Chicago vs. Los Angeles
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
Los Angeles's median is 13.8% higher — but after local prices, Los Angeles still leads by 3.8%.
Chicago's median $31,200 buys $30,100 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $35,510 buys $31,300 (113.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Los Angeles against Chicago.
| Chicago | Los Angeles | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 28,750 | 25,260 | −12.1% |
| 10th percentile | $31,200 | $34,320 | +10.0% |
| 25th percentile | $31,200 | $34,490 | +10.5% |
| Median | $31,200 | $35,510 | +13.8% |
| 75th percentile | $33,500 | $38,210 | +14.1% |
| 90th percentile | $48,530 | $52,770 | +8.7% |
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 Los Angeles
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.