Pharmacists in Illinois
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$99,588
after federal, FICA and Illinois tax
Tax takes
$39,492
28.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$100,741
Illinois costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Illinois — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$139,080
Kept after tax
$99,588
Worth in national money
$100,741
State rank
27
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Illinois sits in the middle of the pack for pharmacists. The median is $139,080, ranking 27 of 51 states with figures. Close enough to the national middle that where you live matters more than the headline suggests.
- Within Illinois this is well-paid work. Of 494 occupations with published figures in the state, pharmacists ranks 19 — in the top quarter of everything people do there.
- Cost of living is unremarkable here. From $139,080, tax leaves $99,588, and adjusting for local prices barely moves it — about $100,741 in comparable terms. Here the average runs under the middle, at $138,070.
- Illinois occupies the middle band for pharmacists: a median of $139,080, ranking 27 of 51. Where nominal pay is close to the national figure, the tax and price adjustments below carry proportionally more weight in determining the real outcome.
- Ranked against every occupation Illinois publishes a median for, pharmacists sits 19 of 494 — the upper quartile of the state's wage distribution. National standing and within-state standing are separate questions, and a job can occupy very different positions on each.
- Because Illinois sits close to the national price level, the real-terms figure for pharmacists — median $139,080 — tracks the post-tax figure closely: $99,588 retained, $100,741 adjusted. ⚠️ Neither is a wage; the second describes what the first buys. Mean pay of $138,070 sits under the median, so the lower tail is the longer one.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Pharmacists
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $98,970 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $139,080 |
| Top tenth earn over | $169,430 |
| This salary | $139,080 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Illinois | $99,588 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $106,327 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$8,677 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $129,219 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$12,337 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 99 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of pharmacists in Illinois earn under $139,080 and half over. The published range runs $98,970 at the tenth percentile to $169,430 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- In Illinois the take-home figure of $99,588, from $139,080, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 19 of 494 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Illinois, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $100,741, the adjusted value of that $139,080 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 19 of 494 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for pharmacists in Illinois, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $98,970 to $169,430; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- Take-home for Illinois is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $99,588 from $139,080. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 19 of 494 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Illinois, so $100,741 — the adjusted value of that $139,080 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 19 of 494 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $98,970 at the tenth percentile, $169,430 at the ninetieth.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
A smaller wage in a cheaper place is not automatically less. Adjusted for local prices, this is worth $100,741.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Illinois's own levy, $99,588 remains.
Can I compare this job across every state?
Yes for this one. Pay is published in all 51 jurisdictions, so a state-to-state comparison here rests on the same survey everywhere rather than on a patchwork.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($98,970 to $169,430) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Illinois rather than a national figure.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Illinois's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $100,741 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $99,588 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Illinois income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.