Hiring
285,865
job postings were active in Chicago in June 2026
Up 8.7% from a year earlier.
Fulton Market, West Loop
The job market inChicago
5.1 million people work in the Chicago metro. See where they work, what they do and what they earn.
Industries
674,887
people work in healthcare and wellness services
Another 349,622 work in education services and 299,565 in financial services.
Illinois Medical District, Near West Side
Growth
13,501
jobs added over the past year at the largest employers that grew
Net headcount change across the 77 largest employers that grew. Uber Technologies, Inc. grew fastest, up 29.5%.
Pilsen, Lower West Side
In demand
11,776
open postings for registered nurse roles
The most in-demand occupation in Chicago. Postings for maintenance technician are up 11.6% from a year ago.
South Loop, Near South Side
Largest employer
50,099
people work at Northwestern University, the largest employer
Government of the United States of America and Chicago Public Schools are the next largest employers in Chicago.
Federal Plaza, The Loop
Pay
$113,979
is the median salary for information technology workers here
The best-paid job function in Chicago. The median across the US is $67,324.
Merchandise Mart, River North
Job titles
119,202
people work in registered nurse roles
Registered nurse is the most common job title in Chicago. Account executive is growing fastest, up 7.3% in a year.
River North, Near North Side
That's the job market in Chicago.
Everything behind the story, from the largest employers to what each job pays, is below.
What are the largest companies in Chicago?
The largest employer in the Chicago metro is Northwestern University, with about 50,099 people working in the area as of June 2026. About 5,148,403 people work across the metro. Total headcount in the Chicago metro grew 1.93% over the past year.
Data source: Revelio LabsCoverage: Chicago, IL-IN-MI (Census CBSA)Data as of June 2026
Workers in the Chicago metro
5.15M
5,148,403 jobs
12-month headcount change
+1.93%
across the Chicago metro
Average salary
$93,266
across employers, June 2026
How is the job market in Chicago?
Chicago employers had 285,865 active job postings in June 2026, up 8.7% from a year earlier. See job openings and hiring trends.
How many people work in Chicago?
About 5,148,403 people work in the Chicago metro as of June 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce data. Total headcount in the Chicago metro grew 1.93% over the past year.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
Healthcare and wellness services is the largest industry by headcount, at 674,887 jobs, followed by education services (349,622) and financial services (299,565). See top industries.
Northwestern University is the largest employer, with about 50,099 people in the Chicago metro. Uber Technologies, Inc. grew fastest among the largest employers, up +29.5%. Employers here had 285,865 active job postings in June 2026. See hiring trends.
- Metro area
- Chicago, IL-IN-MI
- State
- Illinois
- Workers in the metro
- 5,148,403
- Largest employer
- Northwestern University
- Largest industry
- Healthcare and Wellness Services
- 12-month change
- +1.93%
- Data as of
- June 2026
Top 15 largest companies in Chicago by employees (2026)
Northwestern University employs the most people in the Chicago metro, followed by Government of the United States of America and Chicago Public Schools.
| Hiring rate Locked: talk to a workforce expert for this metric.Unlock in the full dataset | Attrition rate Locked: talk to a workforce expert for this metric.Unlock in the full dataset | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northwestern University | 50,099 | Education Services | ||
| 2 | Government of the United States of America | 49,970 | Public Sector Management | ||
| 3 | Chicago Public Schools | 35,894 | Education Services | ||
| 4 | Advocate Aurora Health, Inc. | 27,543 | Healthcare and Wellness | ||
| 5 | Endeavor Health Clinical Operations | 23,611 | Healthcare and Wellness | ||
| 6 | The University of Chicago | 22,332 | Education Services | ||
| 7 | United Airlines Holdings, Inc. | 19,715 | Commercial Aviation | ||
| 8 | Walmart, Inc. | 19,343 | Retail and Consumer Goods | ||
| 9 | Walgreens Holding Co. | 16,389 | Pharmaceuticals | ||
| 10 | University of Illinois | 14,185 | Education Services |
Source: Revelio Labs workforce data, Chicago metro, June 2026. How we count.
This is the top 15. Revelio tracks employers across the Chicago metro, with headcount by job function, hiring rate and attrition for each.
Walk through the full list with an expertTop industries in Chicago in 2026
The largest industries in the Chicago metro by headcount, from Revelio Labs workforce data.
Jobs by industry across the Chicago metro
Healthcare and wellness services, education services and financial services each employ more than 290,000 people here.
Loading- Healthcare and wellness services employs 674,887 people across the metro, the most of any industry.
Source: Revelio Labs, Chicago, June 2026.
Fastest growing companies in Chicago (2026)
Uber Technologies, Inc. grew fastest, up +29.5%. 77 of the 200 largest employers in Chicago added employees over the past year.
Companies growing fastest in Chicago (June 2025 to June 2026)
Companies shrinking fastest in Chicago (June 2025 to June 2026)
Percent change in local headcount among the largest employers in the Chicago metro, June 2025 to June 2026.
The full top 10 growing and shrinking employers in Chicago, and where people leaving them go next.
