Side-by-side distribution
Chicago
$135,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 67.9%
- Live roles
- 4,537
Illinois
$105,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 57.7%
- Live roles
- 3,154
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
Senior Account Executive, Emerging Enterprise
Director / VP Sales
Senior Account Executive, Emerging Enterprise
Strategic Account Executive - Chicago (Remote)
Licensed Mental Health Therapist- Illinois
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 |
|---|---|---|
DoorDash USA
|
$130,200 | 107 |
Okta
|
$213,750 | 75 |
|
Braze
|
$140,000 | 69 |
| DR DRW | $177,500 | 57 |
IMC
|
$212,500 | 48 |
Insomniacookies
|
$35,412 | 42 |
Real Chemistry
|
$123,750 | 40 |
Optiver
|
$200,000 | 39 |
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 Chicago
| Role | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | $170,000 | 377 |
| Data Scientist | $163,000 | 30 |
| DevOps | $160,000 | 97 |
| UX Designer | $158,750 | 20 |
| Customer Success | $145,000 | 793 |
| Product Manager | $142,500 | 609 |
| Financial Analyst | $141,250 | 200 |
| Sales | $136,000 | 1,119 |
| Recruiter | $132,900 | 410 |
| Marketing Manager | $129,000 | 425 |
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 |
Chicago vs Illinois: which pays more?
The median for Chicago is $135,000 per year (typically $90,000–$180,000), versus $105,000 for Illinois ($67,500–$160,219). That puts Chicago about 29% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Chicago 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.