Top 20 Highest Paying Jobs in Chicago
Chicago, Illinois has a GDP per capita of $65,407. It ranks below many of the other metropolitan areas in the United States in terms of GDP, but the Windy City still has a booming job market. In fact, it was recently described as the best it’s been in 25 years.
If you’re interested in finding a job in Chicago, there are plenty of options for you to choose from. This includes a variety of high-paying jobs that will allow you to live comfortably in this expensive city.
Whether you’re thinking about making a career change or are making plans for your future, this guide can help. It breaks down the highest-paying jobs in Chicago, the highest-paying industries in Chicago, and the highest-paying jobs in Chicago for fresh graduates. You’ll also find a list of the top degrees to work toward to help you qualify for these jobs.
What Salary Is Considered Rich in Chicago?
The average salary in Chicago is $110,000 per year, and the median salary is $118,000 per year (meaning half of the city’s population earns more than this amount and half earns less).
The cost of living in Chicago is quite high, too. This is especially true when you compare it to the cost of living in the rest of Illinois (even the state’s capital, Springfield).
For example, consumer prices are 26.31 percent higher in Chicago than they are in Springfield, and rent prices are 135.8 percent higher. Restaurant prices are 22.8 percent higher in Chicago than they are in Springfield, too, and grocery prices are 25 percent higher.
With this information in mind, it’s safe to say that you would need to earn well over $118,000 per year to be considered rich in Chicago. The closer your salary gets to $200,000 per year, the more likely you are to fall into the rich category and enjoy a higher level of comfort while living in this city.
What Is the #1 Highest-Paid Position in Chicago?
Now that you know more about what you need to earn in Chicago to be considered rich or wealthy, let’s get into the specific jobs that will help you get closer to that salary.
Many of the highest-paying jobs in Chicago are in the healthcare field, including the city’s number one highest-paying position: Surgeon.
Surgeons earn an average salary of $255,580 per year, which is more than double the median salary in Chicago. Even entry-level surgeons enjoy a higher-than-average salary here, at $142,420 per year, which is still well over what the average Chicagoan earns.
If a career as a surgeon isn’t appealing to you, don’t worry. You can still earn a good living in Chicago while working in a variety of other roles. Listed below are the top 20 highest-paying jobs in Chicago, ranked from lowest to highest salary.
20. Marketing Manager: Average Salary $122,250 per year
19. General and Operations Manager: Average Salary $122,360 per year
18. Physicist: Average Salary $123,950 per year
17. Nuclear Engineer: Average Salary $125,450 per year
16. Sales Manager: Average Salary $128,010 per year
15. General Dentists: Average Salary $128,810 per year
14. Lawyer: Average Salary $129,220 per year
13. Financial Manager: Average Salary $132,170 per year
12. Computer and Information Systems Manager: Average Salary $132,570 per year
11. General Pediatrician: Average Salary $141,320 per year
10. Anesthesiologist: Average Salary $148,460 per year
9. Postsecondary Law Teachers: Average Salary $149,420 per year
8. Psychiatrist: Average Salary $152,080 per year
7. General Internist: Average Salary $172,640 per year
6. Other Physician: Average Salary $173,810 per year
5. Podiatrist: Average Salary $177,480 per year
4. Family and General Practitioner: Average Salary $182,930 per year
3. Chief Executive Officer: Average Salary $188,500 per year
2. Obstetrician and Gynecologist: Average Salary $211,500 per year
1. Surgeon: Average Salary $255,580 per year
Top 5 Highest-Paying Industries in Chicago
If you want to land one of the best-paid jobs in Chicago, including one of the positions on the list in the previous section, it’s also important to know about the highest-paying industries in this city.
Explained below are the top 5 highest-paying industries in Chicago, along with information about the top 3 jobs in each field and how job prospects will likely look in the future:
As is the case in many parts of the United States right now, the healthcare industry is booming, and it’s easily one of the country’ highest-paying industries. It doesn’t matter if you’re a nurse, a doctor, or a surgeon. A career in healthcare is one of the best options for those who want to earn a high salary and enjoy a great deal of job security.
