Labor Market Pulse · Finance · September 2026
Finance Labor Market Report: Springfield, IL MSA — September 2026
Springfield senior finance pay climbs as sector sheds jobs statewide.
Illinois financial activities employment fell 15,800 year-over-year, yet Springfield's advertised Controller pay rose to $105,913 and FP&A Manager pay to $126,621 — both up significantly.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Illinois financial activities jobs: -15,800 — Year-over-year decline through August 2026
- Sangamon County avg weekly wage: $1,447 — Up 3.2% YoY, Q1 2026
- National wage growth deceleration: 3.0% — September avg hourly earnings YoY, below 3.2% forecast
- Illinois WARN notices YTD: 16,782 workers — 91 filings across 2026 year-to-date
Key takeaways
Senior finance pay is rising while the sector sheds jobs statewide.
Illinois financial activities employment fell 15,800 year-over-year, yet Springfield Controller and FP&A Manager advertised pay both moved up significantly. Aggregate sector contraction is masking acquisition pressure for roles finance leaders can't easily automate or outsource.
Financial Analyst pay in Springfield now outpaces the national figure.
Metro median advertised pay for Financial Analyst sits at $102,785 against a national median of $94,782 — a reversal of the usual metro discount pattern. Worth testing whether this reflects local talent scarcity or a narrow, thin sample of postings before resetting budget ranges.
Billing Specialist pay is falling locally while rising nationally.
Metro median advertised pay for Billing Specialist dropped moderately to $41,600 even as the national median climbed to $49,512 — a widening gap that may reflect softer local demand for transactional finance roles as automation absorbs routine billing work.
Statewide income growth lagging the region complicates retention math.
Illinois personal income growth is forecast at 3.6% for Q2 2026, trailing both the regional 3.8% and national 4.5% pace. Slower income growth statewide may narrow the gap Finance leaders can offer above current pay before losing candidates to faster-growing neighboring labor markets.
Median advertised pay by role — Springfield, IL MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $103,876 | $105,913 | $105,913 | Significant increase | $113,754 |
| Senior Accountant | $78,083 | $84,851 | $89,043 | Moderate increase | $87,731 |
| Financial Analyst | $81,960 | $102,785 | $119,606 | Significant increase | $94,782 |
| Billing Specialist | $37,426 | $41,600 | $48,682 | Moderate decline | $49,512 |
| Tax Specialist | $61,370 | $68,082 | $80,000 | Moderate increase | $65,842 |
| Credit Analyst * | $62,400 | $71,686 | $75,000 | Moderate increase | $71,758 |
| FP&A Manager | $98,899 | $126,621 | $128,153 | Significant increase | $128,139 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Local market conditions
Springfield MSA finance hiring plays out against a statewide contraction, with Illinois financial activities employment down 15,800 jobs year-over-year even as Sangamon County's broader labor market holds relatively firm — 131,100 employed in March 2026 and average weekly wages up 3.2% to $1,447. State government's outsized footprint in Springfield insulates the metro from some of the private-sector finance shedding visible in Chicago, but local Controller and FP&A Manager advertised pay rising significantly suggests employers are still competing hard for scarce senior finance talent despite sector-wide headcount pressure elsewhere.
What it means
Statewide financial activities losses and national information-sector contraction are consistent with employers consolidating finance functions and leaning on automation rather than broad-based rebranding of headcount — yet Springfield's advertised pay for Controller ($105,913) and FP&A Manager ($126,621) climbing sharply signals that senior, judgment-heavy roles are the exception, not shedding. Budget cycles built around flat or declining finance headcount may understate what it costs to retain or backfill a Controller or FP&A Manager this cycle, since competition for that tier looks structurally tighter than aggregate sector data implies. Consider reviewing year-end compensation budgets for senior finance roles separately from broader departmental headcount assumptions, given the divergence between sector-level contraction and role-level pay acceleration.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Illinois WARN filings have reached 91 notices and 16,782 affected workers year-to-date, with September activity including Uber, GoHealth, and T-Mobile. Track whether any releases finance, accounting, or back-office talent into the Springfield candidate pool.
Emerging pressure point: National finance and accounting leaders report 74% plan to increase permanent headcount in the second half of 2026, with a 2026 Talent Shortage Index of 77% replacing last year's surplus. Local hiring plans built on 2025 talent availability assumptions may need revisiting.
Potential inflection point: National average hourly earnings growth decelerated to 3.0% year-over-year in September, below the 3.2% consensus forecast. Should this moderation persist into Q4, it may ease pressure on fiscal-year salary budget assumptions set earlier in 2026.
Early indicator: Sangamon County unemployment moved from 5.2% in March to 4.30% in May 2026, a meaningful swing within a single quarter. Confirm whether the next IDES release stabilizes this trend before adjusting hiring timelines tied to local labor supply.
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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