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Seniority Profile · Illinois

Lead / Director Chemical Engineers salary in Illinois

Roles that direct strategy, lead teams, or hold full functional ownership. Typically ten or more years of experience or a Director-class title with budget responsibility.

Adrian Serafin, founder and editor of RateOrchardBy Adrian SerafinFounderUpdated May 4, 2026
BLS percentile range
P75 to P90 of the Illinois OES distribution for Chemical Engineers.
DOL OFLC offered median
$134,585
Across 5 certified filings at this wage level.
Real disclosed salaries

Lead / Director Chemical Engineers in Illinois: actual employer-disclosed pay

Public records from 5 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $134,585. Every figure below is an actual offered salary an employer attested to under federal law.

By DOL wage level

DOL classifies every offer into one of four wage levels based on the role's experience and skill requirements.

LevelFilingsMedian offer
Level IV — fully competent5$134,585

Top employers filing for this role

Companies with the most certified filings for Lead / Director Chemical Engineers in Illinois. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.

EmployerMost-filed titleFilingsMedian
ABBVIE INC.PROJECT MANAGER, CMC EXTERNAL MANUFACTURING&PROGRAM STRATEGY2$136,000
Particulate Solid Research, Inc.Project Leader1$134,585
Caterpillar Inc.Research Senior Engineer1$121,326
Institute of Gas TechnologySenior Engineer1$129,000

Recent sample filings

A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.

  • Project Leader at Particulate Solid Research, Inc.
    $134,585
    ChicagoWage Level IVDecided Jun 17, 2025I-200-25161-077212
  • Research Senior Engineer at Caterpillar Inc.
    $121,326
    CHILLICOTHEWage Level IVDecided Jun 17, 2025I-200-25161-073692
  • Senior Engineer at Institute of Gas Technology
    $129,000
    Des PlainesWage Level IVDecided May 14, 2025I-200-25127-948397
  • PROJECT MANAGER, CMC EXTERNAL MANUFACTURING&PROGRAM STRATEGY at ABBVIE INC.
    $135,000
    NORTH CHICAGOWage Level IVDecided Nov 20, 2024I-200-24318-473573
  • TECHNICAL OPERATIONS SECTION MANAGER at ABBVIE INC.
    $137,000
    NORTH CHICAGOWage Level IVDecided Oct 23, 2024I-200-24290-412373

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification. Disclosed wages reflect what employers attested to pay; actual paid wages may differ. Only certified filings are shown — denied and withdrawn cases are excluded.