Top 3 Jobs
- Surgeon: Average Salary $255,580 per year
- Obstetrician and Gynecologist: Average Salary $211,500 per year
- Family and General Practitioner: Average Salary $182,930 per year
Job Prospects: The job prospects for someone in the healthcare industry are very promising. There’s a great demand for healthcare workers of all kinds right now, which means you will not have much trouble finding a high-paying job in Chicago as long as you’re qualified. Even those who don’t have much experience can likely get hired quickly because the demand is so high.
Chicago is a major metropolitan city in the United States, which means there are tons of businesses that operate out of it. This includes major corporations like Boeing, McDonald’s, and Motorola. The business-administration industry is very large and profitable in Chicago, and there are lots of jobs in this field available for those who are interested.
Top 3 Jobs
- Chief Executive Officer: Average salary $188,500 per year
- Financial Manager: Average salary $132,170 per year
- Sales Manager: Average salary $128,010 per year
Job Prospects: The job prospects for those who want to work in business management or sales position are very promising in Chicago. There are tons of businesses that operate out of this city, from small and medium-sized businesses to large corporations. This means there are a lot of jobs available for people of all backgrounds and experience levels, including recent graduates and those who are new to the business world.
The information technology sector is one of the fastest-growing industries in the United States, and Chicago is no exception. There are plenty of high-paying jobs available in this field, including a variety of leadership and management positions. For those who are interested in computers, software design, and other aspects of the tech world, a career in information technology is a high-paying and rewarding option.
Top 3 Jobs
- Computer and Information Systems Manager: Average salary $132,570 per year
- Computer Network Architect: Average salary $113,780 per year
- Systems Software Developer: Average salary $104,880 per year
Job Prospects: For those who are interested in computer programming, software development, cybersecurity, or any other job in the information technology industry, job prospects look very good in Chicago. There are lots of jobs available here at a variety of companies, from large corporations to small startups, so there are plenty of opportunities to find work here in this field.
The engineering industry is another high-paying industry in Chicago and throughout the United States. From nuclear engineering to electrical engineering, there are lots of engineering positions available here that pay well and provide a great deal of job security.
Top 3 Jobs
- Nuclear Engineer: Average salary $125,450 per year
- Aerospace Engineer: Average salary $104,390 per year
- Materials Engineer: Average salary $104,140 per year
Job Prospects: In Chicago and in other parts of the U.S., there is always a high demand for engineering professionals. Because of this high demand, the job prospects look great for those with engineering degrees and experience. It’s worth noting, too, that the entry-level salary for engineers of all kinds is also quite high (although it is below the average Chicago salary). This means you can start earning a good salary right after graduating, which makes this a great industry to break into as a recent graduate.
Those who work in the law industry can also earn very high livings in Chicago and throughout the United States. Whether you’re a lawyer, a judge, or a law instructor, there are lots of opportunities for legal professionals to earn a high salary in the Chicago area.
Top 3 Jobs
- Postsecondary Law Teacher: Average salary $149,420 per year
- Lawyer: Average salary $129,220 per year
- Administrative Law Judge: Average salary $110,910 per year
Job Prospects: The legal industry in the United States is very competitive right now and many graduates have found that it’s difficult to find jobs right after leaving school.
This information can be a deterrent to some people who are considering a law career, as it may take some time before they can get hired and start earning a living. For those who are passionate about the law, though, it’s worth it to take their time and find a job that’s a good fit.
Top 5 Highest Paying Jobs in Chicago for Fresh Graduates
In most professions, it takes several years of hard work and dedication before you start earning a high salary. The good news, though, is that there are also plenty of high-paying jobs in Chicago that provide a good salary right from the start.
If you’re a student interested in learning about the highest-paying jobs in Chicago for fresh graduates, this list is for you. Here are 5 great jobs that all come with promising entry-level salaries and lots of room for growth:
A career as a surgeon, even one who has just graduated from school, is easily one of the highest-paying jobs for fresh graduates in Chicago. Remember, even entry-level surgeons earn over $140,000 per year, which is nothing to turn your nose up at.
