Software Engineer Jobs in Chicago, IL

Observed government data says Chicago computer and mathematical occupations averaged $54.84 per hour in May 2025, and the broader local occupation family had a 2025 median of $105,170, with the 25th percentile at $78,130 and the 90th percentile at $171,450. More current directional pay signals are higher: local posted ranges center on about $115k to $162k, and Illinois new openings in software, IT & cybersecurity averaged about $122,151 in September 2026.

Full September 2026 market report

Advertised pay

Across the 517 openings that disclose pay, the advertised range midpoint runs $70,000 at the 25th percentile, $125,000 at the median and $163,550 at the 75th. These are advertised ranges, not earned pay.

Active openings as of November 10, 2026

Senior roles | Entry level | Remote | Posted this week

Live from the Callings.ai index of over 13 million postings, refreshed hourly and re-checked here nightly. Roles that close are dropped at the next refresh.

Showing 30 of 250+ openings.

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What our analysts see this month

Competitive market | next 3-6 months

Chicago is still a real software, IT, and cybersecurity market, but it is a selective one: metro unemployment was 5.2% in August 2026, the local information sector was down -3.7179% year over year, and Illinois software, IT & cybersecurity employment was down 0.7% year over year even as active postings were up 28.0%. The opportunity is broad enough to matter—Chicago had 131,320 computer and mathematical jobs in annual 2025, and recent local hiring was spread across more than 550 companies rather than one dominant employer. The catch is mix: about 15% of postings were entry level, about 40% were senior, and only about 10% were remote.

Best positioned: The best odds right now belong to mid-career and senior candidates who can pair core engineering or security experience with Python, AWS, Kubernetes, CI/CD, or Java and who are open to hybrid or on-site work.

Main caution: The biggest mistake is reading Chicago's salary upside as easy access; the market pays well, but it is senior-leaning, finance-heavy, and remote-light.

From the September 2026 market report

Who is hiring here

Counted across all 612 openings in this market. 10 of the employers below are hiring for more than one role right now.

1. J.P. Morgan SE: 19 open roles
2. Macy's, Inc.: 12 open roles
3. Northern Trust Corp: 10 open roles
4. Thresholds Inc: 10 open roles
5. Grainger: 8 open roles
6. Northwestern University: 8 open roles
7. Quant Blueprint LLC: 8 open roles
8. Ingersoll Rand Inc.: 7 open roles
9. JLL: 7 open roles
10. Recovery Centers of America: 7 open roles

Where the openings are

• Chicago: 396
• Oak Brook: 17
• Schaumburg: 12
• Lincolnshire: 9
• Evanston: 8
• Skokie: 8
• Lake Forest: 7
• St. Charles: 7

Work arrangement

on-site 357 (59%), hybrid 188 (31%), remote 59 (10%)

Where the demand is

Real opportunity in Chicago is concentrated less in pure consumer-tech startups and more in employers that use technology as core infrastructure. In the recent local sample, financial services accounted for about 40% of postings, IT services and consulting about 20%, software development about 15%, technology about 10%, and business consulting about 5%. That means many viable jobs are embedded in banks, consultancies, healthcare companies, and defense-linked enterprises rather than in software-company logos alone. The employer base is broad rather than winner-take-all. Over the last 90 days, we observed more than 1,200 postings across more than 550 companies, and the sample was fragmented across employers. The most consistently active names included Tradermath, Deloitte, Northern Trust Corp, Northrop Grumman, AbbVie Inc., Capgemini, Tech in Motion, and J.P. Morgan SE. Access is uneven by level and work mode: about 15% of postings were entry level, about 35% mid, about 40% senior, about 15% lead+, and about 10% were remote. This market currently rewards candidates willing to work where the money and compliance burden are—finance, consulting, and regulated enterprise teams—and willing to show production-grade skills rather than general enthusiasm.

• Financial services tech (high): Banks, trading, asset management, and adjacent firms drive about 40% of local postings, which makes domain familiarity with risk, security, reliability, and regulated delivery especially useful.
• IT services and consulting (high): IT services and consulting contribute about 20% of postings, and employers such as Deloitte and Capgemini are among the repeatedly active local names.
• Regulated enterprise product teams (moderate): Healthcare, defense, and large-enterprise teams are not the biggest slice, but employers such as AbbVie Inc. and Northrop Grumman show that Chicago demand includes software and security work inside complex organizations.

Where to focus: If you need interviews fastest, focus on hybrid enterprise roles in finance and consulting where Chicago shows the deepest concentration and the clearest repeat-employer activity.

