BLS OEWS, May 2025

Financial analyst salary in Chicago, IL

What financial analysts are paid in Chicago, IL, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with how your own pay compares. Figures from the BLS OEWS release dated May 2025.

Median annual pay

$101,750

Middle half earn

$79,330 to $129,950

People in this job here

17,150

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Financial and Investment Analysts, Chicago, IL, annual pay, May 2025

10th percentile
$67,480
25th percentile
$79,330
Median
$101,750
75th percentile
$129,950
90th percentile
$167,300

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 13-2051. Percentiles across everyone employed in the occupation, not experience levels.

At a glance

How Chicago, IL compares

  • The median here is 1% below the national median of $102,740.
  • Chicago, IL ranks 16th for median pay among the 50 largest US metros with published figures for this occupation.
  • About 17,150 people work in this occupation here, roughly 1 in every 263 jobs in the metro.
  • Pay varies widely within the job: the 90th percentile earns 2.5 times the 10th.

Worked from BLS OEWS, May 2025. Not adjusted for the cost of living.

Chicago, IL against the national figures
PercentileChicago, ILNational
10th percentile$67,480$63,720
25th percentile$79,330$79,290
Median$101,750$102,740
75th percentile$129,950$133,340
90th percentile$167,300$180,860

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 13-2051. National page for financial analysts

By metro

Other metros for financial analysts

Median annual pay in the largest US metros where BLS published figures for this occupation, highest first, May 2025.

Medians from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Skills

What employers look for in a financial analyst

The skills our financial analyst resume example leads with, written for US employers.

  • Financial modeling
  • Three-statement models
  • Budgeting and forecasting
  • Variance analysis
  • Scenario planning
  • Discounted cash flow
  • Excel and Power Query
  • SQL
  • Board reporting
  • Unit economics

See the full financial analyst resume example, with bullets and keywords.

Negotiating

Using these numbers

Below $79,330 puts you in the bottom quarter for financial analysts in Chicago, IL. That is worth raising, with evidence of what you deliver.

The median, $101,750, is the middle of the market, not a ceiling. An offer at or near it is a fair starting point to negotiate from.

Asking for $129,950 or more puts you in the top quarter, so it needs a reason an employer will accept: a wider scope, a competing offer, or a skill that is hard to hire for.

Percentiles are not experience levels. They describe everyone doing the job, so a senior hire can sit at the median of a market full of senior people.

About the numbers

What these figures are

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys employers for its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and these figures are from the release dated May 2025. They cover wage and salary workers in Financial and Investment Analysts, a category that is often broader than a single job title. Self-employed people are not included.

They are base pay: bonuses, equity and overtime are not included, and they are not adjusted for the cost of living. The metro is Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN as BLS defines it.

Questions

Questions about financial analyst pay in Chicago, IL

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