.NET Developer Salary in Peoria: $60,000-$110,000 (2026)

Peoria’s cost-of-living index around 88 (100 = US average) materially boosts a . NET developer’s real purchasing power versus coastal tech hubs.

Typical rents for a one-bedroom in Peoria range $800–$950/month; a modest three-bedroom home can be bought in the $160,000–$210,000 range depending on neighborhood. Commuting costs are lower than metropolitan areas: average round-trip gas cost is modest due to shorter commutes (20–30 minutes typical), and public transit is inexpensive but limited.

For a mid-level . NET developer earning about $80k–$85k, lower housing and transport expenses mean discretionary income and saving rate increase—allowing earlier mortgage down payments, higher gross-to-net standard of living, or the ability to accept slightly lower nominal pay in exchange for stability.

Conversely, luxury-city amenities (frequent high-end dining, boutique gyms, or high-end entertainment) are more limited locally, so lifestyle trade-offs should be considered if you value urban nightlife or extensive startup ecosystems.

Salaries for . NET developers in Peoria are shaped by a concentration of large legacy employers (notably Caterpillar) alongside sizeable healthcare systems (OSF HealthCare, UnityPoint) and insurance firms.

Many of these organizations operate and modernize large on-premise and hybrid systems that remain reliant on . NET and Microsoft stacks.

Demand is driven by modernization projects—migrating legacy . NET Framework apps to .

NET Core/. NET 6+, integrating APIs with cloud services (Azure is commonly used), and building internal portals.

However, Peoria’s labor market is smaller than major metro areas, limiting the salary ceiling. Local universities and suppliers provide a steady talent pipeline but also keep competition moderate.

Economic trends—manufacturing automation and healthcare IT modernization—support steady hiring, while budget-conscious public-sector and smaller private firms apply downward pressure on top-end compensation compared with big-city salaries.

Compared with Bloomington-Normal and Springfield, Peoria offers comparable nominal pay (average ~ $85k) but a slightly lower cost of living than both. Champaign-Urbana often pays a bit more for tech roles due to the university and startup presence (avg ~ $86k) and a higher COL (~95).

Commuting to Bloomington or Springfield for a modest pay bump can make sense if the role offers $5k–$10k more annually or better long-term growth; otherwise, the extra commute time and costs often negate the benefit. Relocating to larger metros (e.

g. , Chicago) becomes compelling primarily for roles paying substantially higher salaries or unique senior/architect positions.

Remote work is increasingly common—many Peoria employers allow hybrid arrangements. A remote role based in a coastal city paying 10–20% more may be worthwhile if you can work remotely permanently; however, if the pay premium is small, staying local yields better quality-of-life returns given lower housing costs.

Typical progression: entry-level (0–2 years) handling maintenance, bug fixes, and small feature work on . NET Framework/ASP.

NET applications; mid-level (3–7 years) owning modules, designing APIs, leading small projects, and moving applications to . NET Core/.

NET 6+; senior (8+ years) acting as system architects, technical leads, or engineering managers, driving cloud migration (Azure), CI/CD pipelines, and cross-team integrations. Timeframes are often slightly longer than in large tech hubs—expect 3–5 years to move from entry to mid and another 4–6 to reach senior, depending on exposure to modern cloud patterns and leadership opportunities.

Accelerators locally include: gaining Azure certifications, leading a successful migration project (e. g.

, rewriting a legacy ASP. NET app to .

NET Core with Azure App Services), or taking cross-functional ownership (DevOps, security, data integration) that demonstrates broader impact.

When negotiating in Peoria, anchor to realistic local ranges: entry $50k–$62k, mid $72k–$92k, senior $95k–$115k depending on responsibilities. Emphasize cloud and modernization experience (Azure, .

NET Core, API design, SQL Server) to justify moving toward the upper end. If the employer is a local healthcare or manufacturing firm, stress experience with compliance, integrations (HL7, EDI), and long-term maintainability.

Common benefits to negotiate: flexible/hybrid remote work, professional development budget (certs, conferences), paid time for on-call rotations, and reasonable signing bonuses (often $2k–$8k locally). Be mindful of total compensation: Peoria employers may offer smaller base salaries but stronger pension/retirement matches or stable long-term employment.

Finally, highlight lower local housing costs as a bargaining point for accepting flexible arrangements rather than a large salary uplift—employers may prefer to provide remote allowance, extra vacation, or training instead of moving base pay significantly upward.