Third-largest pool, mid-table numbers
With 9.4 million residents across Chicago, Naperville, Elgin and northwest Indiana, this is the third-largest metro in the country. That size matters most when you have several standards, because each filter takes a share of what's left.
27.1% of men with earnings make $100k or more, above the US's 22.6% and below San Francisco's 41.8%. Among women it's 15.6%, against 12.5% nationally.
40.4% of men and 42.8% of women aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's or higher. For men, asking for a degree keeps about 4 in 10, and asking for $100k keeps about 1 in 4.
The gender split is narrower than the US as a whole, 111 unmarried men per 100 women at 25–34, and narrows further to 105 at 35–44. A man aged 28–38, 5′11″ or taller, earning $100k+ comes to about 16,100 people across the metro.
How Chicago compares
| Chicago | US | |
|---|---|---|
| Men 25–34, unmarried | 68.6% | 64.5% |
| Women 25–34, unmarried | 61.8% | 56.2% |
| Men 35–44, unmarried | 38% | 38% |
| Women 35–44, unmarried | 36.5% | 35.7% |
| Men per 100 women, 25–34 | 111 | 118 |
| Men per 100 women, 35–44 | 105 | 108 |
| Median earnings, men | $59,844 | $53,015 |
| Median earnings, women | $43,239 | $39,325 |
| Men at $100k+ | 27.1% | 22.6% |
| Women at $100k+ | 15.6% | 12.5% |
| Men with a degree | 40.4% | 34.4% |
| Women with a degree | 42.8% | 36.9% |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Metro Area, ACS 2020–2024. How we define these.