How Much Do Data Engineer Jobs Pay in Chicago? (September 2026)
As of September 2026, the median Data Engineer salary in Chicago is $192,050 a year. Most roles pay between $150,595 and $223,750 (the 10th–90th percentile), drawn from 28 live salaried listings across 12 companies. All figures are converted to annual US dollars so different sources compare like-for-like.
How pay has moved
Median base salary by the month each role was posted, across current live listings. A monthly snapshot builds a firmer long-run trend over time.
Highest-paying employers
- Senior Lead Data EngineerSenior Lead Data EngineerSenior Lead Data EngineerSenior Manager Data Engineer (Databricks, Pyspark, Snowflake)Lead Data EngineerAll Capital One roles →
- Quantitative Developer - Derivatives Quantitative Developer - PythonData Platform Operations Engineer – PerformanceData EngineerData Engineer - InfrastructureAll IMC Financial Markets roles →
- All Accordion roles →
- All DRW roles →
- Sr Data Engineering Architect, Fabric, Databricks, and SnowflakeSr Data Engineering and Data Governance ArchitectAll Accenture roles →
Employers ranked by median advertised base among those with at least two salaried listings in Chicago; each one’s best-paying open roles are listed beneath it.
Methodology: Data Engineer listings in Chicago with a published salary, updated daily. Figures come from roles that are open right now. Ranges and single figures are converted to an annual US-dollar midpoint; hourly rates are annualised and out-of-band values dropped. Salary data is self-reported by employers and covers the roles that disclose pay — treat it as a directional guide, not a guarantee.