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Software Engineer Salary and Equity in Chicago 2026
How much does a Software Engineer expect to make at Chicago-based startups? The average expected salary for Software Engineers in Chicago-based startups is 136k per year, with a range from 24k to 213k. These amounts were gathered from Wellfound self-reported data and represent the median salary range. The salary range for Software Engineers in Chicago startups varies depending on factors such as industry, experience, skills, and startup stage.
136.3k
Average Salary
3 years
Average years of experience
Salary
The average salary for a Software Engineer in Chicago is $136,333, which is 20.8% higher than the average Chicago startup salary of$112,875. Software Engineer 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
$187,250/yr
Range $122k - $213k
Average
$136,333/yr
Range $40k - $163k
Below Average
$96,722/yr
Range $24k - $141k
Industries
The highest average salary a Software Engineer in Chicago can get in Mobile Payments, that is $211,500. This pay is 7.1% higher than the average Software Engineer salary in Chicago, which is $197,550. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: Mobile Payments (avg $211,500 per year), Commercial Real Estate (avg $210,000 per year), Real Estate Investors (avg $210,000 per year).
Tech Stack
The highest average salary a Software Engineer in Chicago can get with Kubernetes, that is $200,000. This pay is 77.2% higher than the average salary in Chicago startups, which is $112,875. Salary range for specific skills will vary based on the supply and demand in the current market.
Top Tech Stacks
The top-paying Software Engineer skills in Chicago of 2026 are:
1. Kubernetes
$200k
2. Javascript
$175k
3. Node.js
$175k
4. Android
$175k
5. C++
$162.5k
6. C
$162.5k
7. SQL
$138k
8. GCP
$135k
9. PostgreSQL
$130k
10. Machine Learning
$125k
Years of experience
Below Average
Average
Top of Market
The highest average salary a Software Engineer in Chicago can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $160,000. This pay is 41.7% higher 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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