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Creative Director Salary and Equity in Chicago 2026
How much does a Creative Director expect to make at Chicago-based startups? The average expected salary for Creative Directors in Chicago-based startups is 149k per year, with a range from 68k to 280k. These amounts were gathered from Wellfound self-reported data and represent the median salary range. The salary range for Creative Directors in Chicago startups varies depending on factors such as industry, experience, skills, and startup stage.
149.3k
Average Salary
2 years
Average years of experience
Salary
The average salary for a Creative Director in Chicago is $149,300, which is 18.8% higher than the average Chicago startup salary of$125,625. Creative Director salaries in Chicago are based on exclusive Wellfound data. All data is updated on a weekly basis. Factors that may influence salary include: years of experience, title, size of company, skill-set, and industry.
Top of market
$202,900/yr
Range $165k - $280k
Average
$149,300/yr
Range $115k - $205k
Below Average
$105,800/yr
Range $68k - $175k
Industries
The highest average salary a Creative Director in Chicago can get in User Experience Design, that is $210,000. This pay is 20.9% higher than the average Creative Director salary in Chicago, which is $173,650. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: User Experience Design (avg $210,000 per year), Enterprise Software (avg $191,500 per year), Software (avg $181,500 per year).
Years of experience
Below Average
Average
Top of Market
The highest average salary a Creative Director in Chicago can get with 7-10 years of experience, that is $108,500. This pay is 13.6% lower than the average salary in Chicago startups, which is $125,625. The salary range varies with years of experience and depends on other factors such as skill set, size of company, and industry.
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