Chicago Mayor Salary: Pay, Benefits, Pension, and Ethics Rules

The Chicago mayor’s salary is $221,052 in 2026. That is the base pay set under the city’s municipal code, and it is what Mayor Brandon Johnson earns after declining the inflation-linked raise he was due for both 2025 and 2026.¹ The paycheck is only part of the compensation; a security detail, city vehicles, an expense account, and pension participation come with the office, along with ethics rules that limit what the mayor can accept on the side.

How the Pay Is Set

Section 2-152-051 of the Chicago Municipal Code governs the mayor’s salary. The ordinance ties annual adjustments to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, Chicago All Items. The Budget Director compares the most recent July index figure to the previous July’s, and the resulting percentage becomes the raise taking effect at the start of the first pay period of the new calendar year. Even in a high-inflation year, the increase cannot exceed five percent.²

A mayor who wants to skip the raise has to file a sworn statement with the Budget Director by September 15 of the prior year. Once filed, the opt-out is irrevocable for that year, though it does not bind a successor who fills a vacancy mid-term. The same mechanism applies to the City Clerk and City Treasurer, whose pay is set in the same ordinance.²

Recent Salary History

The mayor’s pay sat frozen at $209,915 through 2022. In 2023, the City Council reset the salary to $216,210 effective May 15 and built in the automatic CPI adjustment starting January 1, 2024. The first automatic bump brought the figure to $221,052.²

Johnson accepted that first adjustment during his opening year in office. He has declined every scheduled increase since, and is one of only four elected city officials who opted out of the 2026 raise.¹

How It Compares

Chicago’s figure sits below several peer cities. The New York City mayor earns $300,500 a year.³ Los Angeles raised its mayoral salary to $495,000 in 2025, though Mayor Karen Bass announced plans to cut her own pay amid a city budget deficit. Houston’s mayor earns roughly $236,000.

Within Chicago’s own government, most alderpersons are set to earn around $155,688 in 2026 after accepting their inflation-linked raise. That puts the mayor at roughly 1.4 times the pay of a rank-and-file council member.

Benefits Beyond the Paycheck

Several resources attach to the office. A Chicago Police Department security detail accompanies the mayor; the mayor’s office describes four officers as the standard travel contingent, with the size adjusted to circumstances. The city provides vehicles for official transportation, and an expense account covers travel and hosting tied to the role. These expenditures fall under municipal ethics rules and are subject to periodic public review.

Pension

The mayor participates in the Municipal Employees’ Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago on the same terms as other city employees. Employee contribution rates depend on when the person first joined the fund: Tier 2 members contribute 8.5 percent of salary, and Tier 3 members contribute 11.5 percent.⁴

The retirement annuity equals years of service multiplied by 2.4 percent multiplied by final average salary, capped at 80 percent of final average salary after 33.5 years of credited service. To draw a monthly pension at all, a member needs at least ten years of service and must be 60 or older; 20 years allows collection at 55, and 30 years at 50.⁵ A mayor who serves a single four-year term will not vest in a pension through that service alone.

Ethics Strings Attached

The Governmental Ethics Ordinance limits what the mayor and immediate family can accept. Non-cash gifts from any single source are capped at $50 per calendar year; cash, gift cards, and anonymous gifts are prohibited outright. People connected to the same company count as one source for the $50 limit. The mayor files an annual Statement of Financial Interests disclosing gifts over $250 from any single source, excluding family. Violations can bring fines of up to $20,000 apiece along with other sanctions.⁶

After leaving office, the former mayor faces a two-year ban on lobbying any city department, agency, board, commission, or official, plus a one-year ban on assisting anyone on matters they were personally and substantially involved in while serving. Permanent bans apply to specific contracts the mayor supervised, to litigation the mayor was personally involved in, and to disclosure of non-public information acquired in office.⁷

1
City of Chicago. Request for Information from Annual Appropriation Committee Hearing – Non-Union Salary Increases
2
American Legal Publishing. Municipal Code of Chicago 2-152-051 – Salaries – Annual Appropriation – Clerk, Treasurer, and Mayor
3
The New York City Council. Int 1493-2025
4
Municipal Employees’ Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago. Pension Benefit Overview
5
Municipal Employees’ Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago. Benefits FAQ
6
City of Chicago. The Gift Restrictions in Chicago’s Governmental Ethics Ordinance
7
City of Chicago. The Revolving Door – Post-Employment Restrictions