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Jobs in Chicago

Chicago, known locally as Chi-Town, home to about 2,695,600 people, rates highly as a place to live and work. Chicago and nearby suburbs have large and vibrant business communities which translates to thousands of employment opportunities. Many well-known and well-respected businesses have selected Chicago as a good place to do business. Many are hiring now and forecast this to continue. Those who are talented and well-qualified should find many job openings in their chosen profession. Below you'll find a wealth of helpful information regarding jobs, salaries and future opportunities the Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. If you want more information regarding salaries, the job market, and potential for employment in the future, keep reading!

What are people earning in Chicago? What are some the best-paying jobs?

When you're looking for a new job, or thinking of relocating, you are probably also wondering what average salaries are. Information about salaries can certainly contribute to deciding if moving to Chicago or changing jobs is the right move for you. You may want to find out what professions offer the best potential for higher earnings in Chicago. Fortunately, this type of information is available to the public via a Department of Labor website that provides access to a Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) database. We have extracted some representative information for wage data from 2008 from the BLS database. In the greater metropolitan Chicago area, annual salaries are about $53,942 on average. In the greater Chicago area, managers in all professions have annual incomes of $108,870, on average. Many non-managerial positions have good salaries; for example, here are some high salary professions with over 10,000 people employed in each type of job shown.

Job Title Average Annual Income for JobSalary Range for Job
10 – 90 percentile
Computer software engineers, applications$93,600$55,090-$140,760
Computer software engineers, systems software$93,440$53,660-$131,900
Management analysts$92,500$45,380-$146,110
Financial analysts$86,520$42,350-$153,390
Computer systems analysts$78,520$49,560-$115,340
Network and computer systems administrators$78,380$48,260-$110,890
Computer programmers$76,820$44,680-$112,990
Secondary school teachers, except special and vocational education$74,530$42,210-$113,870
Police and sheriff's patrol officers$73,390$50,100-$96,760
Accountants and auditors$72,380$42,320-$111,760
Electricians$71,300$43,540-$93,570
Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters$71,200$43,110-$98,970
Sales representatives, services, all other$70,330$27,670-$127,650

Tell me about the potential for job growth…. What career fields will have the most job openings in the next few years?

You probably have several things you'd like to know about jobs in Chicago - for example, average salaries, and also, that this is a growing industry and profession, so you will have even more opportunities in the future. You want to know if there are any companies that are part of growing economic sectors. You can get answers to many of these questions, and it's easy to access from any computer. There is a BLS database that contains this information. To give you an example of what you can learn, here are some jobs in Chicago that have the most growth potential over the next few years:

  • Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
  • Medical scientists
  • Healthcare support occupations
  • Medical scientists, except epidemiologists
  • Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors
  • Biomedical engineers
  • Environmental engineering technicians
  • Computer software engineers, systems software
  • Market research analysts
  • Biochemists and biophysicists

To learn more about Chicago employment:

If you didn't see the career field or job you are interested in, you can find that information on the Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics website as well:

Also, here are some links to current employment opportunities in the Chicago area:

Need a higher degree, or some additional training?

Here in Chicago, about 42.0% of the population have Bachelor's degrees, and an even smaller percentage, 16.0%, have obtained a Masters of Science of Master of Arts Degree. You want to know if there are any companies that are part of growing economic sectors. You 'll find programs to meet your budget and schedule to earn a degree or a professional certification, to open the door to a new career and a higher salary. It’s never too late for college - and you'll be earning more money, in a better job, in a short time. To get more information about online schools, click on this link: Online Colleges in Illinois