Local market data · Moving companies · Chicago
AI for moving companies in Chicago
The Chicago metro area had 357 moving companies in 2022, the 3rd most of 316 US metros and 4% of all in the country. They employed 4,014 people at an average of $54,286 a year. 75% 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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Moving companies in Chicago vs the US
| Chicago metro | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Businesses | 357 | 9,803 |
| People employed | 4,014 | 105,910 |
| Average staff per business | 11.2 | 10.8 |
| Average yearly pay per employee | $54,286 | $44,438 |
| Share with fewer than 10 staff | 75% | 70% |
Pay here is 22% higher than the national average for moving companies, so every hour of staff time costs more to spend on admin. The average moving company here has 11.2 people on payroll, 4% higher than the US figure of 10.8.
How big moving companies in Chicago are
Businesses with paid employees, by number of employees, March 2022.
Moving companies by county in the Chicago area
Cook County has the most, with 210 of the metro's 357 (59%). Among the 10 big metros on this page, Chicago ranks 3rd for average pay and 4th for the share of small firms.
| County | Businesses | Employees | Avg pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County | 210 | 2,255 | $47,959 |
| DuPage County | 48 | 1,021 | $76,892 |
| Lake County | 22 | 136 | $41,471 |
| Kane County | 20 | 230 | $52,687 |
| Will County | 18 | 102 | $25,755 |
| McHenry County | 12 | 90 | $35,578 |
| Lake County | 11 | 47 | $65,043 |
| DeKalb County | 5 | 48 | $40,167 |
| Kendall County | 4 | 38 | $33,368 |
| Porter County | 4 | 39 | $30,872 |
| Grundy County | 3 | 8 | $25,500 |
Census withholds pay where few firms would make it identifiable.
Where AI helps a moving company first
A mover’s phone rings hardest when the crew is busiest. AI can answer those calls, gather the details a quote needs, chase estimates that went quiet and confirm moves so fewer fall through. Westward builds these for moving companies, and a person checks any price or promise before it reaches a customer.
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$114,400 a year
The share you would hand off$34,320 a year
Hours your team gets back1,320 a year
See what we would build for thisGuides for moving companies, one job each
- Get more customers for moving companies
- Never miss a call for moving companies
- Follow up automatically for moving companies
- Booking and scheduling for moving companies
- More reviews for moving companies
- Marketing and content for moving companies
- Show up on Google and ChatGPT for moving companies
- Cut admin and paperwork for moving companies
- A dashboard that runs itself for moving companies
Moving companies in other big metros
| Metro | Businesses | Avg pay | Rank of 387 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 518 | $41,899 | 2nd |
| New York | 798 | $49,389 | 1st |
| Miami | 331 | $43,152 | 4th |
| Dallas | 230 | $47,306 | 6th |
| Houston | 156 | $47,611 | 13th |
| Atlanta | 205 | $35,571 | 8th |
| Washington | 245 | $55,944 | 5th |
| Philadelphia | 169 | $45,695 | 11th |
| Boston | 215 | $58,877 | 7th |
Where these numbers come from
From the U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022 (released 2024), industry code NAICS 484210 (Used household and office goods moving), 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 moving company can get back
A free 30-minute call. You leave knowing which part of your moving company to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.