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CTO Salary and Equity in Chicago 2026
How much does a CTO expect to make at Chicago-based startups? The average expected salary for CTOs in Chicago-based startups is 111k per year, with a range from 70k to 200k. These amounts were gathered from Wellfound self-reported data and represent the median salary range. The salary range for CTOs in Chicago startups varies depending on factors such as industry, experience, skills, and startup stage.
110.9k
Average Salary
4 years
Average years of experience
Salary
The average salary for a CTO in Chicago is $110,931, which is 1.7% lower than the average Chicago startup salary of$112,875. CTO 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
$152,549/yr
Range $105k - $200k
Average
$110,931/yr
Range $84k - $200k
Below Average
$96,667/yr
Range $70k - $140k
Industries
The highest average salary a CTO in Chicago can get in Construction, that is $200,000. This pay is 36.3% higher than the average CTO salary in Chicago, which is $146,700. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: Construction (avg $200,000 per year), Big Data Analytics (avg $200,000 per year), Software Engineering (avg $200,000 per year).
Years of experience
Below Average
Average
Top of Market
The highest average salary a CTO in Chicago can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $42,500. This pay is 62.3% 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.
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