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Highest-paying jobs in Chicago that require a bachelor's degree

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Between rising tuition and a tight job market, getting a bachelor's degree is an increasingly daunting prospect these days. Per a May 2024 Pew Research Center survey, just 1 in 4 adults believe a college degree is necessary to secure a high-paying job.

Many second-guess the value of college because of the cost. For the 2024-2025 school year, annual tuition and fees averaged more than $11,600 at in-state public universities, a nearly 3% increase from the previous year. Tuition at private schools increased by roughly 4% in the same time period.

Besides financial concerns, there are career opportunities to consider. Though the job market in the United States shifts from month to month, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates aged 22 to 27 reached 5.8% in March 2025, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. For context, that's more than double the unemployment rate of all college graduates.

These factors all contribute to the belief that college may not be the answer for everyone. However, research shows that a bachelor's degree still pays off in the long run. As of 2024, the most recent year with available data, the $60,000 median salary for a recent college graduate is $20,000 more than the median earnings for someone with only a high school diploma.

Although high school grads can make a decent salary without taking on student loan debt, lifetime earnings range between $630,000 and $900,000 more for those with a bachelor's degree. Graduate degree holders, meanwhile, may earn $1.1 million to $1.5 million more than high school graduates.

With this in mind, many different jobs make a degree worth the cost of tuition. Stacker ranked the highest-paying jobs that require a bachelor's degree in Chicago, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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#50. Art directors

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1 / 50

#50. Art directors

- Median annual wage: $102,380
- Median hourly wage: $49.22
- Total employment: 2,260 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#49. Financial and investment analysts

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2 / 50

#49. Financial and investment analysts

- Median annual wage: $102,790
- Median hourly wage: $49.42
- Total employment: 14,970 people (3.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#48. Emergency management directors

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3 / 50

#48. Emergency management directors

- Median annual wage: $103,630
- Median hourly wage: $49.82
- Total employment: 240 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#47. Database administrators

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4 / 50

#47. Database administrators

- Median annual wage: $103,700
- Median hourly wage: $49.86
- Total employment: 1,830 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#46. Fundraising managers

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5 / 50

#46. Fundraising managers

- Median annual wage: $104,440
- Median hourly wage: $50.21
- Total employment: 2,210 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#45. Project management specialists

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6 / 50

#45. Project management specialists

- Median annual wage: $104,640
- Median hourly wage: $50.31
- Total employment: 19,130 people (4.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#44. General and operations managers

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7 / 50

#44. General and operations managers

- Median annual wage: $105,310
- Median hourly wage: $50.63
- Total employment: 121,110 people (27.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#43. Facilities managers

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8 / 50

#43. Facilities managers

- Median annual wage: $105,700
- Median hourly wage: $50.82
- Total employment: 6,100 people (1.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#42. Arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators

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9 / 50

#42. Arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators

- Median annual wage: $107,010
- Median hourly wage: $51.45
- Total employment: 30 people (0.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#40. Computer hardware engineers

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11 / 50

#40. Computer hardware engineers

- Median annual wage: $107,720
- Median hourly wage: $51.79
- Total employment: 1,150 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#39. Administrative services managers

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12 / 50

#39. Administrative services managers

- Median annual wage: $108,610
- Median hourly wage: $52.21
- Total employment: 8,680 people (1.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#38. Personal financial advisors

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13 / 50

#38. Personal financial advisors

- Median annual wage: $108,640
- Median hourly wage: $52.23
- Total employment: 8,170 people (1.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#37. Electrical engineers

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14 / 50

#37. Electrical engineers

- Median annual wage: $109,010
- Median hourly wage: $52.41
- Total employment: 4,340 people (0.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#35. Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors

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16 / 50

#35. Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors

- Median annual wage: $114,850
- Median hourly wage: $55.22
- Total employment: 120 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#34. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products

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17 / 50

#34. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products

- Median annual wage: $115,910
- Median hourly wage: $55.72
- Total employment: 6,580 people (1.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#33. Information security analysts

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18 / 50

#33. Information security analysts

- Median annual wage: $116,520
- Median hourly wage: $56.02
- Total employment: 3,460 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#32. Engineers, all other

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19 / 50

#32. Engineers, all other

- Median annual wage: $117,980
- Median hourly wage: $56.72
- Total employment: 1,710 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#30. Construction managers

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21 / 50

#30. Construction managers

- Median annual wage: $118,830
- Median hourly wage: $57.13
- Total employment: 11,920 people (2.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#29. Atmospheric and space scientists

