Side-by-side distribution
California
$155,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 73.7%
- Live roles
- 13,891
Illinois
$105,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 57.7%
- Live roles
- 3,154
Highest-paying jobs
Wholesale Account Executive, National
Senior Product Sourcing Engineer, Autonomous Airpower
Co-Founder & CEO - AI Retail Planning Autopilot
Account Director - Growth Marketing (Paid Social)
Co-Founder & CEO - AI Retail Planning Autopilot
Strategic Account Executive - San Francisco (Remote)
Field Applications Engineer
Analog Mixed-Signal Design Engineer
Senior Software Engineer, Machine Learning (Audio)
Business Development Manager
Highest-paying jobs
Sales Leader, Quality Engineering Services
Co-Founder & CEO - AI Retail Planning Autopilot
Electronics Engineering Technician
Strategic Account Executive - Chicago (Remote)
Director / VP Sales
Psychiatrist (MD / DO)
Preschool Teacher / Lead Teacher
Dentist
Employment Law Attorney
Psych Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP, Psych APRN)
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Anduril Industries
|
$170,000 | 1,258 |
Databricks
|
$216,104 | 270 |
Relativity Space
|
$165,000 | 236 |
NoGigiddy
|
$43,680 | 200 |
Cheer Home Care
|
$44,720 | 178 |
Revolution Medicines
|
$233,000 | 166 |
Archer
|
$171,100 | 154 |
ALO
|
$79,175 | 145 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Gotion, Inc.
|
$100,000 | 88 |
Okta
|
$214,000 | 70 |
The Symicor Group
|
$100,000 | 49 |
Real Chemistry
|
$123,750 | 40 |
|
NoGigiddy
|
$43,680 | 36 |
Optiver
|
$200,000 | 34 |
Tricoci University
|
$44,720 | 34 |
Metropolis
|
$115,000 | 29 |
Highest-paying roles in California
| Role | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| DevOps | $186,463 | 248 |
| Software Engineer | $185,500 | 2,499 |
| Recruiter | $180,000 | 1,013 |
| Data Scientist | $177,151 | 170 |
| Product Manager | $170,000 | 1,568 |
| Customer Success | $169,950 | 1,954 |
| UX Designer | $165,000 | 35 |
| Sales | $150,000 | 2,085 |
| Project Manager | $149,613 | 930 |
| Marketing Manager | $140,000 | 692 |
Highest-paying roles in Illinois
| Role | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| UX Designer | $167,250 | 4 |
| DevOps | $161,000 | 48 |
| Software Engineer | $151,250 | 125 |
| Sales | $132,500 | 553 |
| Data Scientist | $131,250 | 6 |
| Customer Success | $130,845 | 378 |
| Product Manager | $127,500 | 285 |
| Marketing Manager | $122,000 | 198 |
| Project Manager | $115,000 | 186 |
| Recruiter | $110,125 | 228 |
California vs Illinois: which pays more?
The median for California is $155,000 per year (typically $100,000–$200,000), versus $105,000 for Illinois ($67,500–$160,219). That puts California about 48% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so California and Illinois are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.