Chicagoruns on a handful of strong industries. If you’re job-hunting or weighing a move, here’s where the opportunities (and the big-name employers) are.
Top industries & employers
Finance & derivatives trading
CME Group, Citadel, Jump Trading, DRW, Northern Trust
Chicago invented modern derivatives trading and remains the world centre for futures and options — a deeply quantitative employer base, and a distinct culture from New York's.
Consulting & professional services
McKinsey, BCG, Deloitte, Grant Thornton, Kirkland & Ellis
An unusually deep professional services market for the city's size, anchored by the Booth and Kellogg business schools.
Logistics & transportation
Union Pacific, BNSF, United Airlines, Boeing, Archer Daniels Midland
Chicago is the freight rail interchange of North America — most transcontinental cargo passes through here, and the industry underneath that is enormous.
Healthcare & medical research
Northwestern Medicine, Rush, University of Chicago Medicine, Abbott, AbbVie
The academic medical centres and the pharmaceutical companies in the northern suburbs together form one of the region's largest employment blocks.
Technology
Google, Salesforce, Grubhub, Tempus, Cameo, Braintree
A real if smaller tech scene weighted to fintech, health data and logistics software, with Google's Fulton Market campus anchoring the west side.
Manufacturing & food
Caterpillar, Mondelez, Kraft Heinz, Conagra, Boeing
The industrial base that built the city is diminished but still substantial, and the packaged food industry keeps several headquarters here.
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