Chicago is a top-tier data science H1B market with 5,800 FY2024 filings, driven by financial services. The median H1B data scientist wage is $152,000 -- 27% above national. Chicago's quantitative finance cluster (Citadel, Jane Street, CME) pays DS wages 60%-80% above Chicago's corporate average, pulling up the market median significantly.
| Role | Median |
|---|---|
| Data Scientist I | $125,000 |
| Senior Data Scientist | $162,000 |
| Staff Data Scientist | $198,000 |
| ML Engineer | $168,000 |
| Principal Scientist | $215,000 |
Source: DOL LCA disclosures, FY2024.
| Employer | Median Wage |
|---|---|
| Citadel | $195,000 |
| Uptake Technologies | $162,000 |
| Morningstar | $155,000 |
| United Airlines Analytics | $142,000 |
| Accenture Applied Intelligence | $138,000 |
| Nielsen | $148,000 |