Finance, manufacturing, healthcare — Midwest's premier hub. The complete 2026 Chicago pay reference for 100 occupations.
Sorted highest to lowest. Click any role for full detail.
| # | Job | Category | Median 2026 | 25th % | 75th % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CEO (Mid-Market) | Business & Management | $575,400 | $437,300 | $748,100 |
| 2 | Surgeon | Healthcare | $473,400 | $359,800 | $615,400 |
| 3 | Chief Financial Officer | Finance | $433,400 | $329,300 | $563,400 |
| 4 | Physician (MD/DO) | Healthcare | $305,200 | $232,000 | $396,800 |
| 5 | Corporate Lawyer | Legal | $267,600 | $203,400 | $347,900 |
| 6 | Investment Banker | Finance | $242,700 | $184,500 | $315,500 |
| 7 | Dentist | Healthcare | $224,200 | $170,400 | $291,500 |
| 8 | AI Engineer | Technology | $223,200 | $169,600 | $290,200 |
| 9 | Machine Learning Engineer | Technology | $204,200 | $155,200 | $265,500 |
| 10 | Senior Software Engineer | Technology | $199,500 | $151,600 | $259,300 |
| 11 | Site Reliability Engineer | Technology | $192,300 | $146,200 | $250,000 |
| 12 | IT Manager | Technology | $187,600 | $142,600 | $243,900 |
| 13 | Management Consultant | Business & Management | $185,800 | $141,200 | $241,500 |
| 14 | Lawyer / Attorney | Legal | $185,800 | $141,200 | $241,600 |
| 15 | Controller | Finance | $184,000 | $139,800 | $239,200 |
| 16 | Judge / Magistrate | Legal | $184,000 | $139,800 | $239,200 |
| 17 | Product Manager | Technology | $180,500 | $137,100 | $234,600 |
| 18 | Petroleum Engineer | Engineering | $177,400 | $134,800 | $230,700 |
| 19 | Sales Engineer | Sales | $177,400 | $134,800 | $230,700 |
| 20 | Data Scientist | Technology | $175,700 | $133,500 | $228,400 |
| 21 | Marketing Manager | Business & Management | $173,800 | $132,100 | $226,000 |
| 22 | Pharmacist | Healthcare | $171,900 | $130,700 | $223,500 |
| 23 | Account Executive (SaaS) | Sales | $170,200 | $129,400 | $221,300 |
| 24 | Data Engineer | Technology | $168,600 | $128,100 | $219,200 |
| 25 | Cloud Engineer (AWS/Azure) | Technology | $168,600 | $128,100 | $219,200 |
| 26 | Sales Manager | Business & Management | $165,400 | $125,700 | $215,100 |
| 27 | DevOps Engineer | Technology | $163,800 | $124,500 | $213,000 |
| 28 | Physician Assistant (PA) | Healthcare | $162,000 | $123,100 | $210,500 |
| 29 | Nurse Practitioner (NP) | Healthcare | $159,500 | $121,200 | $207,300 |
| 30 | HR Manager | Business & Management | $158,200 | $120,300 | $205,700 |
| 31 | Aerospace Engineer | Engineering | $158,200 | $120,300 | $205,700 |
| 32 | Software Engineer | Technology | $156,700 | $119,100 | $203,700 |
| 33 | Mobile Developer (iOS/Android) | Technology | $156,700 | $119,100 | $203,700 |
| 34 | Actuary | Finance | $154,900 | $117,800 | $201,400 |
| 35 | Backend Developer | Technology | $154,300 | $117,300 | $200,600 |
| 36 | Cybersecurity Analyst | Technology | $152,000 | $115,500 | $197,600 |
| 37 | Veterinarian | Healthcare | $152,000 | $115,500 | $197,600 |
| 38 | Full-Stack Developer | Technology | $148,400 | $112,800 | $192,900 |
| 39 | General Manager | Business & Management | $146,300 | $111,200 | $190,100 |
| 40 | Chemical Engineer | Engineering | $141,500 | $107,500 | $183,900 |
| 41 | Frontend Developer | Technology | $140,100 | $106,500 | $182,100 |
| 42 | Construction Manager | Skilled Trades | $134,500 | $102,300 | $174,900 |
| 43 | Electrical Engineer | Engineering | $134,300 | $102,000 | $174,500 |
| 44 | Database Administrator (DBA) | Technology | $133,000 | $101,100 | $172,900 |
| 45 | College Professor | Education | $132,000 | $100,300 | $171,600 |
| 46 | School Principal | Education | $132,000 | $100,300 | $171,600 |
| 47 | Operations Manager | Business & Management | $129,500 | $98,400 | $168,300 |
| 48 | Supply Chain Manager | Business & Management | $129,500 | $98,400 | $168,300 |
