Data Analyst Jobs in Chicago, IL
Data analysts in Chicago work for insurers, banks, lenders and distributors from the Loop to Rosemont, and posted pay for analyst roles here commonly runs from about $65,000 to well over $100,000. Here are the current openings, followed by who is hiring and how to get started.
Current data analyst Openings in Chicago, IL
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Data Analyst Work in Chicago
Chicago's analyst jobs follow its finance, insurance and logistics economy. Health Care Service Corporation, the parent of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, hires analytics staff in Chicago; Grainger hires customer-data analysts who split time between the Merchandise Mart and its Lake Forest headquarters; and Wintrust runs its data teams out of Rosemont near O'Hare. Fintech lenders such as Enova and Beyond Finance, the latter on N. LaSalle St. in the Loop, hire analysts to work on lending, marketing and customer data.
Motorola Solutions, headquartered in Chicago, hires business intelligence analysts for its sales operations. Most of these jobs are hybrid, two or three days a week in the office, and almost every posting asks for SQL plus a dashboard tool such as Tableau, Power BI or Looker.
Top Chicago Employers Hiring Data Analysts
These Chicago-area employers have analyst openings posted on their own careers sites:
- Health Care Service Corporation - the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois parent hires analytics consultants and reporting analysts using Power BI, Tableau, SQL and Python.
- Grainger - the industrial distributor hires customer information analysts at the Merchandise Mart and Lake Forest on a hybrid schedule.
- Motorola Solutions - the Chicago-headquartered public safety technology company hires business intelligence analysts, two days a week in the office.
- Beyond Finance - the debt-resolution company in the Loop hires business analytics associates and marketing analytics analysts.
- Wintrust - the Rosemont-based bank holding company hires data analysts working in SQL and the bank's data warehouse.
- Enova - the Chicago online lender hires BI engineers working in SQL and Snowflake, in the office Tuesday through Thursday.
Data Analyst Salaries in Chicago
- Entry level: about $65,000 to $85,000 a year for analytics associates and junior analysts.
- Experienced: roughly $85,000 to $120,000 a year for data, BI and marketing analysts with a few years of SQL and dashboard work.
- Senior: $120,000 to $145,000 and up for senior and principal analysts; principal analytics roles at large insurers post ranges reaching $184,000.
These are estimates built from pay ranges Chicago employers post under the Illinois pay transparency law and federal wage data for the Chicago metro, where business intelligence analysts and data scientists share a median of about $107,640. Banks and insurers pay more than marketing teams, many offers add a 10% bonus, and Python, cloud data warehouse and statistics skills push pay up.
How to Become a Data Analyst in Chicago
Illinois has no state license for data analysts. Most employers ask for a bachelor's degree in business, economics, statistics, computer science or a related field, or equivalent experience, plus proof you can write SQL. City Colleges of Chicago offers a Digital Marketing and Analytics Foundations advanced certificate at Harold Washington College in the Loop, and UIC's business college on the Near West Side offers a 32-credit graduate degree in business analytics. Free online certificates in data analytics and a portfolio of real projects help career changers.
What the Job Involves
Data analysts pull data from databases with SQL, clean and check it, and turn it into reports and dashboards that managers use to make decisions. A typical week includes answering questions from business teams, building and updating Tableau or Power BI dashboards, tracking key metrics, investigating why a number moved, and explaining findings in plain language.
Skills Employers Look For
- SQL, including joins and aggregations
- Excel at an advanced level
- Tableau, Power BI or Looker
- Python or R for analysis
- Data quality checks and documentation
- Clear writing and presentation of findings
- Business sense for the industry you work in
Career Path and Advancement
Many Chicago analysts start as analytics associates or reporting analysts, move to senior analyst in three to five years, and then branch into BI engineering, data science, analytics consulting or management. Insurance, banking and lending, the industries that cluster in the Loop and the O'Hare suburbs, offer the longest ladders, with principal and manager roles above six figures.
Related Careers in Chicago
If data analysis interests you, these related Chicago roles are close matches:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a license to be a data analyst in Illinois?
No. Illinois does not license data analysts. Employers look for SQL skills, a dashboard tool and usually a bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
How much do data analysts make in Chicago?
Entry-level analyst roles in Chicago commonly post around $65,000 to $85,000 a year, and experienced analysts earn about $85,000 to $120,000. Senior and principal roles at insurers and banks pay more, often with a bonus.
Which industries hire the most data analysts in Chicago?
Insurance, banking, online lending and industrial distribution are the strongest right now, led by employers such as HCSC, Wintrust, Enova and Grainger. Technology companies like Motorola Solutions also hire BI analysts.
Are Chicago data analyst jobs remote?
Most are hybrid. Current Chicago postings typically ask for two or three days a week in the office, though some insurers post fully remote reporting roles.
What should a beginner learn first?
Start with SQL and Excel, then learn one dashboard tool such as Tableau or Power BI. Build two or three projects with public data and be ready to explain what each one found.
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