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Department Chair Salary in the United States

How much does a Department Chair make in the United States? The salary range for a Department Chair job is from $70,558 to $98,899 per year in the United States. Click on the filter to check out Department Chair job salaries by hourly, weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, monthly, and yearly.

Average base salary
updated at March 01, 2025
$83,469
Per Year
The average salary for a Department Chair is $83,469
per Year in the United States.
Individually reported data submitted by users of our website

HOW SHOULD YOU USE THIS DATA?

Employees: Use this as a guide for salary expectations, but be aware that responsibilities can change across companies for the same job title, so there may be differences between this data, other free site and our subscription products bought by employers.

Employers: This data could be used as reference point in your market pricing, but not the only source, due to differences across jobs locations, and sizes of companies.Consider additional sources like our Employer reported data.

Base Salary
$70,558
$83,469
Medium
$98,899

Highest Paying Cities for Department Chair in the United States

Department Chair salaries in the United States will pay differently by cities. Below following are the eight cities with the highest income for Department Chair jobs in the United States. The city with the highest salary is San Jose. Click on the Department Chair salary in cities you are interested in to view detailed job salary information.

States with Higher Salaries for Department Chair

The five states where Department Chair jobs get higher salaries in the United States are: District of Columbia, California, New Jersey, Alaska, and Massachusetts. Compared with the average salary of a Department Chair in the United States, the state of District of Columbia with the highest job income for this job. The second and third states are California and New Jersey respectively. The high or low salary paid to Department Chair by the US has a greater relationship with the demand for jobs and the cost of living.

How Much Do Similar Professions Get Paid in the United States?

There are some different titles for Department Chair jobs, and the job title of Department Chair will vary in different companies. The job title has a lot to do with the department and responsibilities, and the same job title will vary in different departments. The following list is the salary of jobs similar to Department Chair, start to view Department Chair-related jobs you are interested in.
University Department Chair
Average salary
United States
$186,630
per Year
Academic Department Chair
Average salary
United States
$124,162
per Year
Special Education Department Chair
Average salary
United States
$59,322
per Year
Assistant Chair
Average salary
United States
$54,078
per Year
Curriculum Chair
Average salary
United States
$77,221
per Year
Endowed Chair
Average salary
United States
$99,892
per Year

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What Does a Department Chair Do?

Abel succeeds Alan Fogelman, MD, who is stepping down after 29 years as department chair and will remain on faculty.

December 22, 2021

Abel’s leadership as department chair over the past six years, research funding rose 31%, clinical revenues increased nearly 23% and the number of faculty jumped 16%.

December 19, 2021

For those who enjoy the research of education, some department chair positions are more data-oriented and involve very little time as an instructor.

December 13, 2021

Depending on the skillset and ambition of the instructor, a move up into the role of department chair may be a significant step on the career ladder.

December 04, 2021

The department chair may collect feedback on potential hires and pass the information along to the dean.

December 02, 2021

If not, they may wait until the department chair makes a recommendation before reviewing the candidate and providing final approval.

November 20, 2021

Most Common Benefits for Department Chair

Social Security
Healthcare
401(k)
Pension
Disability
Time Off (days)

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about salaries for a Department Chair
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Abel succeeds Alan Fogelman, MD, who is stepping down after 29 years as department chair and will remain on faculty.
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Explore our personal salary report to know the Department Chair market value in the United States. And find out if any places are having a higher Department Chair salary.
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The highest Department Chair salary is $98,899, while the lowest is $70,558 in the United States.
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