The Windy City is home to some of America’s largest companies. Among them are United Airlines, McDonalds, Motorola, Caterpillar, Baxter, Andersen Consulting, Ameritech, Sears and Marshall Fields, and Leo Burnett.

Economy Statistics

Employment

The following statistics are based on information provided by the Illinois Department of Employment Security in 2004. In 2003, there were 1,076,483 people employed in Chicago. The health care industry made up the greatest amount of the working population as 132,764 people were employed in health care jobs. Approximately 123,171 people worked in the finance and insurance industry in 2003 while 100,062 worked in manufacturing. 88,260 worked in food and accommodations while 87,754 worked in retail trade. 67,283 people were employed in the transportation and warehousing industry and 41,029 were involved with education.

Employers

The top five employers in Chicago during 2003 were the Unites States government, Chicago Public School System, City of Chicago, Jewel-Osco, and Cook County. Advocate Health Care, SBC Communications Incorporated, the United Parcel Service, the Walgreen Company, and the State of Illinois rounded out the top 10 employers in Chicago.

Living and Working

A cost of living index provided by World Business Chicago provides data that ranks Chicago as being tied with Philadelphia as the seventh most costly major city in which to live. This rank of seventh places Chicago behind Boston, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, San Jose, New York, and San Francisco which are all more costly cities in which to live. Cost of doing business statistics rank Chicago as the eighth most costly large city in which to do business. This places Chicago behind the most costly city in which to business, New York, along with Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Detroit, and Seattle who round out the top seven cities that are more costly to do business in, respectively.

Private Companies

The top five private companies in Chicago are the Mormon Group, Reyes Holdings, Topco Associates, Eby-Brown, and the Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Public Companies

Chicago is home to some of the most successful public companies in America. The top five earners in 2004 were the Boeing Company, Walgreen Company, Sears Holding Corporation, Allstate Corporation, and Kraft Foods Incorporated.

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