Chicago vs. Dallas
Bartenders. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 35-3011
Fig. 1 — Side by side
Both distributions, one scale
10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
Table 1 — Adjusted
Chicago's median is 22.5% higher — but after local prices, Chicago still leads by 22.2%.
Chicago's median $31,200 buys $30,100 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Dallas's $24,170 buys $23,400 (103.1).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Dallas against Chicago.
| Chicago | Dallas | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 28,750 | 18,300 | −36.3% |
| 10th percentile | $31,200 | $17,130 | −45.1% |
| 25th percentile | $31,200 | $18,160 | −41.8% |
| Median | $31,200 | $24,170 | −22.5% |
| 75th percentile | $33,500 | $50,360 | +50.3% |
| 90th percentile | $48,530 | $79,160 | +63.1% |
Sources
How this page was made
- Wage data
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 release. Public domain.
- Price parity
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.
- Full pages
- Bartenders in Chicago · Bartenders in Dallas
Percentiles are reported exactly as released. Derived (price-adjusted) figures round to the nearest hundred. We take no payment for how any figure is presented.