| 49 | Art Director | Creative & Media | $128,200 | $97,400 | $166,700 |
| 50 | Physical Therapist | Healthcare | $127,100 | $96,600 | $165,200 |
| 51 | Financial Analyst | Finance | $127,100 | $96,600 | $165,200 |
| 52 | Project Manager (PMP) | Business & Management | $125,900 | $95,700 | $163,600 |
| 53 | Biomedical Engineer | Engineering | $125,900 | $95,700 | $163,600 |
| 54 | UX / Product Designer | Technology | $124,700 | $94,700 | $162,100 |
| 55 | Civil Engineer | Engineering | $122,300 | $92,900 | $159,000 |
| 56 | Mechanical Engineer | Engineering | $122,300 | $92,900 | $159,000 |
| 57 | Data Analyst | Technology | $121,100 | $92,000 | $157,400 |
| 58 | Occupational Therapist | Healthcare | $119,600 | $90,900 | $155,500 |
| 59 | Financial Advisor | Finance | $118,600 | $90,200 | $154,200 |
| 60 | Industrial Engineer | Engineering | $117,500 | $89,300 | $152,700 |
| 61 | QA / Test Engineer | Technology | $116,300 | $88,400 | $151,300 |
| 62 | Business Analyst | Business & Management | $113,900 | $86,600 | $148,100 |
| 63 | Dental Hygienist | Healthcare | $109,600 | $83,300 | $142,500 |
| 64 | Insurance Underwriter | Finance | $107,700 | $81,800 | $139,900 |
| 65 | Registered Nurse (RN) | Healthcare | $107,100 | $81,400 | $139,300 |
| 66 | Animator | Creative & Media | $104,500 | $79,400 | $135,800 |
| 67 | Tax Accountant | Finance | $104,100 | $79,100 | $135,300 |
| 68 | Credit Analyst | Finance | $101,700 | $77,300 | $132,200 |
| 69 | Accountant / CPA | Finance | $99,300 | $75,400 | $129,000 |
| 70 | Respiratory Therapist | Healthcare | $97,200 | $73,900 | $126,300 |
| 71 | Sales Representative | Sales | $93,500 | $71,100 | $121,600 |
| 72 | Police Officer | Public Service | $93,500 | $71,000 | $121,500 |
| 73 | Radiologic Technologist | Healthcare | $89,700 | $68,200 | $116,600 |
| 74 | Hotel Manager | Hospitality | $88,800 | $67,500 | $115,500 |
| 75 | Electrician | Skilled Trades | $87,900 | $66,800 | $114,200 |
| 76 | Plumber | Skilled Trades | $85,600 | $65,000 | $111,200 |
| 77 | High School Teacher | Education | $84,400 | $64,200 | $109,800 |
| 78 | Special Education Teacher | Education | $83,100 | $63,200 | $108,000 |
| 79 | Elementary Teacher | Education | $80,700 | $61,300 | $104,900 |
| 80 | Video Editor | Creative & Media | $80,700 | $61,400 | $104,900 |
| 81 | Social Media Manager | Creative & Media | $80,700 | $61,400 | $104,900 |
| 82 | Interior Designer | Creative & Media | $80,700 | $61,400 | $104,900 |
| 83 | Heavy Equipment Operator | Skilled Trades | $78,700 | $59,800 | $102,400 |
| 84 | Real Estate Agent | Real Estate | $78,400 | $59,600 | $101,900 |
| 85 | School Counselor | Education | $78,200 | $59,400 | $101,700 |
| 86 | Chef / Head Cook | Hospitality | $76,500 | $58,100 | $99,500 |
| 87 | Firefighter | Public Service | $75,800 | $57,600 | $98,500 |
| 88 | Paralegal | Legal | $75,100 | $57,000 | $97,600 |
| 89 | Medical Lab Technician | Healthcare | $74,700 | $56,800 | $97,200 |
| 90 | HVAC Technician | Skilled Trades | $74,700 | $56,800 | $97,200 |
| 91 | Carpenter | Skilled Trades | $74,300 | $56,500 | $96,600 |
| 92 | Graphic Designer | Creative & Media | $73,600 | $55,900 | $95,700 |
| 93 | Social Worker | Public Service | $73,300 | $55,700 | $95,300 |
| 94 | Content Writer / Copywriter | Creative & Media | $68,900 | $52,300 | $89,500 |
| 95 | Welder | Skilled Trades | $64,800 | $49,200 | $84,200 |
| 96 | Auto Mechanic | Skilled Trades | $64,800 | $49,200 | $84,200 |
| 97 | Photographer | Creative & Media | $57,000 | $43,300 | $74,100 |
| 98 | Administrative Assistant | Administrative | $55,700 | $42,300 | $72,400 |
| 99 | Medical Assistant | Healthcare | $54,800 | $41,700 | $71,300 |
| 100 | Customer Service Rep | Administrative | $48,400 | $36,800 | $62,900 |
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