Side-by-side distribution
Chicago
$134,400
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 67.8%
- Live roles
- 4,565
Denver
$125,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 70%
- Live roles
- 2,843
Highest-paying jobs
Regional Health Market Leader - Great Lakes Region
Sales Leader, Quality Engineering Services
Account Manager
Outside Sales Representative
Co-Founder & CEO - AI Retail Planning Autopilot
Account Executive, Enterprise
Account Executive, Enterprise
Senior Account Executive, Emerging Enterprise
Account Executive, Enterprise
Senior Account Executive, Emerging Enterprise
Highest-paying jobs
S&T Market Leader I
Education Market Leader I
HVAC Comfort Advisor
Executive Operations & Advancement Associate at Hillel of Colorado
Senior Account Executive, Startups (Denver)
Transaction Advisory Services (TAS) – Private Equity Principal
Principal/Partner - Forensic Accounting & Litigation Support
Relief Registered Veterinary Technician - Cherry Creek
Outpatient Psychiatrist
Interventional Psychiatrist
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
DoorDash USA
|
$130,200 | 108 |
Okta
|
$213,750 | 75 |
|
Braze
|
$144,750 | 72 |
| DR DRW | $177,500 | 57 |
IMC
|
$212,500 | 48 |
Insomniacookies
|
$35,412 | 42 |
Optiver
|
$200,000 | 39 |
Charles River Associates
|
$141,250 | 39 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Esri
|
$135,200 | 138 |
Crusoe
|
$159,185 | 60 |
Fivetran
|
$203,643 | 53 |
Xometry
|
$99,000 | 45 |
|
DoorDash USA
|
$130,200 | 44 |
Gusto, Inc.
|
$146,750 | 42 |
| TA True Anomaly | $169,760 | 40 |
Datadog
|
$123,000 | 36 |
Highest-paying roles in Chicago
| Role | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | $170,000 | 377 |
| Data Scientist | $166,000 | 31 |
| DevOps | $160,000 | 98 |
| UX Designer | $158,750 | 20 |
| Customer Success | $143,500 | 804 |
| Financial Analyst | $141,250 | 200 |
| Product Manager | $140,992 | 612 |
| Sales | $135,000 | 1,127 |
| Recruiter | $135,000 | 407 |
| Marketing Manager | $127,500 | 430 |
Highest-paying roles in Denver
| Role | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist | $187,500 | 6 |
| UX Designer | $171,000 | 11 |
| DevOps | $163,850 | 66 |
| Recruiter | $157,500 | 260 |
| Software Engineer | $155,698 | 332 |
| Product Manager | $145,000 | 338 |
| Marketing Manager | $136,500 | 233 |
| Sales | $136,084 | 794 |
| Customer Success | $136,084 | 691 |
| Project Manager | $126,900 | 233 |
Chicago vs Denver: which pays more?
The median for Chicago is $134,400 per year (typically $90,000–$180,000), versus $125,000 for Denver ($80,000–$175,000). That puts Chicago about 8% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Chicago and Denver 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.