No Chicago lobbyist reported receiving more in 2025 than Patrick Carey: $1,837,000 across his clients’ quarterly filings, per the city’s mandatory disclosure ledger — with John Dunn close behind at $1,795,250 and John Daley at $1,464,750. The ten filers below reported $11.1 million between them, 43 percent of the $25.6 million filed for 2025 periods by 380 registered lobbyists. Registered lobbyists are public filers by law, and everything on this page is as filed: each figure is our sum of that person’s own reported receipts across all clients, names appear exactly as the register records them, and no figure says how receipts divide within any firm. The one ambiguity the file cannot resolve — identical amounts co-filed for the same client and quarter — is bounded at $2.5 million citywide and left in, per the full analysis. The ledger records pay, not influence, and this page takes no position on any filer.
1. PATRICK CAREY — $1,837,000
Patrick Carey reported $1,837,000 in compensation across all clients’ 2025-period filings. The name above appears exactly as filed in the register; the figure is our sum of that filer’s reported receipts, with nothing adjusted or excluded, and it says nothing about what any engagement concerned.
2. JOHN DUNN — $1,795,250
John Dunn reported $1,795,250 in compensation across all clients’ 2025-period filings. The name above appears exactly as filed in the register; the figure is our sum of that filer’s reported receipts, with nothing adjusted or excluded, and it says nothing about what any engagement concerned.
3. JOHN DALEY — $1,464,750
John Daley reported $1,464,750 in compensation across all clients’ 2025-period filings. The name above appears exactly as filed in the register; the figure is our sum of that filer’s reported receipts, with nothing adjusted or excluded, and it says nothing about what any engagement concerned.
4. JOHN KELLY, JR. — $1,050,000
John Kelly, Jr. reported $1,050,000 in compensation across all clients’ 2025-period filings. The name above appears exactly as filed in the register; the figure is our sum of that filer’s reported receipts, with nothing adjusted or excluded, and it says nothing about what any engagement concerned.
5. ALEXANDRA SIMS — $1,031,000
Alexandra Sims reported $1,031,000 in compensation across all clients’ 2025-period filings. The name above appears exactly as filed in the register; the figure is our sum of that filer’s reported receipts, with nothing adjusted or excluded, and it says nothing about what any engagement concerned.
6. MICHAEL KASPER — $998,468
Michael Kasper reported $998,468 in compensation across all clients’ 2025-period filings. The name above appears exactly as filed in the register; the figure is our sum of that filer’s reported receipts, with nothing adjusted or excluded, and it says nothing about what any engagement concerned.
7. THOMAS RAINES — $857,500
Thomas Raines reported $857,500 in compensation across all clients’ 2025-period filings. The name above appears exactly as filed in the register; the figure is our sum of that filer’s reported receipts, with nothing adjusted or excluded, and it says nothing about what any engagement concerned.
8. LAMAR BROWN — $749,000
Lamar Brown reported $749,000 in compensation across all clients’ 2025-period filings. The name above appears exactly as filed in the register; the figure is our sum of that filer’s reported receipts, with nothing adjusted or excluded, and it says nothing about what any engagement concerned.
9. DJAVAN CONWAY — $745,000
Djavan Conway reported $745,000 in compensation across all clients’ 2025-period filings. The name above appears exactly as filed in the register; the figure is our sum of that filer’s reported receipts, with nothing adjusted or excluded, and it says nothing about what any engagement concerned.
10. LISA DUARTE — $529,000
Lisa Duarte reported $529,000 in compensation across all clients’ 2025-period filings. The name above appears exactly as filed in the register; the figure is our sum of that filer’s reported receipts, with nothing adjusted or excluded, and it says nothing about what any engagement concerned.
Questions these numbers can answer
Which Chicago lobbyist reported the most compensation in 2025? Patrick Carey: $1,837,000 across his clients’ quarterly filings, ahead of John Dunn’s $1,795,250. Receipts are as filed and can flow through a firm — the records do not establish anyone’s personal take-home.
Is lobbyist compensation public in Chicago? Yes. Chicago’s disclosure rules require registered lobbyists to report the compensation received from each client, quarterly, and the city publishes the filings as data — 40,968 of them since 2014. These figures are those filings, summed.
Do these figures mean each person kept that money? Not necessarily. A filer’s reported receipts can flow through a firm, and the file does not say how compensation divides within one — which is why this page sums receipts per filer, as filed, and estimates nothing.
Where these numbers come from
The City of Chicago’s Lobbyist Data — Compensation file (dw2f-w78u), 40,968 quarterly filings with periods from 2014 into mid-2026, retrieved August 12, 2026. A lobbyist’s figure sums that person’s filings across all clients for 2025 periods, as filed; registry contact fields are never used. The full ledger and every counting rule: Chicago’s Lobbying-Pay Ledger Since 2014: the $15.0 Million First Half of 2026 Is Its Largest.
Computed by KCM Desk from records retrieved August 12, 2026. If you spot an error, corrections come first.