How much does a Lawyer make in Illinois?

BLS reports a median annual wage of $157,320 for Lawyers in Illinois as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $101,050 and the 75th-percentile is $218,090.

What is the real (cost-adjusted) Lawyer salary in Illinois?

After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 98.8 for Illinois), the real-wage equivalent is $159,308 — what the $157,320 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $102,327 to $220,846.

How many Lawyers does Illinois employ?

BLS OES counts 33,430 Lawyers 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.

Why is the BEA RPP for Illinois different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Illinois's overall index of 98.8 reflects rents 92.4, services 80.4, and goods 101.6.

Where does Illinois rank for Lawyer 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.

What are the limits of these Lawyer 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.

Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Illinois?

The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Illinois.

Lawyer Salary in Illinois (2026): $157K Median, BEA RPP-Adjusted

TL;DR

Illinois pays Lawyers a BLS median of $157,320 — the more useful number is $159,308, what that paycheck buys after rent and services.
On a real-wage basis, this state sits at #7 of 51; nominal rank is #10.
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
Mid-band breakdown: P25 $101,050, P50 $157,320, P75 $218,090. Tail percentiles withheld by BLS — common when tech-sector wages exceed the OES survey cap.

Wage breakdown — Illinois

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$73,500	$74,429
P25 (lower quartile)	$101,050	$102,327
P50 (median)	$157,320	$159,308
P75 (upper quartile)	$218,090	$220,846
P90 (top tier)
Mean	$177,740	$179,986
Employment	33,430 Lawyers 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 (Lawyer)	$157,320	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$26,575	16.9% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$7,787	4.95% flat (2026)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$12,035	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$110,923	70.5% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$112,325	÷ (98.8 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Illinois state-tax burden means for Lawyer take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.0% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $110,923 (70.5% of gross). After the 98.8 RPP, real take-home is $112,325.

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 $151,160 for Lawyers with mean pay of $182,760 and total employment of 747,750. Illinois sits at #10 on nominal pay and #7 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Illinois climbs 3 positions — the cost of living is favorable relative to the wage.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Lawyer make in Illinois?: BLS reports a median annual wage of $157,320 for Lawyers in Illinois as of the latest OES release. That is the 50th-percentile figure — half earn more, half earn less. The 25th-percentile is $101,050 and the 75th-percentile is $218,090.
What is the real (cost-adjusted) Lawyer salary in Illinois?: After BEA RPP adjustment (regional price parity index 98.8 for Illinois), the real-wage equivalent is $159,308 — what the $157,320 nominal salary actually buys. Quartiles in real terms: $102,327 to $220,846.
How many Lawyers does Illinois employ?: BLS OES counts 33,430 Lawyers 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.
Why is the BEA RPP for Illinois different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Illinois's overall index of 98.8 reflects rents 92.4, services 80.4, and goods 101.6.
Where does Illinois rank for Lawyer 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.
What are the limits of these Lawyer 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.
Should I negotiate based on the BLS median for Illinois?: The BLS median is a calibration anchor, not a ceiling. Use it to validate that an offer is in-band — anything well below the P25 in this state is a flag, anything above the P75 typically requires demonstrable specialty depth, niche credentials, or a high-COL metro within Illinois.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 23-1011, 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 2026-05-07.

Cross-comparison: see how Illinois Lawyer 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.