Salaries in Elgin, IL

You don't expect a city of 118,000 to have a tech salary that rivals Chicago’s, but Elgin’s software developers are pulling down $128,252. That’s the top-paying job here, and it’s not an outlier in a place where the median household income is a solid $83,539.

Let’s talk real dollars. Elgin’s cost of living sits at 102.6—just a hair over the national average. That means your paycheck doesn’t stretch as far as you’d hope in a Midwestern suburb. A one-bedroom apartment runs about $1,231 a month. When you adjust for that, the average salary here feels less impressive: $53,988 becomes a more modest $52,620 in purchasing power. It’s not a bargain, but it’s not a rip-off either. You’re paying a slight premium for the location.

Who actually thrives here? The software developer is the star, but stable, skilled trades do well too—electricians earn a COL-adjusted $60,458. Education and healthcare are also big employers; you’ve got large employers like the school district and Sherman Hospital anchoring the job market. The 4.5% unemployment rate suggests it’s not a struggle to find work, but the 26.6% with a bachelor’s degree tells you the workforce is more skilled than you might guess for a suburb.

Here’s the honest catch: wages aren’t racing ahead of costs. That slight COL premium is eating into gains. This city works best for skilled professionals—like those developers or accountants—or for families who can leverage a dual income. If you’re in a lower-wage field, the math gets tight fast.

The data below breaks it all down, from rent to the real cost of your daily life in Elgin.