CDCareer Decision

Political Scientists Salary in Chicago, IL

In the 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS dataset, Political Scientists in Chicago, IL have a median annual salary of $103,780, with 90 recorded jobs in this area. Recorded earnings range from $85,020 at the 10th percentile to $143,110 at the 90th percentile.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · Data year: 2025 · Last updated: 2026-09-22

Salary overview

Median annual salary

$103,780

Data year: 2025

Hourly median

$49.89

Employment

90

Source

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS

Salary distribution

$85,020
10th
$85,570
25th
$103,780
Median
$103,780
75th
$143,110
90th

Local compared with national

Chicago, IL

$103,780

Median annual · 2025

United States

$142,080

Median annual · 2025

The Chicago, IL median is 27.0% below the national median in the available dataset (a difference of $38,300).

Top skills

  1. 1.Reading ComprehensionImportance 4.3
  2. 2.Active ListeningImportance 4.1
  3. 3.SpeakingImportance 4.1
  4. 4.Active LearningImportance 4.1
  5. 5.WritingImportance 4.0
  6. 6.Critical ThinkingImportance 4.0
  7. 7.Social PerceptivenessImportance 3.8
  8. 8.Complex Problem SolvingImportance 3.6
  9. 9.Judgment and Decision MakingImportance 3.6
  10. 10.Learning StrategiesImportance 3.5
  11. 11.InstructingImportance 3.5
  12. 12.Systems EvaluationImportance 3.1

Career information

Education and experience

Typical education
Doctoral Degree
Experience
Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year
Job zone
5

Technology used

  • Adobe Acrobat
  • Bare Bones Software BBEdit
  • CQ Press Political Reference Suite
  • Data visualization software
  • DataMystic TextPipe Pro
  • EBSCO Publishing Academic Search Premier
  • EBSCO Publishing Political Science Complete
  • Email software
  • Europa World Plus
  • FedStats
  • Gale Expanded Academic ASAP PLUS
  • IBM SPSS Statistics
  • IDM Computer Solutions UltraEdit
  • Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) database
  • JSTOR database

Common tasks

  • Teach political science.
  • Maintain current knowledge of government policy decisions.
  • Develop and test theories, using information from interviews, newspapers, periodicals, case law, historical papers, polls, or statistical sources.
  • Disseminate research results through academic publications, written reports, or public presentations.
  • Advise political science students.
  • Collect, analyze, and interpret data, such as election results and public opinion surveys, reporting on findings, recommendations, and conclusions.
  • Interpret and analyze policies, public issues, legislation, or the operations of governments, businesses, and organizations.
  • Identify issues for research and analysis.
  • Serve on committees.
  • Forecast political, economic, and social trends.

Related careers

Occupations recorded as related in the dataset. A relationship does not imply a guaranteed transition.

Political Scientists salary in other locations

Other occupations in Chicago, IL