City of Chicago / Chicago Fire Department / Battalion Chief
Job-title file
Lead staff and operations — set priorities, allocate resources, and oversee program delivery.
5 employees hold this title in Chicago Fire Department. Median total compensation for the role is $186,594, above the department median of $122,376.
Compared with the local labor market
Across all employers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area, the median wage for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers — about 2,600 people — is $126,200. Chicago Fire Department pays a median base salary of $186,594 for this role, 48% above that figure — above the 90th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
The bar is the range of annual wages for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers 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 Fire Department’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers — about 99,140 people — is $93,530. Chicago Fire Department’s median base salary is 100% above that national figure, above the 90th percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.
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 Fire Department is $186,594, 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 jurisdictions
This role is reported in 7 jurisdictions. In City of Chicago, the median of $186,594 ranks #5 of 7. See Battalion Chief across all of City of Chicago →
Median total compensation for comparable Battalion Chief roles 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.
Record list
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Battalion Chief/Chicago Fire Department
Source-specific fields
At Chicago Fire Department, Robert Mansfield serves as a Battalion Chief. They work full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $186,594.
Battalion Chief/Chicago Fire Department
Source-specific fields
William Murphy holds the role of Battalion Chief at Chicago Fire Department. Their status is full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $186,594.
Battalion Chief/Chicago Fire Department
Source-specific fields
At Chicago Fire Department, Albert Pohl serves as a Battalion Chief. They work full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $186,594.
Battalion Chief/Chicago Fire Department
Source-specific fields
Nicholas Cairo works as a Battalion Chief for Chicago Fire Department. Their status is full-time. Nicholas earned $186,594 in 2026.
Battalion Chief/Chicago Fire Department
Source-specific fields
At Chicago Fire Department, Ryan O Connell serves as a Battalion Chief. They work full-time. Their 2026 pay totaled $186,594.