Accountant salary in Springfield, IL
Springfield is the most expensive place in Illinois to hire an accountant. The median is $86,440 a year1, 7.7% above the Illinois statewide median of $80,230 and 3.3% above the US median of $83,680. Nationally that is #51 of 521 areas, in the top tenth. BLS counts about 1,600 people in this job here, 3% of the Illinois total.
BLS occupation 13-2011, area Springfield, IL. Data from the May 2025 release, checked 2026-10-15.
Pay in Springfield against Illinois and the US
| Range | 10th | Median | 90th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield, IL | $57,590 | $86,440 | $141,590 | |
| Illinois | $54,510 | $80,230 | $131,990 | |
| United States | $56,020 | $83,680 | $144,090 |
Accountants at the 90th percentile earn $141,590, 2.5 times the 10th percentile; the US ratio is 2.6. The middle half of accountants in Springfield earns $64,790–$117,590. From the 25th to the 75th percentile, the local range is $52,800 wide, wider than in Illinois as a whole ($35,980) and the US ($42,790), so what a accountant earns in Springfield depends more on the employer.
What to budget for an accountant here
| Point in the local range | Per year | Per month | Per hour | Employer cost per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $57,590 | $4,799 | $27.69 | $74,310 |
| 25th percentile | $64,790 | $5,399 | $31.15 | $83,600 |
| Median | $86,440 | $7,203 | $41.56 | $111,535 |
| 75th percentile | $117,590 | $9,799 | $56.53 | $151,729 |
| 90th percentile | $141,590 | $11,799 | $68.07 | $182,697 |
The step from the 25th percentile to the median is $21,650 a year; from the median to the 75th it is $31,150, or about $40,194 once benefits are added. These percentiles describe what people in the job earn locally, not experience levels, so place your offer by the tasks and seniority you need.
For scale, the US median of $83,680 falls between the 25th percentile and the median in Springfield, and the Illinois statewide median of $80,230 falls there too.
What a hire really costs in Springfield
At the $86,440 median, a local hire costs about $111,535 a year: benefits and payroll taxes other than paid leave are 22.5% of total compensation in US private industry2, about $25,095 here. Recruiting, equipment and office space come on top. Benefit levels vary by employer, so treat this as an estimate.
We place executive assistants, customer support and e-commerce staff today; for accountants we answer within one business day whether we can help. Enter the monthly pay you have in mind to compare it with a local hire. The fee field shows our standard fee3; Deel's contractor plan is the default payroll tool4.
Other roles in Springfield
Of the 16 roles we track in Springfield, this one ranks #2 by median pay, after project coordinators ($100,030); recruiters come next at $78,840.
| Role | Median | vs accountant | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project Coordinator | +15.7% | 490 | |
| Accountant | this role | 1,600 | |
| Recruiter | -8.8% | 950 | |
| Executive Assistant | -15.0% | 830 | |
| Marketing Specialist | -24.7% | 410 |
Measured against the US median, accountants rank #3 of the 16 roles we track in Springfield (+3.3%), between recruiters (+3.8%) and bookkeepers (+0.2%). The typical role here is at -3.1%, so, measured against the US, accountants cost more in Springfield than the area's general pay level would suggest. Accountants hold 13.4% of the jobs in these 16 roles in Springfield, 9.0% across Illinois and 9.2% nationally. The job is a bigger part of the local workforce in these roles than it is nationally.
Other areas in Illinois
Across the 12 areas of Illinois with data for this job, the median runs from $69,670 in Champaign-Urbana to $86,440 in Springfield, a gap of $16,770 a year. The one area in Illinois with more accountants, Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN ($82,360), pays less: a bigger pool at a lower median.
| Area | Median | vs Springfield | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Springfield, IL | this area | 1,600 | |
| Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN | -4.7% | 41,360 | |
| Peoria, IL | -8.0% | 1,350 | |
| Decatur, IL | -11.2% | 260 | |
| Bloomington, IL | -11.5% | 750 | |
| Rockford, IL | -12.9% | 850 | |
| Northwest Illinois (Nonmetro) | -15.1% | 670 |
Springfield against other US metro areas
By number of jobs, Springfield is #122 of 521 US areas for this job. It is one of the larger markets for this job and one of the better-paying ones. Outside Illinois, Minneapolis-St. Paul and Greeley pay just above Springfield and Spokane-Spokane Valley and Bend just below. All four are within $800 a year of the median in Springfield. Of the three markets with about as many accountants, none pays as much.
| Metro area | Median | vs Springfield | Jobs | Close in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greeley, CO | +0.9% | 1,160 | pay | |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | +0.1% | 21,820 | pay | |
| Springfield, IL | this area | 1,600 | ||
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | -0.1% | 2,340 | pay | |
| Bend, OR | -0.5% | 750 | pay | |
| Ann Arbor, MI | -7.4% | 1,580 | jobs | |
| Fargo, ND-MN | -11.6% | 1,580 | jobs | |
| Fort Wayne, IN | -12.9% | 1,640 | jobs |
Questions
How much does it cost to hire an accountant in Springfield, IL?
About $111,535 a year at the median, or $9,295 a month: $86,440 in pay plus about $25,095 in benefits and payroll taxes. Recruiting, equipment and office space are extra.
What do accountants earn in Springfield?
Pay here is higher than in three quarters of US areas. The median was $86,440 a year in the May 2025 BLS survey. The 10th percentile was $57,590, the 90th $141,590, and the middle half earned $64,790 to $117,590.
Is Springfield the most expensive area in Illinois for accountants?
Yes. Its median of $86,440 is the highest of 12 areas in Illinois. Chicago-Naperville comes next at $82,360.
How many accountants work in Springfield?
BLS counts about 1,600 in the May 2025 survey. That is 3% of the Illinois total of 54,930. Only Chicago-Naperville has more in Illinois.
Does an accountant cost more than a recruiter in Springfield?
Yes: $7,600 a year more at the median. The medians are $86,440 and $78,840.
Sources
4 sources, with links
- BLS OEWS May 2025, 13-2011: bls.gov
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: bls.gov
- Stafka pricing: stafka.com
- Deel pricing, contractor management: deel.com
How these pages are built: methodology and data sources. Last updated 2026-11-12.