Electrical Engineers Salary
In Illinois, electrical engineers earn $107,860 at the median, or about $51.85 an hour. The range runs from $75K at the entry level to $164K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.85), which stretches that salary to about $114,928 in buying power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,407/month, or 20.6% 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 $108K actually covers in Illinois, month by month
About electrical engineers
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What this looks like in Illinois
Pay for electrical engineers in Illinois runs about 11% below the U.S. median of $121K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,407/month, 21.4% 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. Lower pay, lower costs, Illinois can be a reasonable trade-off for electrical engineers who value affordability over top-dollar markets.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Illinois
Entry-level electrical engineers (10th percentile) start around $75K. Mid-career wages sit at $108K. Top earners bring in $164K or more, a $89K spread from bottom to top.
Electrical Engineers salary by metro in Illinois
7 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $114K | +5% | 4,290 |
| Rockford | $112K | +4% | 180 |
| Decatur | $103K | -4% | 50 |
| Springfield | $102K | -5% | 70 |
| Peoria | $102K | -6% | 160 |
| Bloomington | $99K | -8% | 40 |
| Champaign-Urbana | $96K | -11% | 110 |
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a electrical engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Illinois?
Yes — at the median salary of $108K, rent takes 21.4% 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 electrical engineers in Illinois?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new electrical engineers typically earn — is $75K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,812/month. At HUD’s $1,407/month FMR, rent would take 29% of that take-home — manageable on an entry-level income.
Is electrical engineer a high-paying job in Illinois?
Local pay runs 11% below the national median — $108K here vs. $121K 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 electrical engineers?
Illinois pays $108K median vs. the U.S. average of $121K — that’s -11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.85), the purchasing-power equivalent is $115K — below the national median.
How much do electrical engineers make in Illinois?
The median is $107,860 a year, that works out to about $52 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $75,470, and experienced electrical engineers can clear $164,290. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $108K enough to live in Illinois?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,577/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,407/month, which eats 21.4% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a electrical 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 electrical engineers salary is worth about $114,928 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do electrical 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.