Transparency Through Data

Chicago.fyi is a public transparency project that makes city employee compensation data accessible, searchable, and shareable. Your tax dollars, your right to know.

Our Mission

Government transparency is the cornerstone of a healthy democracy. When citizens can easily access information about how their tax dollars are spent, they can make more informed decisions and hold their representatives accountable.

Chicago.fyi takes public salary data — which has always been available under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) — and presents it in a modern, searchable, and shareable format.

We believe that transparency shouldn't require filing paperwork or navigating complex government databases. Public information should be truly public.

What We Provide

Complete Data

All 32,000+ city employee salary records, updated regularly from official city data sources.

Easy to Search

Find any employee by name, job title, or department. Filter by salary range, employment type, and more.

Shareable

Every employee record and statistic has a unique URL that can be easily shared on social media.

Department Analysis

Compare compensation across all city departments, from police to parks to public health.

Rankings

See the highest and lowest paid employees, identify the top 1% earners, and explore salary tiers.

Statistics

Comprehensive analytics including salary distribution, averages, medians, and employment breakdowns.

Data & Methodology

Data Source

All salary data comes directly from the City of Chicago Data Portal, which publishes this information under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

This data is public record and has always been accessible to citizens who know where to look. We simply make it easier to find and understand.

Salary Calculations

For salaried employees: We display the annual salary as reported.

For hourly employees: We estimate annual compensation by multiplying the hourly rate by typical hours per week, then by 52 weeks. If typical hours aren't provided, we assume a 40-hour work week.

Percentiles & Rankings

Percentiles are calculated across all city employees. An employee in the 90th percentile earns more than 90% of all city employees.

The “Top 1%” designation is given to employees whose compensation exceeds the 99th percentile threshold.

A Note on Privacy

All data displayed on Chicago.fyi is already public information. Government employee salaries are considered public record in most jurisdictions, including Illinois.

We do not collect, store, or display any private information that isn't already part of the official public record. The names, job titles, departments, and compensation figures shown here are all sourced from government databases.

If you are a city employee and have concerns about your information being displayed, please note that we are simply republishing public data. For corrections or updates to your official records, please contact the City of Chicago directly.

Ready to Explore?

Start searching through 32,000+ Chicago city employee salaries now.