See the full list with an expertCompanies hiring the most in Chicago (2026)
| Company | Active postings |
|---|---|
| Northwestern University | 2,709 |
| Advocate Aurora Health, Inc. | 1,608 |
| Nerdy, Inc. | 1,493 |
Active postings as of June 2026.
Most common and in-demand jobs in Chicago (2026)
Share of the Chicago metro workforce by job function, from career profiles.
Workforce by job function
LoadingSource: Revelio Labs career profiles, Chicago metro, June 2026.
Most common job titles
- 1Registered Nurse119,202
- 2Teacher106,380
- 3Account Executive102,776
Fastest growing job titles
- 1Account Executive+7.3%
- 2Sales Executive+7.1%
- 3Lawyer+6.9%
In-demand jobs in Chicago
Occupations with the most active job postings in the Chicago metro.
| Occupation | Active postings | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurse | 11,776 | -14.9% |
| Maintenance Technician | 8,923 | +11.6% |
| Rehabilitation Therapist | 8,003 | -19.7% |
Source: Revelio Labs job postings data, Chicago metro, June 2026. Change is active postings vs June 2025.
Chicago job market: hiring trends (2026)
Chicago employers had 285,865 active job postings in June 2026, up 8.7% from a year earlier.
285,865
Active job postings
as of June 2026
+8.7%
Change vs last year
active postings vs June 2025
Active job postings by month, Chicago metro, Jun 2024 to Jun 2026
Loading- Chicago employers had 285,865 active postings in Jun 2026, up 8.7% from Jun 2025.
- Active postings bottomed at 262,923 in Jun 2025 and peaked at 339,663 in Aug 2024.
Source: Revelio Labs job postings data, deduplicated across job boards and company career sites.
Hiring and attrition rates for every Chicago employer, broken out by role.
Compare hiring rates with an expertAverage salary in Chicago (2026)
Median salary by job function in Chicago
Information technology pays the most. 6 of 10 functions pay above the US median.
Salaries from job postings and modeled compensation. Figures are annual base pay in USD.
Salary by role, seniority and employer in Chicago, compared with any other metro.
Benchmark your pay with an expertWorkforce experts
Get custom workforce data for Chicago
Site selection, an economic development report, a recruiting plan or an investment memo. A Revelio expert will walk you through the data behind this page for the employers, roles and metros you care about.
Talk to a workforce expertQuestions teams bring us
- Which Chicago employers are hiring data engineers?Postings and hiring rate by role and employer
- Which in-demand occupations in Lake pay above $60,000?Occupations by county, with pay
- Where do people leaving Panera Bread Co. go next?Talent flows by company, role and metro
- What does a senior nurse earn in Chicago vs Milwaukee?Salary by role, seniority and location
Chicago companies: frequently asked questions
Northwestern University is the largest employer in the Chicago metro, with about 50,099 people working in the area as of June 2026.
By local headcount, the 10 largest companies in Chicago are Northwestern University, Government of the United States of America, Chicago Public Schools, Advocate Aurora Health, Inc., Endeavor Health Clinical Operations, The University of Chicago, United Airlines Holdings, Inc., Walmart, Inc., Walgreens Holding Co. and University of Illinois, based on Revelio Labs data as of June 2026.
About 5,148,403 people work in the Chicago metro, based on Revelio Labs data as of June 2026.
By headcount across the metro, the biggest industries are healthcare and wellness services (674,887 jobs), education services (349,622) and financial services (299,565).
Among the largest employers in the Chicago metro, Uber Technologies, Inc. (+29.5%), Powers Health (+16.4%) and Salesforce, Inc. (+12.8%) grew fastest from June 2025 to June 2026.
By active job postings, the most in-demand occupations in the Chicago metro are registered nurse, maintenance technician and rehabilitation therapist, as of June 2026.
Chicago employers had 285,865 active job postings in June 2026, up 8.7% from a year earlier.
Monthly. This page reflects data as of June 2026.
Have a question this page doesn't answer? Speak with a workforce expert about Chicago
How we count
Revelio Labs counts the people who work at each employer in a metro area, based on public professional profiles. Each count is the employer's headcount in the metro at the end of the month, and it includes the employer's subsidiaries. We count the whole metro area, not just the city limits. Our counts are statistical estimates, so they can come in below a company's reported headcount, especially where many workers are part-time or seasonal.
Coverage of hourly and frontline jobs
Some workers are more likely to have an online profile than others. White-collar workers show up more than blue-collar workers, and people in big cities show up more than people in smaller ones. To correct for this, Revelio weights its data by occupation, comparing it with official workforce statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For example, if only a quarter of workers in a role have a profile, each profile we see counts as about four people. Counts for employers with many hourly workers, such as retail, hospitality, and home care, depend most on this adjustment and carry the widest margin.
Cite this page
Revelio Labs. 'Largest Companies in Chicago.' Data as of June 2026. reveliolabs.com/locations/cities/chicago-il-job-market
- 5.6B
- job postings
- 2B+
- career profiles
- 33.8M
- companies
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