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Seniority Profile · Illinois

Lead / Director Economists 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 Economists.
DOL OFLC offered median
$240,000
Across 9 certified filings at this wage level.
Real disclosed salaries

Lead / Director Economists in Illinois: actual employer-disclosed pay

Public records from 9 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $240,000. 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 competent9$240,000

Top employers filing for this role

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

EmployerMost-filed titleFilingsMedian
Econic Partners US LLCAssociate Economist4$340,000
CRA International, Inc.Associate Principal - Competition2$240,000
The University Of ChicagoSaieh Family Research Fellow1$150,000
Federal Reserve Bank of ChicagoSr Econ and Economic Advisor1$215,700
Compass Lexecon LLCVice President1$350,000

Recent sample filings

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

  • Associate Economist at Econic Partners US LLC
    $4,550,000
    ChicagoWage Level IVDecided Sep 29, 2025I-200-25265-324694
  • Associate Principal - Competition at CRA International, Inc.
    $240,000
    ChicagoWage Level IVDecided Sep 23, 2025I-200-25259-311974
  • Saieh Family Research Fellow at The University Of Chicago
    $150,000
    ChicagoWage Level IVDecided Jun 17, 2025I-200-25161-073689
  • Sr Econ and Economic Advisor at Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
    $215,700
    ChicagoWage Level IVDecided May 9, 2025I-200-25122-931974
  • Vice President at Compass Lexecon LLC
    $350,000
    ChicagoWage Level IVDecided Apr 7, 2025I-200-25091-816139
  • Senior Principal Economist at Econic Partners US LLC
    $400,000
    ChicagoWage Level IVDecided Feb 28, 2025I-200-25052-715212
  • Senior Economic Research Economist at Econic Partners US LLC
    $175,000
    ChicagoWage Level IVDecided Sep 19, 2025I-200-25255-305055
  • Principal Economist at Econic Partners US LLC
    $280,000
    ChicagoWage Level IVDecided Jun 3, 2025I-200-25147-019132

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.