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Champaign vs State College

Metro-area medians — Champaign-Urbana, IL Metro Area vs State College, PA Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Champaign and State College are evenly matched, each taking 5 of the clearly-decided measures.

Champaign is about 4% cheaper to live in, while State College households earn about 19% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in State College.

Their widest everyday difference: Champaign has the tighter job market — 2.9% unemployment versus 4.6%.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Champaign, IL
$57,601
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$62,134
real value after local prices
State College, PA
$59,011
take-home / yr · 21% to tax
$60,986
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Champaign leaves you about $1,149/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Champaign
State College
Livability (CityLedger)
56/100
58/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
92.7
96.8
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$70,094
$79,690
Median household income
$64,980
$77,110
Median rent
$1,103/mo
$1,189/mo
Median home value
$216,500
$339,200
Unemployment
2.9%
4.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher
44.8%
47.4%
Average commute
18.5 min
20.9 min
Air quality (median AQI)
44
40
Avg temperature
52°F
49°F

Choose Champaign for

  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Unemployment
  • + Average commute
Full Champaign profile →

Choose State College for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full State College profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Champaign and State College on cost, income, size, and education.

Champaign vs College Station→Champaign vs Lincoln→Champaign vs Bloomington→State College vs Bloomington→State College vs Bloomington→State College vs Kalamazoo→

Champaign vs State College — frequently asked

Is Champaign cheaper than State College?
Champaign is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 4% below State College's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Champaign or State College?
State College has the higher median household income — $77,110 versus $64,980 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 19% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Champaign or State College?
A paycheck stretches further in State College. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $79,690 there versus $70,094 in Champaign.
Which has cheaper rent, Champaign or State College?
Champaign has cheaper rent — a median of $1,103/mo versus $1,189/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).