2026 Compare Cities Economy:
Chicago, IL vs Albany, NY

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Highlights
- Household income in Albany, is 20% less than it is in Chicago and is 31% below the National Average.
- Chicago unemployment rate is 9.0%.
- Albany unemployment rate is 7.1%.
 Chicago, ILAlbany, NYUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock7.1%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock0.5%1.6%
 Future Job Growth25.7%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes10.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock6.2%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$41,821  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$52,583$69,021
 Family Median Income$79,434  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Chicago, ILAlbany, NYUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock16.0%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K4.2%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock9.1%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K7.6%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock9.6%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K6.5%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock9.1%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K11.7%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock13.9%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K7.7%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock5.1%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Chicago, ILAlbany, NYUnited States
 Management, business, finance19.5%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock7.6%6.5%
 Community, social services2.1%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock1.7%1.2%
 Education, library6.3%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock2.4%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology5.7%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock5.6%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement3.0%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock5.7%5.4%
 Building maintenance3.4%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.6%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support19.3%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.0%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair4.9%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock7.2%13.1%
Reviews for Chicago    270 Reviews

I've lived in Chicago city and later moved to suburbs when family size increased. Absolutely love this city. This is the cleanest and most beautiful among the major  More

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Chicago is probably the best value in a major city that you can find and my personal favorite city. It will become increasingly important as climate change makes the  More

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I've live on north side and south side, UIC medical center. Don't move here go to the north side. No good amenities, if you get bored with one there is no other choices.  More

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Reviews for Albany    56 Reviews

Over 4 years ago

I live relatively close to Albany, and I gotta say, its a great city. I think it has a lot of good places for food, good living spaces, nice jobs and offices, and I  More

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Over 6 years ago

I’ve lived just outside of Albany in Clifton Park and its always been decent for me. The town is nice and theres a lot to do. The prices are a little expensive including  More

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Over 6 years ago

Good place to retire. Walkable. Young people. Buses. Sidewalks. Feel safe here in Whitehall neighborhood. Plenty to do. Taxes in ny are high,but you get what you pay  More

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