Chicago still falls behind many other cities when it comes to average salaries for tech workers. But things look up when you factor in cost of living.
Job marketplace Hired published its 2017 State of Salaries report, where it examined how much tech workers make in 10 top tech cities in the U.S., as well as London, Paris and Toronto.
To no surprise, Bay Area tech workers are paid the most. Tech employees in San Francisco make an average of $142,000 a year, according to Hired, ten grand more than second place Seattle, where techies make $132,000.
In Chicago, tech salaries average $113,000, which was third lowest in the U.S. out of the 10 cities Hired examined. Chicago’s tech salaries, however, are up from $106,000 in 2016, and $107,000 in 2015.
Things improve for Chicago’s tech workforce when you factor in cost of living. When adjusted for the cost of living in San Francisco, the tech salary for Chicago is $173,000, meaning workers in Chicago would need a $60,000 raise to maintain their standard of living in the Bay Area.
Hired’s study looked at salary data on software engineers, designers, product managers, and data analytics roles. It also asked employees where they would like to relocate. Chicago was the fourth most appealing place behind Seattle, Austin and Denver.
Other nuggets from Hired’s report:
- The average white tech worker in the U.S. is offered $136,000, which is $6,000 more than black tech employees. Hispanic tech workers earn $131,000 and Asian candidates earn $133,000, on average.
- Transportation companies pay the most, offering candidates an average of $145,000, which is $10,000 more than the average tech salary on the Hired platform.
- Salaries for tech workers peak in their mid-40s at $151,000.
You can read the full report here.
