Compared with the local labor market
City Planner V pay vs. the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area
Across all employers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area, the median wage for Urban and Regional Planners — about 800 people — is $98,840. Chicago Department of Transportation pays a median base salary of $108,084 for this role, 9% above that figure — about the 60th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
Where Chicago Department of Transportation sits in the local pay range
$64,300
$79,660
$98,840
$121,820
$163,450
Chicago Department of Transportation median · $108,084
The bar is the range of annual wages for Urban and Regional Planners across every employer in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area, from the 10th to the 90th percentile, with the middle 50% highlighted. The marker shows Chicago Department of Transportation’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Urban and Regional Planners — about 44,230 people — is $89,320. Chicago Department of Transportation’s median base salary is 21% above that national figure, about the 73rd percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
$60,010
$72,020
$89,320
$110,030
$134,490
Chicago Department of Transportation median · $108,084
Local and national wages differ for reasons beyond how well a job pays — cost of living, the mix of employers, and local demand for the occupation all move the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN range relative to the national one.
Median total compensation for this role at Chicago Department of Transportation is $108,084, which includes overtime and employer-paid benefits. The benchmark above excludes both, so total compensation is deliberately not compared against it.
Benchmark: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) covers all employers in the area — private, non-profit, and government alike — so this is a comparison against the whole local labor market for the occupation, not against private-sector pay. OEWS wages are straight-time pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials, and employer-paid benefits, so the government figure shown here is base pay on the same basis. Total compensation is not comparable to it. Job titles are matched to the closest standard occupation, so the comparison is between similar work rather than an identical job classification.
Compare departments
This role across City of Chicago
City Planner V is held in 3 City of Chicago departments. In Chicago Department of Transportation, the median of $97,332 ranks #1 of 3.
Highest-paying departments for this role
Median total compensation for the City Planner V role in other City of Chicagodepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.
Compare jurisdictions
City Planner beyond City of Chicago
This role is reported in 6 jurisdictions. In City of Chicago, the median of $93,156 ranks #4 of 6. See City Planner across all of City of Chicago →
Highest-paying jurisdictions for this role
Median total compensation for comparable City Plannerroles in other jurisdictions. Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for the role.