Start with the answer
Financial Examiners pay in Charleston-North Charleston, SC and Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Financial Examiners is $158,960 per year in Charleston-North Charleston, SC. It is $98,470 per year in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Charleston-North Charleston, SC is 61.4% above Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 13-2061 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 80 wage and salary jobs in Charleston-North Charleston, SC and 3,160 in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.