Local market data · IT services companies · Chicago
AI for iT services companies in Chicago
The Chicago metro area had 2,090 iT services companies in 2022, the 5th most of 376 US metros and 4% of all in the country. They employed 23,410 people at an average of $136,194 a year. 87% 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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IT services companies in Chicago vs the US
| Chicago metro | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Businesses | 2,090 | 58,312 |
| People employed | 23,410 | 815,846 |
| Average staff per business | 11.2 | 14.0 |
| Average yearly pay per employee | $136,194 | $120,371 |
| Share with fewer than 10 staff | 87% | 84% |
Pay here is 13% higher than the national average for iT services companies, so every hour of staff time costs more to spend on admin. The average IT services company here has 11.2 people on payroll, 20% lower than the US figure of 14.0.
How big iT services companies in Chicago are
Businesses with paid employees, by number of employees, March 2022.
IT services companies by county in the Chicago area
Cook County has the most, with 1,040 of the metro's 2,090 (50%). Among the 10 big metros on this page, Chicago ranks 1st for average pay and 6th for the share of small firms.
| County | Businesses | Employees | Avg pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County | 1,040 | 17,655 | $147,922 |
| DuPage County | 464 | 3,196 | $110,612 |
| Lake County | 193 | 1,227 | $90,739 |
| Will County | 166 | 601 | $94,983 |
| Kane County | 95 | 440 | $77,298 |
| McHenry County | 50 | 111 | $71,414 |
| Lake County | 34 | 60 | $59,050 |
| Kendall County | 21 | 43 | $86,209 |
| Porter County | 16 | 56 | $78,518 |
| DeKalb County | 6 | 13 | $48,000 |
| Grundy County | 3 | 3 | $84,667 |
Census withholds pay where few firms would make it identifiable.
Where AI helps a IT services company first
An IT services company gets the most from AI on the repeating work around support: sorting tickets, answering the first call, handling employee onboarding and offboarding, writing proposals and tracking renewals. Technicians keep the judgment calls and the admin access. Start with whatever interrupts your best people most.
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$286,000 a year
The share you would hand off$85,800 a year
Hours your team gets back1,320 a year
See what we would build for thisGuides for iT services companies, one job each
- Get more customers for iT services companies
- Never miss a call for iT services companies
- Follow up automatically for iT services companies
- Booking and scheduling for iT services companies
- More reviews for iT services companies
- Marketing and content for iT services companies
- Show up on Google and ChatGPT for iT services companies
- Cut admin and paperwork for iT services companies
- A dashboard that runs itself for iT services companies
IT services companies in other big metros
| Metro | Businesses | Avg pay | Rank of 387 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 2,845 | $125,030 | 4th |
| New York | 4,442 | $124,690 | 2nd |
| Miami | 1,385 | $107,427 | 9th |
| Dallas | 3,060 | $119,081 | 3rd |
| Houston | 1,690 | $118,794 | 7th |
| Atlanta | 1,955 | $123,681 | 6th |
| Washington | 4,602 | $116,622 | 1st |
| Philadelphia | 1,271 | $117,862 | 10th |
| Boston | 898 | $118,206 | 16th |
Where these numbers come from
From the U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022 (released 2024), industry code NAICS 541512 (Computer systems design services), 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 IT company can get back
A free 30-minute call. You leave knowing which part of your IT services company to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.