See which occupations donate the most in Illinois. 100 occupations, $372.7M in donations from Illinois.
The occupational breakdown of political donors in Illinois reflects the state's economic makeup. This ranking shows which professions contribute the most to federal campaigns from within Illinois, with both state-level and national totals provided for comparison. The mix of top occupations can differ substantially from one state to another based on local industries and workforce composition.
| # | Occupation | Illinois Total | National Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CEO | $129.9M | $842.9M |
| 2 | ATTORNEY | $25.5M | $404.2M |
| 3 | CEO/OWNER | $24.5M | $26.0M |
| 4 | CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER | $18.5M | $74.4M |
| 5 | PRESIDENT | $17.1M | $305.1M |
| 6 | CHAIRMAN | $16.5M | $209.7M |
| 7 | EXECUTIVE | $12.8M | $282.8M |
| 8 | GOVERNOR | $12.5M | $13.4M |
| 9 | INVESTOR | $9.1M | $245.5M |
| 10 | OWNER | $8.2M | $147.2M |
| 11 | EXECUTIVE CHAIR | $6.3M | $8.4M |
| 12 | LAWYER | $5.5M | $85.7M |
| 13 | PHYSICIAN | $5.2M | $299.7M |
| 14 | FOUNDER | $5.1M | $119.1M |
| 15 | CHAIRMAN & CEO | $5.1M | $39.1M |
| 16 | EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN | $4.6M | $40.9M |
| 17 | CONSULTANT | $4.3M | $134.6M |
| 18 | HOMEMAKER | $4.2M | $119.4M |
| 19 | MANAGER | $3.8M | $70.3M |
| 20 | PROFESSOR | $2.9M | $64.2M |
| 21 | REAL ESTATE | $2.8M | $91.1M |
| 22 | VICE PRESIDENT | $2.8M | $26.8M |
| 23 | CHAIRMAN AND CEO | $2.7M | $19.8M |
| 24 | MANAGING PARTNER | $2.7M | $27.9M |
| 25 | CO-CEO | $1.7M | $9.6M |
| 26 | INVESTMENTS | $1.6M | $192.4M |
| 27 | SALES | $1.3M | $36.5M |
| 28 | FOUNDER AND CEO | $1.3M | $4.8M |
| 29 | TEACHER | $1.3M | $28.4M |
| 30 | FINANCE | $1.1M | $55.7M |
| 31 | PRESIDENT AND CEO | $1.1M | $7.7M |
| 32 | HEALTHCARE | $1.1M | $4.4M |
| 33 | FARMER | $1.0M | $31.0M |
| 34 | BANKER | $1.0M | $21.8M |
| 35 | PRINCIPAL | $862K | $33.9M |
| 36 | PRODUCER | $850K | $13.4M |
| 37 | AUTO DEALER | $743K | $7.9M |
| 38 | PUBLISHER | $738K | $3.8M |
| 39 | WRITER | $735K | $38.7M |
| 40 | FOUNDING PARTNER | $674K | $3.7M |
| 41 | PSYCHOLOGIST | $631K | $15.3M |
| 42 | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | $613K | $15.1M |
| 43 | REAL ESTATE BROKER | $604K | $19.8M |
| 44 | VP | $600K | $9.9M |
| 45 | REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER | $591K | $20.7M |
| 46 | INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT | $591K | $13.5M |
| 47 | MANAGING PRINCIPAL | $586K | $2.2M |
| 48 | INSURANCE BROKER | $583K | $8.0M |
| 49 | CPA | $536K | $14.8M |
| 50 | PRESIDENT & CEO | $526K | $20.9M |
| 51 | EDUCATOR | $522K | $10.0M |
| 52 | ARTIST | $508K | $25.5M |
| 53 | CORPORATE OFFICER | $503K | $832K |
| 54 | COO | $484K | $11.8M |
| 55 | PHOTOGRAPHER | $469K | $6.5M |
| 56 | NOT-EMPLOYED | $460K | $8.1M |
| 57 | INVESTMENT MANAGER | $460K | $19.5M |
| 58 | DENTIST | $459K | $10.0M |
| 59 | FINANCIAL ADVISOR | $458K | $13.8M |
| 60 | CHAIR | $458K | $21.9M |
| 61 | MANAGEMENT | $454K | $11.8M |
| 62 | SCIENTIST | $443K | $17.7M |
| 63 | ACCOUNTANT | $440K | $14.2M |
| 64 | TRADER | $436K | $6.0M |
| 65 | DOCTOR | $430K | $12.1M |
| 66 | ARCHITECT | $412K | $16.2M |
| 67 | CFO | $406K | $13.9M |
| 68 | ANESTHESIOLOGIST | $396K | $3.1M |
| 69 | MARKETING | $373K | $13.0M |
| 70 | VOLUNTEER | $356K | $2.0M |
| 71 | BUSINESS | $349K | $16.7M |
| 72 | AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER | $348K | $5.8M |
| 73 | INVESTMENT BANKER | $338K | $7.7M |
| 74 | ORGANIZER | $338K | $1.4M |
| 75 | INSURANCE | $322K | $8.6M |
| 76 | VENTURE CAPITAL | $318K | $28.0M |
| 77 | CO-OWNER | $317K | $3.2M |
| 78 | POLICY DIRECTOR | $315K | $1.3M |
| 79 | CO-FOUNDER | $312K | $40.9M |
| 80 | SENIOR MANAGEMENT | $304K | $404K |
| 81 | SOFTWARE DEVELOPER | $282K | $6.5M |
| 82 | SELF | $280K | $11.9M |
| 83 | PSYCHOTHERAPIST | $277K | $6.6M |
| 84 | REAL ESTATE INVESTOR | $269K | $13.8M |
| 85 | EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT | $267K | $5.9M |
| 86 | ADMINISTRATOR | $267K | $8.8M |
| 87 | CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER | $264K | $3.6M |
| 88 | SOCIAL WORKER | $261K | $6.2M |
| 89 | STUDENT | $252K | $6.1M |
| 90 | AUTHOR | $245K | $12.6M |
| 91 | FIRE FIGHTER / EMS | $244K | $3.4M |
| 92 | EXEC | $242K | $6.1M |
| 93 | GRADUATE STUDENT | $242K | $605K |
| 94 | BUSINESS REPRESENTATIVE | $237K | $2.0M |
| 95 | ACTOR | $235K | $6.5M |
| 96 | ADVISOR | $235K | $9.1M |
| 97 | PHARMACIST | $235K | $5.6M |
| 98 | BROKER | $228K | $4.3M |
| 99 | PRIVATE EQUITY | $226K | $8.5M |
| 100 | PARTNER/PRINCIPAL | $225K | $2.8M |
The top political donors by occupation in Illinois typically include retirees, attorneys, executives, and physicians. Across 100 tracked occupations, Illinois residents have contributed $372.7M to federal campaigns.
Each state's occupational giving profile reflects its local economy. States with major financial centers see more banker and investor donations, while states with large university systems see more professor and researcher contributions. Compare the Illinois and National Total columns to spot these differences.
Donors self-report their occupation on FEC contribution forms. We normalize common variations (e.g., "ATTORNEY" and "LAWYER" are combined) to produce cleaner rankings, though some inconsistency remains due to the self-reported nature of the data.