Chicago is the best-kept secret in UX design compensation. The Midwest's largest city offers strong base salaries ($115K median), a diverse employer base spanning tech, finance, CPG, and agencies, and a cost of living 30-40% below San Francisco and New York. COL-adjusted purchasing power of $98K is the highest of any major US city. The design community is vibrant with strong agency roots, growing tech presence, and world-class design education.
Median base
$115,000
25th-75th range
$105K-$128K
Average total comp
$135,000
vs national
+6% above
Sector pay bands
Pay ranges by industry sector and employer category for mid-to-senior UX, product, and interaction designers in this metro. Sector ranges are aggregated rather than per-employer to avoid misleading single-data-point comparisons.
| Sector / employer category | Mid-to-senior pay range |
|---|---|
| Big-tech broad-equity satellite offices | $155K - $290K total comp |
| Food-delivery and consumer marketplace UX | $100K - $155K |
| Insurance and financial services | $95K - $135K |
| CPG and quick-service-restaurant corporate UX | $95K - $140K |
| Investment research / data platforms | $100K - $145K |
| Independent and traditional brand agencies | $80K - $125K |
| Enterprise B2B SaaS (Chicago-based) | $95K - $140K |
| Communications and public-safety platforms | $95K - $135K |
Cost of living
Chicago's COL is 1.17x national, remarkably affordable for a major city. Rent is 40-50% lower than San Francisco and 25-35% lower than New York. Illinois has a 4.95% flat income tax, moderate compared to California (up to 13.3%) or New York (up to 10.9%). A $115K Chicago salary has purchasing power equivalent to $98K nationally, exceeding the SF, NYC, and LA equivalents.
Local community
Local meetups, conferences, schools, and creative spaces that anchor the Chicago design scene.
Chicago FAQ
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03 / Source named
Whatever comes back names the survey, filing or pay table the number sits in, and the year it was collected, so you can go and check it.
04 / You approve
An answer worth more than one reader can be rewritten with nothing identifying left in it, and it goes up only once you have said it can.
The limits of a salary page
This site is a compensation reference assembled from published survey and filing data. It is not career advice, not employment advice, not immigration advice and not financial advice. What any one designer is paid turns on level, location, company and the offer actually in front of them.
An employment or visa question belongs with a qualified adviser rather than with us. Where a figure came from, how the levels were mapped, what a source covers and when it was last pulled are the ones that can be taken here.