Women in Illinois: Earnings and the Pay Gap
Measured median earnings for women and men who work full-time, year-round in Illinois, from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (2024). Every figure on this page lists its source and year.
Where Illinois sits
In 2024, the median woman working full-time, year-round in Illinois earned $59,502, compared with $71,395 for the median man: 83.3 cents on the dollar, a difference of $11,893. That is above the national figure of 83.1% and ranks Illinois #18 of 51 (50 states plus DC, 1 = smallest gap). ACS figures are survey estimates with margins of error, so states with similar ratios may not differ meaningfully.
These are all-occupation medians. Part of any state gap reflects differences in the jobs and hours women and men work; the figures describe the gap, not its causes.
Professions: modeled estimates for Illinois
There is no official state-by-profession pay gap series. The Pay Gap Lookup shows measured national BLS medians for each profession (2025) and Illinois’s measured ACS gap, plus a clearly labeled modeled estimate: the national BLS median for women in the job, adjusted by Illinois’s ACS women-to-men ratio relative to the national ratio. It assumes the job’s gap moves with the state’s overall gap, which may not hold.
Representation
For the current share of women in the Illinois legislature, statewide offices, and Congress, see the Center for American Women and Politics (Rutgers), which updates these counts after each election.
Fields (national data)
Other US states
Related national data & research
Frequently asked
What is the gender pay gap in Illinois?
In 2024, women working full-time, year-round in Illinois had median earnings of $59,502 versus $71,395 for men, or 83.3% (Census ACS 2024 1-year, table B20017).
How does Illinois compare with the US?
The national figure is 83.1% ($55,678 vs $66,965). Illinois ranks #18 of 51 on this measure, before accounting for margins of error.
Are the profession figures for Illinois measured?
No. Profession medians are national BLS figures. The Illinois profession figures in the Pay Gap Lookup are modeled estimates and are labeled that way.