Local market data · Recruiting agencies · Chicago
AI for recruiting agencies in Chicago
The Chicago metro area had 310 recruiting agencies in 2022, the 3rd most of 215 US metros and 4% of all in the country. They employed 7,798 people at an average of $64,444 a year. 69% 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 recruiting agency to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.
Recruiting agencies in Chicago vs the US
| Chicago metro | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Businesses | 310 | 7,030 |
| People employed | 7,798 | 271,104 |
| Average staff per business | 25.2 | 38.6 |
| Average yearly pay per employee | $64,444 | $49,499 |
| Share with fewer than 10 staff | 69% | 68% |
Pay here is 30% higher than the national average for recruiting agencies, so every hour of staff time costs more to spend on admin. The average recruiting agency here has 25.2 people on payroll, 35% lower than the US figure of 38.6.
How big recruiting agencies in Chicago are
Businesses with paid employees, by number of employees, March 2022.
Recruiting agencies by county in the Chicago area
Cook County has the most, with 214 of the metro's 310 (69%). Among the 10 big metros on this page, Chicago ranks 4th for average pay and 6th for the share of small firms.
| County | Businesses | Employees | Avg pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cook County | 214 | 4,338 | $81,097 |
| DuPage County | 42 | 826 | $68,765 |
| Will County | 18 | 1,087 | $45,454 |
| Lake County | 11 | 395 | $29,724 |
| Kane County | 9 | 756 | $26,735 |
| Lake County | 6 | 35 | $27,429 |
| McHenry County | 5 | 203 | $19,665 |
Census withholds pay where few firms would make it identifiable.
Where AI helps a recruiting agency first
A recruiting agency gets the most from AI on the repetitive parts of the desk: capturing job orders, answering candidates, scheduling interviews and chasing feedback. Relationships and judgment stay with the recruiter, and a person should make every decision about a candidate. Start with the work that makes recruiters stay late.
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$310,000 a year
The share you would hand off$93,000 a year
Hours your team gets back3,000 a year
See what we would build for thisGuides for recruiting agencies, one job each
- Get more customers for recruiting agencies
- Never miss a call for recruiting agencies
- Follow up automatically for recruiting agencies
- Booking and scheduling for recruiting agencies
- More reviews for recruiting agencies
- Marketing and content for recruiting agencies
- Show up on Google and ChatGPT for recruiting agencies
- Cut admin and paperwork for recruiting agencies
- A dashboard that runs itself for recruiting agencies
Recruiting agencies in other big metros
| Metro | Businesses | Avg pay | Rank of 387 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 553 | $71,328 | 2nd |
| New York | 633 | $58,596 | 1st |
| Miami | 265 | $53,433 | 4th |
| Dallas | 242 | $47,442 | 6th |
| Houston | 214 | $55,078 | 7th |
| Atlanta | 244 | $46,923 | 5th |
| Washington | 133 | $59,943 | 10th |
| Philadelphia | 147 | $69,223 | 8th |
| Boston | 144 | $97,278 | 9th |
Where these numbers come from
From the U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022 (released 2024), industry code NAICS 561311 (Employment placement agencies), 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 agency can get back
A free 30-minute call. You leave knowing which part of your recruiting agency to hand to AI first, what we would build, and roughly how long it takes.