Hoping to take home a bigger paycheck in 2017? Then you may want to not only change jobs, but also change locations. According to Glassdoor’s latest Local Pay Report, Chicago had the fastest year-over-year rise in median base pay of all major metropolitan areas studied.
While overall U.S. base pay slowed to a 2.7 percent increase of $51,750 in December (compared to November’s 3.1 percent growth), Chicago’s median salary increased year-over-year by a rate of 4.0 percent to $56,635. Houston, Los Angeles, New York City and San Francisco, on the other hand, all saw year-over-year growth rates decline compared to November.
[Related: 5 Jobs with the Biggest Pay Gains & Declines Now]
And don’t worry — these bumps in salary aren’t just limited to software engineers, data scientists and other highly specialized positions. Pay is increasing all across the board, from education to retail and beyond. Here are a few notable positions with rapidly growing base salaries in Chicago:
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Construction Laborer, 11.7 percent YoY Growth (Median base pay $42,356)
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Customer Service Manager, 9.6 percent YoY Growth (Median base pay $56,140)
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Warehouse Associate, 9.4 percent YoY Growth (Median base pay $52,131)
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Recruiter, 8.9 percent YoY Growth (Median base pay $53,796)
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Graphic Designer, 7.2 percent YoY Growth (Median base pay $50,062)
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Teacher, 7.0 percent YoY Growth (Median base pay $53,154)
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Cashier, 6.6 percent YoY Growth (Median base pay $30,410)
Combine those higher salaries with Chicago’s relatively affordable cost of living compared to other major metro areas, and professionals in the Windy City are living large. And with over 156,000 jobs available (up 17.7 percent since last year), you could be too. So if you’re willing to embrace the Midwest winter for a higher paycheck (and some fabulous shopping, dining and culture to boot), check out available jobs in Chicago here.
