Chicago's technology workforce expanded in 2022, but still has room to grow.
Technology employment in the Chicago area grew 1.4% from 2021 to 2022, per data in the Computing Technology Industry Association's 2023 State of the Tech Workforce report.
The tech workforce makes up 5.2% of the region's workforce and generates an economic impact of $51.2 billion, the report found.
The biggest concentration of technology jobs in Chicago are in software, programming and web positions, which account for more than 56,000 jobs. Other roles making up a sizable portion of the local technology workforce include network engineers, architects and support; IT support specialists and repair technicians; and cybersecurity and systems engineers.
The estimated median wage for technology workers in Chicago is more than $92,000, which CompTIA’s data said is 100% higher than the median wage for all jobs in the metro region.
The 2022 jobs figures mark a return to growth for the city's technology sector, and the CompTIA report forecasts continued growth in 2023, with employment up 0.9%, or more than 2,000 jobs, this year.
However, Chicago, which is the nation's third-largest metro area, ranks at No. 9 for the size of its technology workforce, according to CompTIA’s data. It ranks lower, No. 12, among U.S. markets for jobs added in 2022. While Chicago's technology workforce grew in 2022, the increase trailed other Midwestern cities, such as Kansas City (2.8%) and Indianapolis (2.1%).
