New Accounts Clerks Salary
In Illinois, new accounts clerks earn $49,040 at the median, or about $23.58 an hour. The range runs from $39K at the entry level to $60K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.85), which stretches that salary to about $52,254 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,407/month, about 42.1% 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 $49K get you in Illinois?
About new accounts clerks
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What this looks like in Illinois
New accounts clerks pay in Illinois tracks closely to the national median, $49K locally vs. $48K 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 43.3% 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 new accounts clerks (10th percentile) start around $39K. Mid-career wages sit at $49K. Top earners bring in $60K or more, a $21K spread from bottom to top.
New Accounts Clerks salary by metro in Illinois
3 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $50K | +2% | 1,270 |
| Springfield | $48K | -2% | 40 |
| Champaign-Urbana | $46K | -6% | 50 |
Compare to other states
Track new accounts clerks salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Illinois numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a new accounts clerk afford a 2BR apartment alone in Illinois?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $49K, rent takes 43.3% 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 $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for new accounts clerks in Illinois?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new new accounts clerks typically earn — is $39K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,345/month. At HUD’s $1,407/month FMR, rent would take 60% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is new accounts clerk a high-paying job in Illinois?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $49K locally vs. $48K nationally, a 3% difference.
How does Illinois compare to the national average for new accounts clerks?
Illinois pays $49K median vs. the U.S. average of $48K — that’s +3%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.85), the purchasing-power equivalent is $52K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do new accounts clerks make in Illinois?
The median is $49,040 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $39,090, and experienced new accounts clerks can clear $60,470. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $49K enough to live in Illinois?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,251/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,407/month, which eats 43.3% 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 new accounts 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 new accounts clerks salary is worth about $52,254 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do new accounts 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.