Atlanta vs. Chicago
Bus Drivers, School. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 53-3051
Fig. 1 — Side by side
Both distributions, one scale
10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
Table 1 — Adjusted
Chicago's median is 4.0% higher — but at national prices the two medians buy almost exactly the same.
Atlanta's median $47,310 buys $47,300 at national prices (price parity 100.1); Chicago's $49,180 buys $47,500 (103.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Chicago against Atlanta.
| Atlanta | Chicago | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 11,190 | 15,210 | +35.9% |
| 10th percentile | $22,350 | $38,360 | +71.6% |
| 25th percentile | $29,690 | $47,560 | +60.2% |
| Median | $47,310 | $49,180 | +4.0% |
| 75th percentile | $50,490 | $59,930 | +18.7% |
| 90th percentile | $62,060 | $62,600 | +0.9% |
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
- Bus Drivers, School in Atlanta · Bus Drivers, School in Chicago
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.