SPRINGFIELD'S RAISE, YOUR REALITY: WHY ARE ILLINOIS LAWMAKERS GETTING BIGGER PAYCHECKS WHILE TAXPAYERS SHOULDER THE COST?

As Illinois families confront rising costs, continued affordability concerns and the nation's highest tax burdens, lawmakers are on track for six-figure salaries. The question many taxpayers are asking is simple: What exactly are they rewarding?

By Staff Writer | July 21, 2026

Every payday tells a story.

For millions of Illinois families, that story has become painfully familiar. A paycheck arrives, but it doesn't stretch as far as it once did. Property taxes claim a bigger share. Insurance premiums climb. Utility bills rise. Groceries cost more. Saving for retirement feels further out of reach.

For some families, the pressure has become so great they have packed up and left Illinois altogether, joining a years-long pattern of domestic outmigration documented by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Meanwhile, just a few blocks beneath the Capitol dome in Springfield, another paycheck has been telling a very different story.

Since Gov. J.B. Pritzker took office in 2019, the base salary paid to members of the Illinois General Assembly has increased 44.9 percent, rising from $67,836 to $98,304. Under the newly enacted Fiscal Year 2027 budget, that base salary is scheduled to exceed $100,000 before additional compensation for leadership positions, mileage reimbursements and daily expense payments are added.

During that same period, the average Illinois worker's salary increased about 33.7 percent.

The difference is striking.

Lawmakers' pay has grown substantially faster than the paychecks of the people who elect them.

"When lawmakers' pay rises faster than taxpayers' pay, people naturally begin asking whether Springfield's priorities reflect the realities families face every day," the Illinois Policy Institute wrote in its analysis of legislative compensation.

That question becomes even more pointed when viewed alongside Illinois' broader economic picture.

Since 2019, Illinois has continued to experience domestic outmigration, with more residents moving to other states than moving in. High property taxes remain among the highest in the nation. Affordability continues to rank among voters' top concerns, and businesses and families alike continue debating whether Illinois is becoming more expensive to call home.

Against that backdrop, Springfield approved another record-setting state budget totaling approximately $55.9 billion. Gov. Pritzker signed the spending plan into law, including legislative salary increases and hundreds of millions of dollars in new business tax changes intended to help fund state operations.

Supporters of the budget say those investments strengthen Illinois' long-term financial position and continue funding priorities such as education, infrastructure and public services. Critics counter that taxpayers continue to face rising costs while questioning whether state government's performance justifies continued growth in spending and legislative compensation.

For many Illinoisans, that debate is not an abstract discussion inside the Capitol.

It plays out at the kitchen table.

It is the family deciding whether to replace a car or repair the old one one more time.

It is the retired couple wondering whether they can continue to afford the property taxes on the home where they raised their children.

It is the small business owner calculating whether another increase in operating costs means postponing a new hire or delaying an expansion.

Those are the economic realities many voters say they want Springfield to address first.

Polling cited by the Illinois Policy Institute found taxes and the economy consistently rank among Illinois voters' leading concerns. Yet while those concerns persist, legislative salaries continue climbing faster than the earnings of the average Illinois worker.

"Compensation for elected officials should be evaluated alongside the results taxpayers are receiving," the Illinois Policy Institute argued in discussing legislative pay and state affordability.

Competitive salaries for public office are not, by themselves, unusual. Many states pay lawmakers enough to attract experienced candidates willing to serve.

The debate in Illinois is different.

It is about timing.

It is about priorities.

And it is about accountability.

Illinois taxpayers have watched state spending reach successive record highs during Gov. Pritzker's administration. At the same time, many residents continue expressing concern about affordability, taxes, public safety, economic competitiveness and the state's long-term financial outlook.

Whether voters believe Springfield is moving Illinois in the right direction will ultimately be decided at the ballot box.

But one fact is beyond dispute.

Since 2019, lawmakers' paychecks have grown faster than those of the average Illinois worker.

For many taxpayers, that simple comparison raises a difficult question:

If families are being asked to do more with less, why should Springfield be rewarded with more?

Official Sources

• Illinois General Assembly compensation records

• Illinois Fiscal Year 2027 Budget, Illinois Governor's Office of Management and Budget

• Office of Governor J.B. Pritzker, Fiscal Year 2027 budget announcement

• U.S. Census Bureau domestic migration data

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data

• Illinois Policy Institute analysis of legislative compensation and Illinois wage growth

• Illinois State Board of Elections (General Assembly membership records)