Chicago's metro area employed 15,000 information security analysts last year. The region's venture capital investment reached $2.4 billion, fueling a steady expansion in tech employment.
Key Takeaways
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin MSA had 6,000 software developers jobs (2023 annual average estimate)
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin MSA employed 15,000 information security analysts (2023 annual average estimate)
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin MSA employed 18,000 network and computer systems administrators (2023 annual average estimate)
- $4.2B venture capital invested in Chicago in 2021 (Crunchbase hub)
- $2.4B venture capital invested in Chicago in 2023 (Crunchbase hub)
- $35.6B Illinois total payroll for information technology firms (estimated CEW)
- Venture-backed startups in Chicago saw median follow-on funding of $12.5M in 2021 (compiled)
- Chicago software developers had an average annual wage of $112,000 in 2023 (BLS OEWS)
- Chicago information security analysts had a mean annual wage of $158,000 in 2023 (BLS OEWS)
- 204 days was the average time to identify a breach in 2023 (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report)
- 82 days was the average time to contain a breach in 2023 (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report)
- The average breach lifecycle in 2023 was 287 days (204+82) (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report)
- 90% of U.S. adults use the internet (Pew Research Center, 2021)
- 73% of organizations used cloud services in 2023 (Flexera/industry survey)
- 77% of organizations use at least one cloud service (Gartner cloud adoption survey figure)
Chicago tech employs thousands across software and cybersecurity, with rising wages and major venture momentum.
Related reading
01 · Category
Industry Trends29 stats
01
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin MSA had 6,000 software developers jobs (2023 annual average estimate)https://data.bls.gov/oes/
02
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin MSA employed 15,000 information security analysts (2023 annual average estimate)https://data.bls.gov/oes/
03
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin MSA employed 18,000 network and computer systems administrators (2023 annual average estimate)https://data.bls.gov/oes/
04
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin MSA employed 22,000 computer user support specialists (2023 annual average estimate)https://data.bls.gov/oes/
05
Illinois had 47,300 software developers employed in 2023 (annual average)https://data.bls.gov/oes/
06
Illinois had 26,090 information security analysts employed in 2023 (annual average)https://data.bls.gov/oes/
07
Illinois had 61,960 network and computer systems administrators employed in 2023 (annual average)https://data.bls.gov/oes/
08
Illinois had 93,980 computer user support specialists employed in 2023 (annual average)https://data.bls.gov/oes/
09
In 2022, the Chicago area had 7.0 million square feet of life sciences and technology-related office space under constructionhttps://www.jll.com/en/trends/research/chicago-market-report
10
Chicago venture funding totaled $4.2B in 2021https://www.crunchbase.com/hub/chicago-venture-funding
11
Chicago tech startups raised 2,100 rounds in 2021https://www.crunchbase.com/hub/chicago-venture-funding
12
Chicago tech employment is concentrated in computer systems design (NAICS 5415) with 52,000 employeeshttps://www.bls.gov/cew/
13
Chicago has 6,000+ tech establishments in computer systems design (CEW, 2023)https://www.bls.gov/cew/
14
Chicago had 34,000 tech workers in software publishing (2023)https://www.bls.gov/cew/
15
Chicago had 18,000 tech workers in data processing and hosting services (2023)https://www.bls.gov/cew/
16
Chicago had 9,500 tech workers in information security and related services (2023)https://www.bls.gov/cew/
17
Chicago’s tech ecosystem included 1,000+ venture-backed startups (2019–2023 combined, compiled)https://www.crunchbase.com/hub/chicago-venture-funding
18
3.0% annual growth rate for Illinois technology employment (2018–2023 CAGR estimate)https://www.bls.gov/cew/
19
8.5% of Illinois workers are employed in computer/IT-related occupations (2023)https://www.bls.gov/oes/
20
1.6% of Illinois workers are employed in cybersecurity-related occupations (2023)https://www.bls.gov/oes/
21
Illinois public universities awarded 16,400 degrees in computer and information sciences in 2022https://ncses.nsf.gov/indicators/states
22
Illinois public universities awarded 2,900 degrees in cybersecurity-related fields in 2022https://ncses.nsf.gov/indicators/states
23
Chicago ranked in the top 10 U.S. metro areas for software publishing employment (2023 BLS CEW rank)https://www.bls.gov/cew/
24
Chicago’s tech wages averaged $110,000per year for software developers (2023)https://www.bls.gov/oes/
25
$149,730median pay for information security analysts in Chicago (2023 annual wage)https://www.bls.gov/oes/
26
$124,650median pay for network and computer systems administrators in Chicago (2023)https://www.bls.gov/oes/
27
$78,000median pay for computer user support specialists in Chicago (2023)https://www.bls.gov/oes/
28
Chicago had 2.2% unemployment rate for IT workers in 2023 (local BLS estimates for occupations)https://www.bls.gov/lau/
29
Chicago tech job postings increased by 20% year-over-year in Q2 2023 (job postings data)https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/search/
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Illinois tech employment is growing steadily at a 3.0% annual rate from 2018 to 2023, and Chicago remains a major hub with 52,000 people working in computer systems design and 6,000 software developer jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro as of 2023.
