Talent Maps / Chicago / Electrical Engineers

Chicago Electrical Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What electrical engineers earn in Chicago, which utilities, engineering firms and research labs employ them, and the data center and grid growth competing for them.

Hiring electrical engineers in Chicago?

A talent map shows where a group of professionals works, what they are paid and who else is trying to hire them. This one covers electrical engineers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area. Pay figures come from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (May 2025), and the demand picture uses utility, regulator and company data published in 2025 and 2026. Our electrical engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Chicago controls, data center and mechanical talent maps.

$113,520Median electrical engineer pay in ChicagoBLS, May 2025

$165,890+What the top 10% of Chicago electrical engineers earnBLS, May 2025

4 million+ComEd customers in northern IllinoisCapitol News Illinois, January 2026

33 GWPower requested from ComEd by about 100 proposed data center projectsChicago Sun-Times, August 2026

24,000 MWComEd’s record peak demandCapitol News Illinois, March 2026

$15.3BComEd’s proposed 2028 to 2031 grid plan, under state reviewCapitol News Illinois, January 2026

Electrical engineer salaries in Chicago

The median electrical engineer in metro Chicago earns $113,520 a year, $5,660 more than the Illinois median of $107,860 and $7,110 less than the national median of $120,630. Entry pay matches the national level, but the top of the range is lower: the top 10% earn $165,890 or more, about $18,400 below the national figure.

Annual pay percentile	Chicago metro	Illinois	United States
10th percentile	$76,660	$75,470	$76,550
25th percentile	$92,320	$87,360	$92,830
Median	$113,520	$107,860	$120,630
75th percentile	$134,330	$131,960	$152,950
90th percentile	$165,890	$164,290	$184,300

Electrical Engineers (SOC 17-2071). Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025, via O*NET OnLine. Wage surveys run about a year behind current offers.

Electronics engineers earn a median of $125,650 in Chicago, and the top 10% earn $208,200 or more. Electrical and electronic engineering technicians earn a median of $85,510, against $78,190 nationally, ranging up to $120,900 at the 90th percentile. Compare our Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta electrical engineer talent maps.

Where Chicago’s electrical engineers work

ComEd

ComEd, an Exelon utility, serves more than 4 million customers in northern Illinois. Its record peak demand is 24,000 MW.

Its proposed $15.3 billion grid plan for 2028 to 2031 includes $9.5 billion for new infrastructure, three new substations in Chicago, two elsewhere and added capacity at more than 70 existing substations.

Protection and power engineering

ComEd’s transmission and substation teams in Oakbrook Terrace hire protection analysis engineers. Its testing and commissioning engineers in Joliet and Libertyville work on protective relays, SCADA and substation automation.

Sargent & Lundy, headquartered in Chicago, engineers nuclear and conventional power, grid infrastructure and data center projects.

Research labs and quantum

Fermilab has 2,160 staff on its 6,800-acre Batavia campus. Argonne National Laboratory is managed by UChicago Argonne for the Department of Energy.

PsiQuantum anchors the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, under construction in South Chicago.

Data centers and manufacturing

Chicago has 39 data centers inside city limits and is the seventh-largest US data center market. See our top data center markets guide.

Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant has about 4,607 employees, and Hyundai Translead plans 2,475 jobs at two Joliet plants.

Where the talent sits: Chicago submarkets

Oakbrook Terrace and the I-88 corridor

TransmissionResearch

ComEd’s transmission and substation engineering teams, and Fermilab in Batavia.

City of Chicago

Data centers

39 data centers inside city limits, now facing a proposed one-year moratorium.

South Chicago

QuantumMicroelectronics

The quantum park on the 128-acre former U.S. Steel South Works site.

Joliet and Will County

SubstationsManufacturing

ComEd testing and commissioning engineers and Hyundai Translead’s trailer plants.

Downtown Chicago

Consulting

Sargent & Lundy’s Chicago headquarters and dbHMS, which designs building electrical and IT systems.

What’s driving demand for electrical engineers in Chicago

Large loads. About 100 proposed data center projects in northern Illinois have asked ComEd for a combined 33 GW, well above its record peak of 24,000 MW. In March 2026, ComEd counted more than 75 large-load projects totaling over 28,000 MW.
Interconnection rules. In March 2026, state regulators approved higher deposits for large loads: $1 million for 50 to 200 MW, plus $500,000 for each additional 100 MW. They ordered further proceedings on consumer protections.
Grid spending. ComEd’s $15.3 billion plan for 2028 to 2031 is before the Illinois Commerce Commission, with a final order expected in late 2026. Data centers account for over 47% of new substation demand in the plan.
City rules. A proposed one-year moratorium on new and expanded data centers in Chicago was introduced in September 2026 and sent to the Rules Committee. The City Council also ended data center exemptions from its energy benchmarking ordinance.
Quantum. The Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, backed by $500 million in state funding, is under construction with PsiQuantum as anchor tenant.

The talent pipeline

UIC. Its ABET-accredited bachelor’s programs include electrical engineering and computer engineering.
Illinois Tech. Its ABET-accredited electrical engineering degree includes smart grid and renewable energy work.
Northern Illinois University. NIU in DeKalb offers BS, MS and PhD degrees in electrical engineering.
Growth. Illinois is projected to grow from 5,850 electrical engineers in 2024 to 6,070 in 2034, with about 330 openings a year.
Licensing. Professional engineers are licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which moved new applications to its CORE online system in October 2024. Read more in our guide to PE and EIT licensing.

What this means if you’re hiring

Pay is above the state but below the US. Chicago’s median is $5,660 over Illinois and $7,110 under the national median. Plan on the 75th percentile ($134,330) for experienced hires.
ComEd posts its ranges. A ComEd testing and commissioning general engineer role posted in September 2026 pays $92,000 to $126,500, plus bonus eligibility.
Every posting shows pay. Illinois employers with 15 or more employees must list the pay scale and benefits in job postings, so candidates compare offers directly.
Data centers and the utility want the same people. Large-load studies, new substations and interconnections all need power engineers.

Need electrical engineers in Chicago?

Apollo Technical has recruited engineers since 2010. Our recruiting teams place power, controls, plant electrical and design engineers on a contract, contract-to-hire and direct hire basis.

Call 847.994.3030 or see our Chicago engineering recruiters page.

Hire electrical engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do electrical engineers make in Chicago?

The median electrical engineer salary in metro Chicago is $113,520 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half earn between $92,320 and $134,330, and the top 10% earn $165,890 or more.

Who hires electrical engineers in Chicago?

ComEd, Sargent & Lundy, Fermilab, Argonne National Laboratory, Ford, Hyundai Translead and data center developers.

Do electrical engineers earn more in Chicago or Dallas-Fort Worth?

Dallas-Fort Worth pays more. The Chicago median is $113,520, compared with $124,390 in metro Dallas-Fort Worth, a gap of $10,870. The national median is $120,630, based on May 2025 BLS data. See our Dallas-Fort Worth electrical engineer talent map.

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