Nurse Midwives Salary
In Illinois, nurse midwives earn $120,840 at the median, or about $58.09 an hour. The range runs from $58K at the entry level to $157K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.85), which stretches that salary to about $128,759 in buying power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,407/month, or 19.2% 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 $121K actually covers in Illinois, month by month
About nurse midwives
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What this looks like in Illinois
Nurse midwives pay in Illinois tracks closely to the national median, $121K locally vs. $134K nationwide, a 10% difference. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,407/month, 19.3% 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 nurse midwives (10th percentile) start around $58K. Mid-career wages sit at $121K. Top earners bring in $157K or more, a $99K spread from bottom to top.
Nurse Midwives salary by metro in Illinois
1 metro area with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $116K | -4% | 180 |
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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 nurse midwife afford a 2BR apartment alone in Illinois?
Yes — at the median salary of $121K, rent takes 19.3% 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 nurse midwives in Illinois?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new nurse midwives typically earn — is $58K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,827/month. At HUD’s $1,407/month FMR, rent would take 37% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is nurse midwife a high-paying job in Illinois?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $121K locally vs. $134K nationally, a 10% difference.
How does Illinois compare to the national average for nurse midwives?
Illinois pays $121K median vs. the U.S. average of $134K — that’s -10%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.85), the purchasing-power equivalent is $129K — below the national median.
How much do nurse midwives make in Illinois?
The median is $120,840 a year, that works out to about $58 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $58,200, and experienced nurse midwives can clear $156,920. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $121K enough to live in Illinois?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $7,280/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,407/month, which eats 19.3% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a nurse midwives 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 nurse midwives salary is worth about $128,759 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do nurse midwives 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.
