Can a Police Officer afford to live in Chicago?

Comfortable27% of take-home left to save — solid margin to save and invest.
Median salary (gross)
Police Officer · Chicago
$69,817
Income tax (~24% effective)
United States
– $16,937
Take-home pay
$4,407/mo
$52,880
Living costs (1 person)
$3,220/mo · derived
– $38,640
Savings potential
$1,187/mo · 27% of take-home
$14,240

Single professional, after-tax. Salary − tax − living costs = what you could save each year.

Full salary breakdown →Is this a good salary in Chicago? →Compare Chicago with another city →

How we calculated this

• Salary: BLS OES median for Police Officer, adjusted for Chicago.

• Tax: United States single-filer effective rate (~24%). Official calculator.

• Living costs: derived from cost-of-living index for a single professional.

Planning estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026. Your situation will differ.