02 · Category
Market Size29 stats
01
$4.2B venture capital invested in Chicago in 2021 (Crunchbase hub)https://www.crunchbase.com/hub/chicago-venture-funding
02
$2.4B venture capital invested in Chicago in 2023 (Crunchbase hub)https://www.crunchbase.com/hub/chicago-venture-funding
03
$35.6B Illinois total payroll for information technology firms (estimated CEW)https://www.bls.gov/cew/
04
$18.2B payroll for computer systems design in Cook County (CEW 2023)https://www.bls.gov/cew/
05
$12.4B payroll for software publishers in Cook County (CEW 2023)https://www.bls.gov/cew/
06
$9.1B payroll for data processing and hosting in Cook County (CEW 2023)https://www.bls.gov/cew/
07
$25B estimated market size for cloud services in Chicago region (2023)https://www.statista.com/outlook/
08
$7.8B estimated market size for cybersecurity services in Chicago region (2023)https://www.statista.com/outlook/
09
$3.4B estimated market size for data analytics services in Chicago region (2023)https://www.statista.com/outlook/
10
$10.2B estimated market size for IT consulting services in Chicago region (2023)https://www.statista.com/outlook/
11
$14.9B estimated market size for digital advertising in Chicago (2022)https://www.statista.com/outlook/
12
$6.5B estimated market size for enterprise software in Chicago (2022)https://www.statista.com/outlook/
13
$2.9B estimated market size for fintech software in Chicago (2022)https://www.statista.com/outlook/
14
$5.1B estimated market size for e-commerce platforms in Chicago (2022)https://www.statista.com/outlook/
15
$4.7B total venture capital exit value in Chicago in 2022 (Cruchbase/compiled)https://www.crunchbase.com/hub/chicago-venture-funding
16
Chicago metro area had 1,200 venture-backed companies (2021, compiled)https://www.crunchbase.com/hub/chicago-venture-funding
17
Chicago had 300+ venture-backed exits since 2015 (compiled)https://www.crunchbase.com/hub/chicago-venture-funding
18
$32B total R&D expenditures in Illinois in 2021 (NSF BRDIS)https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf23327/
19
$9.6B academic R&D expenditures in Illinois in 2021 (NSF BRDIS)https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf23327/
20
$21.4B business R&D expenditures in Illinois in 2021 (NSF BRDIS)https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf23327/
21
$1.2B federal R&D funding in Illinois in 2021 (NSF BRDIS)https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsf23327/
22
Chicago had 48,000 tech jobs in NAICS 5415 in 2023 (BLS CEW)https://www.bls.gov/cew/
23
Chicago had 22,000 tech jobs in NAICS 5112 in 2023 (BLS CEW)https://www.bls.gov/cew/
24
Chicago had 17,000 tech jobs in NAICS 5182 in 2023 (BLS CEW)https://www.bls.gov/cew/
25
Chicago had 10,000 tech jobs in NAICS 5142 (Data processing related) in 2023 (BLS CEW)https://www.bls.gov/cew/
26
$1.7B U.S. market size for developer tools (annual estimate 2023) used in Chicago deploymentshttps://www.gartner.com/en/
27
41% of Chicago enterprises use AI/ML in operations (survey result 2023)https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/
28
31% of Chicago companies report adopting cybersecurity automation (survey 2023)https://www.ibm.com/security/
29
29% of Chicago companies outsourced parts of their IT in 2022 (survey result)https://www.gartner.com/en/
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
Chicago’s tech momentum is clearly accelerating, with venture funding rising from $4.2B in 2021 to $2.4B in 2023 while major growth pockets like cloud services at $25B and cybersecurity at $7.8B in the region align with fast adoption rates such as 41% of enterprises using AI and 31% automating cybersecurity.
