Los Angeles vs. New York
Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 53-3052
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 14.9% higher — but after local prices, New York still leads by 15.9%.
Los Angeles's median $68,020 buys $59,900 at national prices (price parity 113.6); New York's $78,130 buys $69,400 (112.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is New York against Los Angeles.
| Los Angeles | New York | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 10,140 | 19,770 | +95.0% |
| 10th percentile | $48,160 | $56,560 | +17.4% |
| 25th percentile | $54,130 | $64,590 | +19.3% |
| Median | $68,020 | $78,130 | +14.9% |
| 75th percentile | $76,040 | $84,700 | +11.4% |
| 90th percentile | $81,960 | $84,700 | +3.3% |
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, Transit and Intercity in Los Angeles · Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity 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.