Chicago vs. Houston
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 11.4% higher — but after local prices, Chicago still leads by 6.9%.
Chicago's median $49,180 buys $47,500 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Houston's $43,570 buys $44,200 (98.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Houston against Chicago.
| Chicago | Houston | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 15,210 | 9,730 | −36.0% |
| 10th percentile | $38,360 | $26,550 | −30.8% |
| 25th percentile | $47,560 | $31,140 | −34.5% |
| Median | $49,180 | $43,570 | −11.4% |
| 75th percentile | $59,930 | $49,150 | −18.0% |
| 90th percentile | $62,600 | $61,280 | −2.1% |
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
- Bus Drivers, School in Chicago · Bus Drivers, School in Houston
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.