month. At HUD’s $1,407/month FMR, rent would take 31% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is civil engineer a high-paying job in Illinois?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $100K locally vs. $101K nationally, a 1% difference.
How does Illinois compare to the national average for civil engineers?
Illinois pays $100K median vs. the U.S. average of $101K — that’s -1%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.85), the purchasing-power equivalent is $106K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do civil engineers make in Illinois?
The median is $99,760 a year, that works out to about $48 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $69,590, and experienced civil engineers can clear $157,410. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $100K enough to live in Illinois?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,136/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,407/month, which eats 22.9% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a civil engineers 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 civil engineers salary is worth about $106,297 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do civil engineers 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.