How much does a Financial Analyst make in Illinois?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $101,400 for Financial Analysts in Illinois as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $77,890 and the 75th-percentile is $130,840.

What does the top of the Financial Analyst pay scale look like in Illinois?

The 90th percentile lands at $185,200. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $130,840.

How many Financial Analysts does Illinois employ?

BLS OES counts 17,950 Financial Analysts employed in Illinois in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Where does Illinois rank for Financial Analyst pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Illinois ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

Is Illinois a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Financial Analysts?

No — Illinois's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.

What are the limits of these Financial Analyst salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

Does BLS financial analyst pay in Illinois include investment-banking bonuses?

BLS OEWS captures W-2 wage and salary income — which includes annual cash bonuses paid through payroll. So sell-side IB analyst-level bonuses, equity-research bonuses, and FP&A annual incentives all show up in the BLS figure. What's NOT included: deferred stock, unvested RSU grants, partnership distributions to senior associates and above, and post-tax-year 'true-up' bonuses paid through 1099. In Illinois, this means BLS reasonably represents junior analyst total comp but increasingly understates senior comp once equity becomes a meaningful share — gap widens at the P90 band.

Illinois Financial Analyst Salary: BLS $101K Median, Real $103K (2026)

TL;DR

Illinois pays Financial Analysts a BLS median of $101,400 — the more useful number is $102,681, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #8 of 51; nominal rank is #13.
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
P25-P75 spread runs $77,890 to $130,840; P10 floor $62,990, P90 ceiling $185,200.

Wage breakdown — Illinois

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$62,990	$63,786
P25 (lower quartile)	$77,890	$78,874
P50 (median)	$101,400	$102,681
P75 (upper quartile)	$130,840	$132,494
P90 (top tier)	$185,200	$187,541
Mean	$114,760	$116,210
Employment	17,950 Financial Analysts in Illinois

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Illinois index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	98.8
Goods	101.6
Services	80.4
Rents	92.4

Illinois's overall RPP (98.8) is close to the national 100 baseline; nominal and real wage move roughly together.

After-tax take-home — Illinois (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Financial Analyst)	$101,400	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$13,555	13.4% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$5,019	4.95% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$7,757	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$75,069	74.0% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$76,017	÷ (98.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Illinois state-tax burden means for Financial Analyst take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.0% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $75,069 (74.0% of gross). After the 98.8 RPP, real take-home is $76,017.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $101,350 for Financial Analysts with mean pay of $116,490 and total employment of 340,580. Illinois sits at #13 on nominal pay and #8 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Illinois climbs 5 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Financial Analyst make in Illinois?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $101,400 for Financial Analysts in Illinois as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $77,890 and the 75th-percentile is $130,840.
What does the top of the Financial Analyst pay scale look like in Illinois?: The 90th percentile lands at $185,200. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $130,840.
How many Financial Analysts does Illinois employ?: BLS OES counts 17,950 Financial Analysts employed in Illinois in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Where does Illinois rank for Financial Analyst pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Illinois ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
Is Illinois a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Financial Analysts?: No — Illinois's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
What are the limits of these Financial Analyst salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
Does BLS financial analyst pay in Illinois include investment-banking bonuses?: BLS OEWS captures W-2 wage and salary income — which includes annual cash bonuses paid through payroll. So sell-side IB analyst-level bonuses, equity-research bonuses, and FP&A annual incentives all show up in the BLS figure. What's NOT included: deferred stock, unvested RSU grants, partnership distributions to senior associates and above, and post-tax-year 'true-up' bonuses paid through 1099. In Illinois, this means BLS reasonably represents junior analyst total comp but increasingly understates senior comp once equity becomes a meaningful share — gap widens at the P90 band.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 13-2051, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Illinois Financial Analyst pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.