Tellers Salary
In Illinois, tellers earn $38,670 at the median, or about $18.59 an hour. The range runs from $35K at the entry level to $48K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 93.85), which stretches that salary to about $41,204 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,407/month, about 53.3% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across Illinois. Jump to a metro for precise data:
Where the paycheck goes
What $39K actually covers in Illinois, month by month
About tellers
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Illinois
Tellers pay in Illinois tracks closely to the national median, $39K locally vs. $43K nationwide, a 10% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,407/month, which is 54.1% 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 tellers (10th percentile) start around $35K. Mid-career wages sit at $39K. Top earners bring in $48K or more, a $13K spread from bottom to top.
Tellers 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 | $45K | +15% | 9,930 |
| Rockford | $40K | +5% | 270 |
| Springfield | $37K | -3% | 370 |
| Kankakee | $37K | -3% | 140 |
| Peoria | $37K | -4% | 510 |
| Decatur | $37K | -4% | 190 |
| Bloomington | $37K | -4% | 210 |
| Champaign-Urbana | $37K | -4% | 480 |
Compare to other states
Track tellers salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Illinois numbers change.
Related careers in Office & Admin
Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a teller afford a 2BR apartment alone in Illinois?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $39K, rent takes 54.1% 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 $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for tellers in Illinois?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tellers typically earn — is $35K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,348/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 teller a high-paying job in Illinois?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $39K locally vs. $43K nationally, a 10% difference.
How does Illinois compare to the national average for tellers?
Illinois pays $39K median vs. the U.S. average of $43K — that’s -10%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 93.85), the purchasing-power equivalent is $41K — below the national median.
How much do tellers make in Illinois?
The median is $38,670 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $34,670, and experienced tellers can clear $47,750. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $39K enough to live in Illinois?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,600/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,407/month, which eats 54.1% 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 tellers 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 tellers salary is worth about $41,204 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do tellers 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.