Side-by-side distribution
Chicago
$132,950
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 68%
- Live roles
- 4,581
Los Angeles
$130,200
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 66.7%
- Live roles
- 4,511
Highest-paying jobs
Sales Leader, Quality Engineering Services
Regional Health Market Leader - Great Lakes Region
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
Account Executive, Enterprise
Highest-paying jobs
Executive Director
Office Practice Leader II
Commercial Market Leader I
Business Development Leader II - Behavioral Health Market
Co-Founder & CEO - AI Retail Planning Autopilot
Account Director - Growth Marketing (Paid Social)
Strategic Account Executive - Southern California (Remote)
Business Development Manager (Japanese and English bilingual)
Business Development Manager
Transaction Advisory Services (TAS) – Private Equity Principal
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
DoorDash USA
|
$130,200 | 109 |
Okta
|
$213,750 | 74 |
|
Braze
|
$136,000 | 73 |
| DR DRW | $182,500 | 58 |
IMC
|
$212,500 | 47 |
Insomniacookies
|
$36,400 | 40 |
Ripple
|
$180,000 | 39 |
Gong.io
|
$165,000 | 39 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
CHAOS Industries
|
$175,000 | 127 |
|
DoorDash USA
|
$130,200 | 112 |
Hadrian Automation
|
$185,000 | 92 |
Apex Technology, Inc.
|
$149,000 | 91 |
| L( LA28 (Web) | $101,500 | 85 |
General Matter
|
$132,500 | 76 |
AEG Worldwide
|
$85,020 | 60 |
Freeform
|
$135,000 | 53 |
Highest-paying roles in Chicago
| Role | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | $170,063 | 386 |
| Data Scientist | $166,000 | 31 |
| DevOps | $160,000 | 95 |
| UX Designer | $155,000 | 22 |
| Customer Success | $145,000 | 805 |
| Financial Analyst | $144,140 | 199 |
| Product Manager | $142,500 | 631 |
| Recruiter | $137,500 | 401 |
| Sales | $135,000 | 1,135 |
| Marketing Manager | $127,075 | 439 |
Highest-paying roles in Los Angeles
| Role | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| DevOps | $180,000 | 78 |
| Software Engineer | $170,000 | 555 |
| Data Scientist | $170,000 | 32 |
| UX Designer | $165,000 | 23 |
| Nurse | $150,000 | 34 |
| Recruiter | $140,100 | 290 |
| Product Manager | $139,500 | 495 |
| Customer Success | $135,000 | 550 |
| Project Manager | $120,419 | 325 |
| Sales | $117,500 | 741 |
Chicago vs Los Angeles: which pays more?
The median for Chicago is $132,950 per year (typically $88,508–$180,000), versus $130,200 for Los Angeles ($85,000–$175,000). That puts Chicago about 2% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Chicago and Los Angeles 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.