Illinois CPA Salary Guide 2027
Use current federal wage benchmarks to evaluate accounting pay in Illinois. The figures cover accountants and auditors, not CPAs alone, so the page separates published data from career interpretation.
May 2025 BLS accountants and auditors
$89k
Annual Mean
BLS accountants and auditors
$80k
Annual Median
Illinois
$66k
25th Percentile
lower-market benchmark
$102k
75th Percentile
upper-market benchmark
Use these published occupation benchmarks to compare your 2027 options. They are not CPA-only wages or a forecast.
Published source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS state estimates for Accountants and Auditors (SOC 13-2011), reference period May 2025, released 2026-05-15. These are occupation-wide figures, not CPA-only, experience-level, employer, or industry estimates.
Illinois accountant and auditor wage distribution
BLS percentiles describe the statewide occupation distribution. They do not map directly to years of experience or guarantee a CPA salary.
May 2025 BLS annual wage estimates
Lower-end and higher-end salary benchmarks in Illinois
| BLS benchmark | Annual pay | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $54,510 | Lower end of the occupation distribution |
| 25th percentile | $66,290 | Lower-market comparison point |
| Median | $80,230 | Half of reported wages fall above and half below |
| 75th percentile | $102,270 | Upper-market comparison point |
| 90th percentile | $131,990 | Upper end of the occupation distribution |
Planning to earn the credential? Review the Illinois CPA exam and license requirements.
Same source, same period
Compare Illinois with another state
Use May 2025 BLS accountants-and-auditors benchmarks to frame a relocation question. These are statewide figures, with no adjustment for housing, taxes, working hours, or CPA status.
Illinois
Occupational median
$80,230
25th-75th percentile: $66,290 to $102,270
Annual mean: $88,910
California
Occupational median
$97,050
25th-75th percentile: $75,810 to $125,850
Annual mean: $103,760
A higher state median does not establish that a particular job pays more or leaves you with more disposable income. Compare the written offer and your own costs.
Your numbers, your decision
Compare two offers for your 2027 CPA plan
The starting amounts are illustrative: the Illinois occupational median and that median plus $5,000. Replace them with your own quotes. Include exam support only if you can actually use it, and check repayment conditions before counting it.
From wage research to CPA preparation
Build your Illinois CPA career plan for 2027
For 2027, compare the exact degree language and certificate requirements instead of assuming every 150-credit bachelor’s degree qualifies for one year of experience.
Check exam entry
Illinois distinguishes admission to the exam, the CPA certificate, and professional licensing. The common bachelor’s exam option uses 120 credits with 24 accounting and 12 business credits.
Check qualifying work
Illinois’s 2027 law adds degree and experience options beginning January 1, 2027. Current certificate education and the new law’s degree language need to be read separately.
Protect preparation time
Compare expected working hours, busy periods, exam leave, and study support before setting your 2027 exam targets. A larger salary does not create more study time.
State evidence reviewed 2026-09-15; licensing evidence 2026-09-15. Final 2027 course and degree implementation was not confirmed in the reviewed rules update.
Read the complete Illinois 2027 requirements guide| Role direction | Evidence to compare | CPA planning question |
|---|---|---|
| Audit and assurance | Client work, travel, documentation responsibilities, and busy-season schedule. | Will the work and supervisor meet the experience conditions for my selected state route? |
| Tax | Entity and individual work, research tools, review responsibilities, and filing-season workload. | Can I reserve preparation time outside peak deadlines and document the work I perform? |
| Corporate accounting | Close calendar, reporting duties, systems, and responsibility for reconciliations or controls. | Who can verify my experience, and what records should I keep from my first month? |
| Government or nonprofit | Role requirements, reporting standards, benefits, and the actual experience-verification arrangement. | Does this specific work qualify under my state’s selected path? The employer category alone is not enough. |
Ask about preparation support
- Which exam and course costs are reimbursed, and when?
- Does support require a passing score, continued employment, or repayment?
- Can your manager protect a recurring study block or exam day?
- Who verifies qualifying experience, and what documentation is needed?
Turn the decision into a next step
Choose a target section, try public questions, and check the gap between your current work and the exam’s tested skills. Use the 2027 testing calendar and 2027 budget calculator to make the plan concrete.
Create my free study accountCareer-role background: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Accountants and Auditors. The questions and planning sequence are editorial guidance, not employer promises or guaranteed eligibility.
How to read Illinois CPA salary data
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports $88,910 in annual mean pay and $80,230 in annual median pay for accountants and auditors in Illinois. The mean is influenced by higher-paid roles, while the median marks the midpoint of the published wage distribution.
These figures are the most defensible statewide benchmark available here, but they are not a CPA premium study. Use them to anchor an offer comparison, then account for certification, specialty, city, employer, responsibility, and experience.
Lower and upper pay benchmarks in Illinois
The lower end of the BLS distribution runs from $54,510 at the 10th percentile to $66,290 at the 25th percentile. Because BLS does not classify wages by years of experience, this range should not be described as a guaranteed starting salary.
At the upper end, the 75th percentile is $102,270 and the 90th percentile is $131,990. Those values describe the occupation distribution, not a promised senior, manager, director, or partner salary.
What can change a CPA salary in Illinois
CPA status can strengthen a candidate's position, but compensation still depends on the work performed. Public accounting, corporate reporting, tax, audit, advisory, government, and nonprofit roles can sit at different points in the statewide distribution.
Compare total compensation as well as base pay. Bonuses, retirement contributions, health coverage, overtime expectations, remote-work terms, and the local cost of housing can materially change the value of an offer.
Turn your Illinois salary goal into a study plan
Choose a CPA exam section, identify the question patterns holding you back, and focus each study session on the skills most likely to move your score.
Build my CPA study planFrequently Asked Questions
- Why does the Illinois 2027 salary guide use older data?
- The guide year describes your career-planning edition. The wage reference period is May 2025, released 2026-05-15. These figures are not a 2027 wage survey or a forecast.
- How should I compare a 2027 accounting offer in Illinois?
- Compare the written base salary, bonus conditions, CPA exam support, benefits, working hours, and recurring costs. Use the $80,230 occupational median as a reference, not an entitlement or a CPA-specific target.
- Will CPA licensure guarantee a salary increase in Illinois?
- No. The BLS dataset does not isolate CPA status or establish a salary premium caused by licensure. Compare the responsibilities and requirements of actual roles while planning your exam and experience route.
- What is the average accountant salary in Illinois?
- The May 2025 BLS OEWS estimate lists annual mean pay of $88,910 for accountants and auditors in Illinois. BLS released this dataset on 2026-05-15 and does not publish a CPA-only state average.
- What is a realistic starting salary benchmark in Illinois?
- BLS does not label wages by experience level. Its 10th-to-25th-percentile range for Illinois accountants and auditors is $54,510 to $66,290. Treat that as a lower-end market benchmark, not a guaranteed CPA starting salary.
- What do higher-paid accountants earn in Illinois?
- The BLS 75th-to-90th-percentile range is $102,270 to $131,990 for accountants and auditors in Illinois. Certification, role, industry, city, responsibility, and experience can all affect an individual offer.
- Does BLS report CPA salaries separately?
- No. BLS occupation code 13-2011 combines accountants and auditors and does not identify CPA status. This guide uses those figures as a transparent market benchmark rather than presenting them as CPA-only wages.