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SQL Developer Salary in Chicago 2026
How much does a SQL developer expect to make at Chicago-based startups? The average expected salary for SQL developers in Chicago-based startups is 114k per year, with a range from 30k to 225k. These amounts were gathered from Wellfound self-reported data and represent the median salary range. The salary range for SQL developers in Chicago startups varies depending on factors such as industry, experience, and startup stage.
113.5k
Average Salary
3 years
Average years of experience
Salary
The average salary for a SQL developer in Chicago is$113,542, which is 0.6% higher than the average Chicago startup salary of $112,875. SQL developer salaries in Chicago are based on exclusive Wellfound data. All data is updated on a weekly basis. Factors that may influence salary include: years of experience, title, size of company, skill-set, and industry.
Top of market
$171,250/yr
Range $100k - $225k
Average
$113,542/yr
Range $75k - $145k
Below Average
$87,528/yr
Range $30k - $120k
Industries
The highest average salary a SQL developer in Chicago can get in Real Estate, that is $200,000. This pay is 52.1% higher than the average SQL developer salary, which is $131,450. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: Real Estate (avg $200,000 per year), Software (avg $200,000 per year), Enterprise Software (avg $150,000 per year).
Tech Stack
Top Tech Stacks
The top-paying developer skills of 2026 are:
1. Docker
$205k
2. openAI
$200k
3. Heroku
$190k
4. Python
$175k
5. PostgreSQL
$170k
6. C
$162.5k
7. Django
$160k
8. Ruby on Rails
$157k
9. Deep Learning
$147.5k
10. Prometheus
$140k
Years of experience
Below Average
Average
Top of Market
The highest average salary SQL developer in Chicago can get with 4-6 years of experience, that is $90,000. This pay is 20.3% lower than the average salary in Chicago startups, which is $112,875. The salary range varies with years of experience and depends on other factors such as skill set, size of company, and industry.
Popular roles in Chicago
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