Assistant Commissioner

Lead staff and operations — set priorities, allocate resources, and oversee program delivery.

45 people hold the Assistant Commissioner role across 12 departments in City of Chicago, with a median total compensation of $153,384. Among 2 jurisdictions where this role is reported, City of Chicago ranks #1 by median pay.

Employees: 45
Median pay: $153,384
Departments: 12
Cross-jurisdiction: #1 of 2

Compared with the local labor market

Assistant Commissioner pay vs. the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area

Across all employers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area, the median wage for Chief Executives — about 3,610 people — is $344,960. City of Chicago pays a median base salary of $153,384 for this role, 56% below that figure — about the 13th percentile of local pay for the occupation.

Where City of Chicago sits in the local pay range

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$142,940

$197,530

$344,960

$428,710

$599,520

City of Chicago median · $153,384

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 City of Chicago’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. City of Chicago’s median base salary is 28% below that national figure, about the 32nd percentile of pay for the occupation nationally.

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$75,700

$129,540

$213,990

$356,200

$507,730

City of Chicago median · $153,384

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 City of Chicago is $153,384, 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

Assistant Commissioner pay in other jurisdictions

Where Assistant Commissioners are paid most

Missouri

$124,779 · 9

Median total compensation for comparable Assistant Commissionerroles in other jurisdictions (highest first). Titles are matched by normalized name across sources, not by identical job classification, and pay is not cost-of-living adjusted. Each bar links to that jurisdiction’s page for this role.

Within City of Chicago