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1 / 38#38. Legislators
- Median annual wage: $36,560
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: Not available
Highest-paying management jobs for people in Chicago
Managers are the glue holding companies and organizations together. At the executive level, managers are responsible for overall strategy and improving the bottom line. At lower levels, managers make decisions, build relationships, help customers, and lead teams to complete projects.
Effective managers need a wide array of skills. They must be versatile enough to adapt to new initiatives, market changes, and technology. Good communication is also essential to work with customers and team members, and leadership and project management skills drive better results for the organization.
People drawn to this role often enjoy setting goals and working with others to achieve them. Many get satisfaction from mentoring others and helping them grow to the best of their abilities.
As companies grow, more layers of management are often added to streamline productivity and oversee different teams. Depending on a manager's capabilities, teams can range from a few people to 15 or more. However, some companies believe that too much bureaucracy can slow output, leading to managerial cuts. In 2023, managers and executives accounted for half of all layoffs, according to Live Data Technologies. Amazon and United Parcel Service contributed to the trend, eliminating thousands of management jobs in 2024.
Organizational flattening may make headlines, but having a good manager can go a long way toward keeping workers motivated and projects on track. A 2021 Gallup report found that managerial quality is responsible for 70% of a team's engagement level, meaning that the right leader can make a profound impact on an organization.
As vital as managers are, compensation for these jobs varies by industry. Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the highest-paying management jobs in Chicago. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2024, so any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
2 / 38#37. Education and childcare administrators, preschool and daycare
- Median annual wage: $47,470
- Median hourly wage: $22.82
- Total employment: 2,960 people (0.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
3 / 38#36. Personal service managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $61,130
- Median hourly wage: $29.39
- Total employment: 110 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
4 / 38#35. Lodging managers
- Median annual wage: $61,600
- Median hourly wage: $29.61
- Total employment: 730 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
5 / 38#34. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $66,580
- Median hourly wage: $32.01
- Total employment: 8,560 people (1.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Motortion Films // Shutterstock
6 / 38#33. Entertainment and recreation managers, except gambling
- Median annual wage: $73,720
- Median hourly wage: $35.44
- Total employment: 2,410 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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7 / 38#32. Gambling managers
- Median annual wage: $75,990
- Median hourly wage: $36.54
- Total employment: 200 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
8 / 38#31. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $76,890
- Median hourly wage: $36.97
- Total employment: 8,330 people (1.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
9 / 38#30. Social and community service managers
- Median annual wage: $76,940
- Median hourly wage: $36.99
- Total employment: 4,980 people (1.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
10 / 38#29. Education administrators, all other
- Median annual wage: $78,170
- Median hourly wage: $37.58
- Total employment: 1,250 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
11 / 38#28. Funeral home managers
- Median annual wage: $85,420
- Median hourly wage: $41.07
- Total employment: Not available
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
12 / 38#27. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers
- Median annual wage: $92,890
- Median hourly wage: $44.66
- Total employment: 70 people (0.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ken Wolter // Shutterstock
13 / 38#26. Postmasters and mail superintendents
- Median annual wage: $95,010
- Median hourly wage: $45.68
- Total employment: 210 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
14 / 38#25. Education administrators, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $99,260
- Median hourly wage: $47.72
- Total employment: 6,340 people (1.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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15 / 38#24. 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)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
16 / 38#23. 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)
fizkes // Shutterstock
17 / 38#22. 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)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
18 / 38#21. 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)
goodluz // Shutterstock
19 / 38#20. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $108,180
- Median hourly wage: $52.01
- Total employment: 9,320 people (2.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
20 / 38#19. 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)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
21 / 38#18. 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)
PanuShot // Shutterstock
22 / 38#17. Advertising and promotions managers
- Median annual wage: $122,040
- Median hourly wage: $58.67
- Total employment: 170 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
23 / 38#16. 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)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
24 / 38#15. 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)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
25 / 38#14. 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)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
26 / 38#13. Education administrators, kindergarten through secondary
- Median annual wage: $126,800
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 11,080 people (2.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
27 / 38#12. 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)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
28 / 38#11. 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)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
29 / 38#10. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $137,040
- Median hourly wage: $65.89
- Total employment: Not available
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
30 / 38#9. 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)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
31 / 38#8. 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)
dokurose // Shutterstock
32 / 38#7. 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)
fizkes // Shutterstock
33 / 38#6. 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)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
34 / 38#5. 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)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
35 / 38#4. 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)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
36 / 38#3. 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)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
37 / 38#2. 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)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
38 / 38#1. Chief executives
- 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)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
