Local market data · Commercial real estate firms · Chicago
AI for commercial real estate firms in Chicago
The Chicago metro area had 603 commercial real estate firms in 2022, the 4th most of 323 US metros and 3% of all in the country. They employed 6,733 people at an average of $96,013 a year. 81% have fewer than 10 staff, so the same few people answer the phone, book, follow up and do the paperwork. Those are the jobs AI tools take on today.
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A free 30-minute call. You leave knowing which part of your commercial real estate firm to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.
Commercial real estate firms in Chicago vs the US
| Chicago metro | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Businesses | 603 | 18,260 |
| People employed | 6,733 | 163,972 |
| Average staff per business | 11.2 | 9.0 |
| Average yearly pay per employee | $96,013 | $88,723 |
| Share with fewer than 10 staff | 81% | 82% |
Pay here is 8% higher than the national average for commercial real estate firms, so every hour of staff time costs more to spend on admin. The average commercial real estate firm here has 11.2 people on payroll, 24% higher than the US figure of 9.0.
How big commercial real estate firms in Chicago are
Businesses with paid employees, by number of employees, March 2022.
Commercial real estate firms by county in the Chicago area
Cook County has the most, with 375 of the metro's 603 (62%). Among the 10 big metros on this page, Chicago ranks 6th for average pay and 6th for the share of small firms.
| County | Businesses | Employees | Avg pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County | 375 | 4,633 | $109,040 |
| DuPage County | 101 | 1,375 | $69,388 |
| Lake County | 44 | 355 | $62,724 |
| Kane County | 20 | 138 | $78,696 |
| Will County | 19 | 103 | $46,437 |
| Lake County | 17 | 42 | $49,000 |
| McHenry County | 10 | 16 | $51,938 |
| Porter County | 10 | 47 | $83,021 |
| Kendall County | 4 | 14 | $20,786 |
Census withholds pay where few firms would make it identifiable.
Where AI helps a commercial real estate firm first
Commercial real estate runs on long relationships and heavy documents, so AI helps most with research, paperwork and staying in touch. It can map who owns which buildings, track lease expirations, draft offering materials and keep a years-long follow-up from slipping. The relationships and the deal judgment stay with you.
What your team's admin hours cost in Chicago
Change any number. The starting values are the Chicago averages above; the hours and the share are yours to set.
Those hours cost you$202,400 a year
The share you would hand off$60,720 a year
Hours your team gets back1,320 a year
See what we would build for thisGuides for commercial real estate firms, one job each
- Get more customers for commercial real estate firms
- Never miss a call for commercial real estate firms
- Follow up automatically for commercial real estate firms
- Booking and scheduling for commercial real estate firms
- More reviews for commercial real estate firms
- Marketing and content for commercial real estate firms
- Show up on Google and ChatGPT for commercial real estate firms
- Cut admin and paperwork for commercial real estate firms
- A dashboard that runs itself for commercial real estate firms
Commercial real estate firms in other big metros
| Metro | Businesses | Avg pay | Rank of 387 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 1,367 | $94,563 | 2nd |
| New York | 1,872 | $114,093 | 1st |
| Miami | 765 | $80,916 | 3rd |
| Dallas | 585 | $93,199 | 5th |
| Houston | 462 | $92,402 | 7th |
| Atlanta | 413 | $108,309 | 8th |
| Washington | 545 | $112,353 | 6th |
| Philadelphia | 330 | $118,705 | 11th |
| Boston | 396 | $165,905 | 10th |
Where these numbers come from
From the U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022 (released 2024), industry code NAICS 531312 (Nonresidential property managers), for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (13 counties). It counts businesses with paid employees in March 2022, so solo owners with no payroll are not in it. Average pay is total yearly payroll divided by employees. The calculator uses 50 working weeks and 2,080 hours a year. Page checked 2026-11-12.
Find the hours your commercial real estate business can get back
A free 30-minute call. You leave knowing which part of your commercial real estate firm to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.