Of course, it does take quite a while to become a surgeon (12-13 years after high school), so it will take time to graduate and start earning this salary. This is part of the reason why surgeons make so much money. They put a lot of time into developing their skills, and they deserve to be compensated for that effort.
Once you’re done with school, though, you’ll be well on your way to bringing in a good living and repaying your student debt.
Of all the high-paying engineering positions in Chicago, a career as a nuclear engineer has one of the highest entry-level salaries, at over $87,000 per year.
Nuclear engineers are responsible for researching and developing processes, systems, and instruments that allow them to utilize nuclear energy and radiation. They find a variety of medical and industrial uses for nuclear power.
To become a nuclear engineer, you must have a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering or a related field. Some go on to earn master’s degrees, but a bachelor’s degree is sufficient to help you get started in your career. This is good news for those who want to earn a good salary in Chicago but don’t want to spend over a decade in school before they can do so.
Pharmacists can also earn a high salary in Chicago right after leaving school. The average entry-level salary for a pharmacist is over $74,000 per year. Once they’ve worked in the field for a few years, they can earn a lot more, though — over $114,000 per year.
Pharmacists are responsible for filling prescriptions and advising patients who visit pharmacies. It takes 4-8 years to become a pharmacist, depending on whether you earn a bachelor’s degree first or go straight into an accelerated program.
This career path isn’t as time-consuming as some other medical careers, but it is still demanding and requires patience and a high level of skill. If you’re willing to put in the time and effort, you can have a very lucrative career right after graduating.
If you have a passion for science and want to earn a good salary right after graduating, a career as a physicist is a good one to pursue. The average entry-level salary for a physicist is over $81,000, and they can work their way up to a salary of over $123,000 with time and commitment.
Physicists are responsible for planning and conducting scientific experiments to test various theories and discover new properties of matter and energy. Some physicists study the interactions between matter and energy, and others (namely, theoretical physicists) study more abstract concepts like the nature of time and the origin of the universe.
To become a physicist, you will need at least a bachelor’s degree in physics. However, many of the highest-earning physicists also have a master’s or doctoral degree, which provides more opportunities for them to find work in labs and at universities.
A career as an obstetrician and gynecologist (or OB-GYN) is another high-paying medical career. This job provides a very generous salary right out of school, with an entry-level salary of $74,560 per year and an average salary of over $211,000 per year.
It makes sense that OB-GYNs earn a high salary right out of school because they do very important work. They care for women during pregnancy and immediately after childbirth. They also prescribe birth control, perform examinations, and guide women through menopause.
It takes quite a while to become an OB-GYN, starting with a 4-year bachelor’s degree, 4 years of medical school, and a 3-7-year internship and residency. Once you finish your schooling and graduate, though, you can earn much more than a lot of other medical professionals, from general practitioners to podiatrists.
What Degree Pays Most in Chicago?
If you want to increase your chances of landing one of the best-paid jobs in Chicago, you’ll need to focus on your education and earn a degree that qualifies you for those positions. The table below lists some of the best degrees to consider pursuing in Chicago, as well as the potential salary you can earn once you obtain one of these degrees:
Degree Type | Potential Salary |
Medical | $255,580 per year |
Business Management | $188,500 per year |
Engineering | $125,450 per year |
Physics | $123,950 per year |
Pharmaceutical | $114,110 per year |
Of course, these potential salaries are just estimates to provide you with some guidance as you begin planning for the future.
There’s no guarantee that, once you graduate, this is the salary you’ll earn after obtaining one of these degrees. However, you’ll have a much better chance of earning a high salary if you earn a degree in a high-paying, high-demand field like medicine, engineering, etc.
Apply for One of the Highest-Paying Jobs in Chicago
Are you ready to apply for one of the highest-paying jobs in Chicago? Now that you know which positions come with the top salaries, it’s time to start your job search or start developing skills that will qualify you for the best-paid jobs in Chicago.
If you need additional help finding work or preparing your resume, GrabJobs has lots of resources to help you. Check out the Career Advice section of our site today to learn more.