Roles worth searching next

• Implementation consultant: It uses technical problem-solving and stakeholder communication without demanding the same hiring bar as core software engineering.
• Technical project manager: Chicago's employer mix favors large enterprises and consulting teams that need delivery coordination around complex systems.
• IT risk or security compliance analyst: Finance-heavy demand creates room for candidates who can translate controls, policy, and audit needs into practical technical action.
• Solutions engineer or technical account manager: This path rewards technical credibility plus communication, and it can fit candidates who are stronger in demos, architecture discussions, or client problem-solving than in full-time feature delivery.

What postings ask for

• Python (table_stakes | immediate): Python shows up in about 40% of local postings, making it the clearest common language across engineering, automation, and security-adjacent work. Who: Almost everyone except the most specialized legacy-stack candidates.
• AWS (premium | immediate): AWS appears in about 20% of postings and is especially useful for candidates targeting cloud, DevOps, and platform teams. Who: Mid-career engineers, sysadmins, DevOps candidates, and career switchers choosing a cloud lane.
• Kubernetes (premium | near-term): Kubernetes is requested in about 20% of postings and is one of the fastest ways to signal production infrastructure depth rather than classroom knowledge. Who: Platform, SRE, DevOps, cloud, and senior backend candidates.
• CI/CD (differentiator | immediate): CI/CD appears in about 20% of postings, and employers use it as shorthand for release maturity and hands-on delivery. Who: Developers trying to stand out from tutorial-heavy applicants.
• Java (differentiator | near-term): Java shows up in about 20% of local postings, which fits Chicago's finance and enterprise application concentration. Who: Candidates aiming at banking, consulting, and large-enterprise application teams.
• SQL (table_stakes | immediate): SQL appears in about 20% of postings and helps candidates span application, reporting, and systems roles without drifting into data-first career tracks. Who: Entry-level candidates, application engineers, QA, and business-systems applicants.

Questions about this market

What do Software, IT & Cybersecurity roles pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

Observed government data says Chicago computer and mathematical occupations averaged $54.84 per hour in May 2025, and the broader local occupation family had a 2025 median of $105,170, with the 25th percentile at $78,130 and the 90th percentile at $171,450. More current directional pay signals are higher: local posted ranges center on about $115k to $162k, and Illinois new openings in software, IT & cybersecurity averaged about $122,151 in September 2026. Chicago is still a well-paid market, but those numbers cover very different lanes—from support and infrastructure to senior engineering and security—so your actual clearing price depends heavily on specialization and level.

Where is demand for Software, IT & Cybersecurity roles in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN concentrated?

Real opportunity in Chicago is concentrated less in pure consumer-tech startups and more in employers that use technology as core infrastructure. In the recent local sample, financial services accounted for about 40% of postings, IT services and consulting about 20%, software development about 15%, technology about 10%, and business consulting about 5%. That means many viable jobs are embedded in banks, consultancies, healthcare companies, and defense-linked enterprises rather than in software-company logos alone. The employer base is broad rather than winner-take-all. Over the last 90 days, we observed more than 1,200 postings across more than 550 companies, and the sample was fragmented across employers. The most consistently active names included Tradermath, Deloitte, Northern Trust Corp, Northrop Grumman, AbbVie Inc., Capgemini, Tech in Motion, and J.P. Morgan SE. Access is uneven by level and work mode: about 15% of postings were entry level, about 35% mid, about 40% senior, about 15% lead+, and about 10% were remote. This market currently rewards candidates willing to work where the money and compliance burden are—finance, consulting, and regulated enterprise teams—and willing to show production-grade skills rather than general enthusiasm.

Which employers are hiring the most Software, IT & Cybersecurity talent in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

Recent postings show the most activity from Tradermath (30 postings), Deloitte (20 postings), Northern Trust Corp (20 postings), Northrop Grumman (15 postings), AbbVie Inc. (15 postings). See the full market report for the complete employer landscape.

Can Software, IT & Cybersecurity roles in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN be done remotely?

Of recent postings, 10% are remote and 40% hybrid, with 50% on-site. Use the Remote filter above to see only remote openings.

How current are these listings?

Openings come from the Callings.ai live index of over 13 million jobs, refreshed hourly. This page searches postings from the last 30 days; run the search yourself to filter by anything else in plain language.

Browse Illinois openings by job title

• General Manager: 203 open roles statewide
• Senior Manager: 74 open roles statewide

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