Jobs in Chicago vs San Francisco

As of October 21, 2026, Chicago, United States has 26,717 open jobs from 4,355 companies, and San Francisco, United States has 26,234 from 4,281 companies. Every role links to the employer's own careers site.

MeasureChicagoSan Francisco
Open jobs26,71726,234
Companies hiring4,3554,281
Biggest employerChicago Public Schools (892)University of California, San Francisco (637)
Average advertised pay$91k to $117k$152k to $206k
Jobs that list pay56%69%
Most common job typeFull-time (79%)Full-time (90%)
Most common levelLead (35%)Lead (40%)

Pay figures are advertised base salaries (annual USD) on open jobs that list pay, shown only when enough jobs publish it. Job type and level shares are out of the jobs that state one.

Common questions

Which has more jobs, Chicago or San Francisco?
Chicago has more open jobs: 26,717 from 4,355 companies, compared with 26,234 from 4,281 companies in San Francisco, as of October 21, 2026.
Which pays more, Chicago or San Francisco?
Among open jobs that list pay, San Francisco advertises more on average ($152k to $206k a year) than Chicago ($91k to $117k). Averages depend on the mix of roles each city is hiring for, so compare similar jobs.
Who is hiring the most in Chicago and San Francisco?
In Chicago, the most open roles are at Chicago Public Schools, The University of Chicago and Prime Healthcare Services. In San Francisco, they are at University of California, San Francisco, OpenAI and Anthropic.