City of Chicago / Department of Water Management / Assistant Commissioner -43
Job-title file
Lead staff and operations — set priorities, allocate resources, and oversee program delivery.
6 employees hold this title in Department of Water Management. Median total compensation for the role is $167,700, above the department median of $108,576.
Compared with the local labor market
Across all employers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area, the median wage for Chief Executives — about 3,610 people — is $344,960. Department of Water Management pays a median base salary of $167,700 for this role, 51% below that figure — about the 17th percentile of local pay for the occupation.
The bar is the range of annual wages for Chief Executives 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 Department of Water Management’s median base salary for this role. Both figures are base pay only.
And across the country
Nationwide, the median wage for Chief Executives — about 204,350 people — is $213,990. Department of Water Management’s median base salary is 22% below that national figure, about the 36th 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 Department of Water Management is $167,700, 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
Assistant Commissioner -43 is held in 5 City of Chicago departments. In Department of Water Management, the median of $167,700 ranks #1 of 5.
Median total compensation for the Assistant Commissioner -43 role in other City of Chicagodepartments (highest first). Each bar links to that department’s page for this role.
Compare jurisdictions
This role is reported in 7 jurisdictions. In City of Chicago, the median of $167,700 ranks #4 of 7. See Assistant Commissioner across all of City of Chicago →
Median total compensation for comparable Assistant Commissionerroles 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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Assistant Commissioner -43/Department of Water Management
Source-specific fields
Mai Lam works as a Assistant Commissioner -43 for Department of Water Management. Their status is full-time. Mai earned $167,700 in 2026.
Assistant Commissioner -43/Department of Water Management
Source-specific fields
Brian Mueller is a Assistant Commissioner -43 at Department of Water Management. They work full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $167,700.
Assistant Commissioner -43/Department of Water Management
Source-specific fields
Natasha Nickerson holds the role of Assistant Commissioner -43 at Department of Water Management. Their status is full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $167,700.
Assistant Commissioner -43/Department of Water Management
Source-specific fields
Maria Oquendo is a Assistant Commissioner -43 at Department of Water Management. They work full-time. 2026 total compensation came to $167,700.
Assistant Commissioner -43/Department of Water Management
Source-specific fields
Ralph Chiczewski holds the role of Assistant Commissioner -43 at Department of Water Management. Their status is full-time. In 2026, their total compensation was $167,700.
Assistant Commissioner -43/Department of Water Management
Source-specific fields
Fidel Barrera works as a Assistant Commissioner -43 for Department of Water Management. Their status is full-time. Fidel earned $133,836 in 2026.