How much do you need to make to live in the metro-east? See 2025 living wage by county
Illinois’ minimum wage jumped this year to $15, but is still insufficient to cover basic living expenses for many residents with cost of living increases.
The national cost for all items is up 2.9% over the past 12 months, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Food costs are up 2.5% over the same period, while energy services are up 3.3%.
Housing costs are up 4.6% across the nation, the federal agency reports, and the median rent price in Illinois is at $1,700, popular housing site Zillow reports. The rent calculation includes all property types and sizes for rental properties listed on the site.
“There certainly is an affordability crisis facing the nation, and not just Illinois,” Frank Manzo IV, an economist with the Illinois Economic Policy Institute, said in a Jan. 22 interview with the News-Democrat.
The average gas price in Illinois is $3.278 per gallon as of Jan. 21, while Missouri’s is $2.82, according to auto club AAA.
Illinois’ minimum wage has reached $15 an hour for nontipped workers and $9 for tipped employees, although some workers are still legally paid less. In Missouri, the minimum wage is now $13.75 for nontipped workers and $6.875 per hour for tipped workers (plus any amount necessary to make the total wage at least $13.75).
“There was some thought that raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour would cause those things, fast food, to increase dramatically in Illinois. That hasn’t happened, not compared to neighboring states, not compared to the national average,” Manzo said.
The statewide minimum living wage, or the amount needed to pay for necessities, in Illinois is $22.86 for a single adult without children and $22.12 each for a couple of working adults with one child. These figures are courtesy of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Living Wage Calculator, which calculates wages for spots across the nation.
“No where in Illinois is the minimum wage sufficient to cover the essentials,” Manzo said.
In Missouri, the living wage is $20.20 for a single adult without children and $19.36 each for a couple of working adults with one child.
In November 2023, St. Clair County had a living wage of $16.50 for a single adult with no children and $19.06 each for a couple of working adults with one child, the News-Democrat previously reported. Here’s how local living wages have changed since then.
Living wages in southwest Illinois
Here’s the hourly wage residents of metro-east counties need to make to afford basic living expenses, according to MIT’s Living Wage Calculator:
$20.85 for a single adult with no children (this has increased by $4.35 per hour since November 2023)
$36.44 for a single adult with one child
$46.65 for a single adult with two children
$14.37 each for two work adults and no children
$20.54 each for two working adults and one child (this has increased $1.48 per hour since November 2023)
$26 each for two adults (both working) and two children
$20.58 for a single adult with no children (this has increased $4.08 per hour since November 2023)
$36.04 for a single adult with one child
$46.20 for a single adult with two children
$14.20 each for two working adults and no children
$20.33 each for two working adults and one child (this has increased $1.14 per hour since November 2023)
$25.78 each for two working adults and two children
$21.52 for a single adult with no children (this has increased $5.02 per hour since November 2023)
$37.15 for a single adult with one child
$47.67 for a single adult with two children
$14.75 each for two working adults and no children
$21.01 each for two working adults and one child (this has increased $2 per hour since November 2023)
$26.55 each for two working adults and two children
$19.45 for a single adult with no children (this has increased $4.18 per hour since November 2023)
$33.27 for a single adult with one child
$41.40 for a single adult with two children
$14.18 each for two working adults and no children
$19.02 each for two working adults and one child (this has increased $1.03 per hour since November 2023)
$23.58 each for two working adults and two children
$20.93 for a single adult with no children (this has increased $4.43 per hour since November 2023)
$34.41 for a single adult with one child
$42.63 for a single adult with two children
$14.38 each for two working adults and no children
$19.60 each for two working adults and one child (this has increased $0.96 per hour since November 2023)
$24.19 each for two working adults and two children
$19.59 for a single adult with no children (this has increased $3.72 per hour since November 2023)
$33.28 for a single adult with one child
$41.51 for a single adult with two children
$14.21 each for two working adults and no children
$19.07 each for two working adults and one child (this has increased $0.93 per hour since November 2023)
$23.68 each for two adults (both working) and two children
$18.32 for a single adult with no children (this has increased $3.28 per hour since November 2023)
$31.79 for a single adult with one child
$39.65 for a single adult with two children
$13.08 each for two working adults and no children
$18.14 each for two working adults and one child (this has decreased by $0.07 per hour since November 2023)
$22.60 each for two working adults and two children
Living wages in St. Louis
$19.11 for a single adult with no children (this has increased $2.97 per hour since November 2023)
$33.09 for a single adult with one child
$42.20 for a single adult with two children
$13.34 each for two working adults and no children
$18.68 each for two working adults and one child (this has decreased by $0.13 per hour since November 2023)
$23.79 each for two working adults and two children
$21.48 for a single adult with no children (this has increased $5.34 per hour since November 2023)
$38.23 for a single adult with one child
$50.55 for a single adult with two children
$14.66 each for two working adults and no children
$21.45 each for two working adults and one child (this has increased $1.18 per hour since November 2023)
$27.81 each for two working adults and two children
Do you have a question about the Illinois economy for our service journalism team? We’d like to hear from you. Fill out our Metro-east Matters form below.
This story was originally published January 22, 2025 at 4:30 AM.
