Side-by-side distribution
Illinois
$105,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 57.9%
- Live roles
- 3,156
San Francisco
$200,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 76.1%
- Live roles
- 13,929
Highest-paying jobs
Sales Leader, Quality Engineering Services
Co-Founder & CEO - AI Retail Planning Autopilot
Director / VP Sales
Strategic Account Executive - Chicago (Remote)
Electronics Engineering Technician
Psychiatrist (MD / DO)
Preschool Teacher / Lead Teacher
Dentist
Psych Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP, Psych APRN)
Employment Law Attorney
Highest-paying jobs
VP of Growth
Performance Marketing Manager
Grants Manager
Co-Founder & CEO - AI Retail Planning Autopilot
Account Executive
Paid Growth Specialist
Strategic Account Executive - San Francisco (Remote)
Field Applications Engineer
Director Of Influencer Marketing
Director / VP Sales
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Gotion, Inc.
|
$101,250 | 88 |
Okta
|
$214,000 | 69 |
The Symicor Group
|
$100,000 | 49 |
NoGigiddy
|
$43,680 | 36 |
Tricoci University
|
$44,720 | 35 |
Optiver
|
$200,000 | 34 |
Real Chemistry
|
$127,500 | 34 |
Metropolis
|
$112,500 | 30 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
OpenAI
|
$307,500 | 482 |
Anthropic
|
$360,000 | 316 |
Fluidstack
|
$218,000 | 289 |
DoorDash USA
|
$161,300 | 232 |
Brex
|
$195,264 | 227 |
Databricks
|
$216,740 | 174 |
Airwallex
|
$205,000 | 147 |
Crusoe
|
$210,000 | 139 |
Highest-paying roles in Illinois
| Role | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| UX Designer | $167,250 | 4 |
| DevOps | $160,500 | 48 |
| Software Engineer | $154,780 | 126 |
| Sales | $130,250 | 556 |
| Customer Success | $128,500 | 374 |
| Data Scientist | $126,500 | 7 |
| Product Manager | $125,000 | 287 |
| Project Manager | $117,330 | 181 |
| Marketing Manager | $116,250 | 194 |
| Recruiter | $111,375 | 220 |
Highest-paying roles in San Francisco
| Role | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | $216,000 | 3,000 |
| Data Scientist | $208,750 | 359 |
| DevOps | $205,000 | 288 |
| Product Manager | $195,900 | 2,524 |
| Sales | $195,900 | 3,626 |
| UX Designer | $194,500 | 97 |
| Customer Success | $192,500 | 2,644 |
| Recruiter | $188,000 | 1,557 |
| Marketing Manager | $175,000 | 1,104 |
| Project Manager | $171,250 | 806 |
Illinois vs San Francisco: which pays more?
The median for Illinois is $105,000 per year (typically $67,500–$160,000), versus $200,000 for San Francisco ($155,000–$250,000). That puts San Francisco about 90% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Illinois and San Francisco 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.