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22 / 50

#29. Atmospheric and space scientists

- Median annual wage: $119,270
- Median hourly wage: $57.34
- Total employment: 60 people (0.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#28. Chemical engineers

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23 / 50

#28. Chemical engineers

- Median annual wage: $119,490
- Median hourly wage: $57.45
- Total employment: 360 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#27. Management analysts

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24 / 50

#27. Management analysts

- Median annual wage: $120,140
- Median hourly wage: $57.76
- Total employment: 36,300 people (8.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#25. Physical scientists, all other

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26 / 50

#25. Physical scientists, all other

- Median annual wage: $122,950
- Median hourly wage: $59.11
- Total employment: 410 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#24. Industrial production managers

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27 / 50

#24. Industrial production managers

- Median annual wage: $123,120
- Median hourly wage: $59.19
- Total employment: 8,680 people (1.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#23. Medical and health services managers

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28 / 50

#23. Medical and health services managers

- Median annual wage: $124,350
- Median hourly wage: $59.78
- Total employment: 15,760 people (3.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#22. Public relations managers

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29 / 50

#22. Public relations managers

- Median annual wage: $125,360
- Median hourly wage: $60.27
- Total employment: 2,250 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#20. Actuaries

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31 / 50

#20. Actuaries

- Median annual wage: $126,040
- Median hourly wage: $60.60
- Total employment: 1,390 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#19. Compensation and benefits managers

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32 / 50

#19. Compensation and benefits managers

- Median annual wage: $129,400
- Median hourly wage: $62.21
- Total employment: 440 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#18. Training and development managers

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33 / 50

#18. Training and development managers

- Median annual wage: $129,530
- Median hourly wage: $62.27
- Total employment: 1,310 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#17. Software developers

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34 / 50

#17. Software developers

- Median annual wage: $130,030
- Median hourly wage: $62.51
- Total employment: 41,320 people (9.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#16. Nuclear engineers

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35 / 50

#16. Nuclear engineers

- Median annual wage: $130,160
- Median hourly wage: $62.58
- Total employment: 750 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#15. Materials scientists

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36 / 50

#15. Materials scientists

- Median annual wage: $130,440
- Median hourly wage: $62.71
- Total employment: 360 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#14. Database architects

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37 / 50

#14. Database architects

- Median annual wage: $134,900
- Median hourly wage: $64.86
- Total employment: 1,260 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#13. Managers, all other

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38 / 50

#13. Managers, all other

- Median annual wage: $137,040
- Median hourly wage: $65.89
- Total employment: Not available

#12. Human resources managers

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39 / 50

#12. Human resources managers

- Median annual wage: $137,760
- Median hourly wage: $66.23
- Total employment: 10,990 people (2.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#11. Purchasing managers

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40 / 50

#11. Purchasing managers

- Median annual wage: $140,730
- Median hourly wage: $67.66
- Total employment: 3,250 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#10. Computer network architects

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41 / 50

#10. Computer network architects

- Median annual wage: $140,760
- Median hourly wage: $67.67
- Total employment: 4,880 people (1.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#9. Sales managers

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42 / 50

#9. Sales managers

- Median annual wage: $147,940
- Median hourly wage: $71.12
- Total employment: 24,390 people (5.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#8. Medical dosimetrists

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43 / 50

#8. Medical dosimetrists

- Median annual wage: $150,870
- Median hourly wage: $72.53
- Total employment: 70 people (0.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#7. Marketing managers

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44 / 50

#7. Marketing managers

- Median annual wage: $158,800
- Median hourly wage: $76.35
- Total employment: 17,970 people (4.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#6. Architectural and engineering managers

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45 / 50

#6. Architectural and engineering managers

- Median annual wage: $159,110
- Median hourly wage: $76.50
- Total employment: 6,560 people (1.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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#5. Natural sciences managers

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46 / 50

#5. Natural sciences managers

- Median annual wage: $161,340
- Median hourly wage: $77.57
- Total employment: 2,460 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#4. Financial managers

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47 / 50

#4. Financial managers

- Median annual wage: $164,470
- Median hourly wage: $79.07
- Total employment: 41,170 people (9.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#3. Computer and information systems managers

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48 / 50

#3. Computer and information systems managers

- Median annual wage: $168,230
- Median hourly wage: $80.88
- Total employment: 21,760 people (4.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#1. Chief executives (tie)

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49 / 50

#1. Chief executives (tie)

- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: At least $115.00
- Total employment: 3,920 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

#1. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers (tie)

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50 / 50

#1. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers (tie)

- Median annual wage: At least $239,200
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 6,410 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.

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