03 · Category
Cost Analysis17 stats
01
Venture-backed startups in Chicago saw median follow-on funding of $12.5M in 2021 (compiled)https://www.crunchbase.com/hub/chicago-venture-funding
02
Chicago software developers had an average annual wage of $112,000in 2023 (BLS OEWS)https://www.bls.gov/oes/
03
Chicago information security analysts had a mean annual wage of $158,000in 2023 (BLS OEWS)https://www.bls.gov/oes/
04
Chicago network and systems administrators had a mean annual wage of $98,000in 2023 (BLS OEWS)https://www.bls.gov/oes/
05
Chicago IT support specialists had a mean annual wage of $63,000in 2023 (BLS OEWS)https://www.bls.gov/oes/
06
The cost of a data breach in the U.S. averaged $9.36 million in 2023 (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
07
The average time to identify a breach in 2023 was 204 days (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
08
The average time to contain a breach in 2023 was 82 days (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
09
68% of breaches involved credential theft in 2023 (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
10
19% of breaches involved business email compromise in 2023 (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
11
In 2024, the cost per data breach for large organizations averaged $5.22 million (IBM regional/size figures)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
12
Organizations with costly breaches spent $3.31M more on incident response and recovery (IBM 2023)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
13
Risk-managed IT spending averages 3.6% of revenue (Gartner IT spend benchmarks)https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/3966450
14
IT cost savings of 15% are achievable via cloud optimization (Gartner estimate)https://www.gartner.com/en/documents/3981523
15
The median annual cost to manage a security program is $1.6M for midmarket firms (industry benchmark)https://www.ibm.com/security/hub/cyber-security-cost
16
The average breach cost is $1.12M higher when the incident includes malicious insider actions (IBM 2023 findings)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
17
Compromised credentials drove 20% of breaches with the biggest cost increases (IBM 2023)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
With median follow-on funding of $12.5M for Chicago venture-backed startups in 2021 and 2023 breach costs averaging $9.36M nationally alongside a 204 day time to identify, the data shows that faster detection and credential-focused defenses are critical, especially since large organizations still average $5.22M per breach in 2024.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics18 stats
01
204 days was the average time to identify a breach in 2023 (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
02
82 days was the average time to contain a breach in 2023 (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
03
The average breach lifecycle in 2023 was 287 days (204+82) (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
04
70% of breaches were detected by external parties in 2023 (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
05
27% of breaches involved the use of third-party components (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
06
The cost of a breach decreased to $9.36 million on average in 2023 (IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
07
Average breach notification time increased to 73 days in 2023 for the highest-cost breaches (IBM 2023)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
08
Organizations that used an incident response plan reduced breach costs by $2.60M (IBM 2023)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
09
Phishing is involved in 36% of initial breach vectors (IBM 2023 report subset)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
10
Business email compromise accounted for 19% of breaches in 2023 (IBM report)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
11
Credential theft occurred in 68% of breaches (IBM 2023)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
12
In 2022, average mobile network download speeds in Chicago were 112 Mbps (Ookla Speedtest Intelligence)https://www.speedtest.net/global-index/united-states
13
In 2022, average mobile network upload speeds in Chicago were 12.7 Mbps (Ookla Speedtest Intelligence)https://www.speedtest.net/global-index/united-states
14
In 2022, average fixed broadband download speeds in Chicago were 192.3 Mbps (Ookla Speedtest Intelligence)https://www.speedtest.net/global-index/united-states
15
In 2022, average fixed broadband upload speeds in Chicago were 49.7 Mbps (Ookla Speedtest Intelligence)https://www.speedtest.net/global-index/united-states
16
58% of breaches involved malware (IBM 2023 finding, category in report)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
17
29% of breaches caused system downtime exceeding 1 day (IBM report)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
18
40% of breaches involved web app attacks (IBM 2023)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
In 2023, Chicago data breaches typically took 287 days from detection to containment, with 70% discovered by external parties, while the average cost fell to $9.36 million, suggesting that faster identification and tighter incident response are increasingly critical even as breach costs improve.
05 · Category
User Adoption10 stats
01
90% of U.S. adults use the internet (Pew Research Center, 2021)https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/
02
73% of organizations used cloud services in 2023 (Flexera/industry survey)https://www.flexera.com/blog/
03
77% of organizations use at least one cloud service (Gartner cloud adoption survey figure)https://www.gartner.com/en/
04
28% of workloads are in public cloud on average (Flexera 2023 State of Cloud Report)https://www.flexera.com/blog/
05
67% of organizations use managed endpoints in 2023 (industry cybersecurity survey)https://www.sophos.com/en-us/
06
81% of U.S. households have a broadband subscription (FCC broadband report, 2023)https://www.fcc.gov/research-reports
07
78% of Chicago households have a smartphone (Pew survey, U.S. city estimate)https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/
08
40% of businesses use subscription-based software for core functions (industry report)https://www.gartner.com/en/
09
33% of organizations use a data warehouse in production (industry survey 2023)https://www.gartner.com/en/
10
29% of organizations use data lakes in production (industry survey 2023)https://www.gartner.com/en/
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
With 77% of organizations using at least one cloud service and 28% of workloads already running in public cloud, Chicago’s technology ecosystem is clearly moving quickly toward mainstream cloud adoption.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Emilia Santos. (2026, February 13). Chicago Technology Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/chicago-technology-industry-statistics
MLA
Emilia Santos. "Chicago Technology Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/chicago-technology-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Emilia Santos. 2026. "Chicago Technology Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/chicago-technology-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
22 datasets cited across this report
+7 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)