Chicago vs. New York
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
New York's median is 96.2% higher — but after local prices, New York still leads by 80.6%.
Chicago's median $31,200 buys $30,100 at national prices (price parity 103.6); New York's $61,220 buys $54,400 (112.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is New York against Chicago.
| Chicago | New York | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 28,750 | 38,510 | +33.9% |
| 10th percentile | $31,200 | $34,410 | +10.3% |
| 25th percentile | $31,200 | $39,790 | +27.5% |
| Median | $31,200 | $61,220 | +96.2% |
| 75th percentile | $33,500 | $79,240 | +136.5% |
| 90th percentile | $48,530 | $94,640 | +95.0% |
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 New York
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.