2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

New York vs. Seattle

Business Operations Specialists, All Other. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.

Data released May 2025 BLS OEWS · SOC 13-1199
Fig. 1 — Side by side

Both distributions, one scale

10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
50k100k150k NEW YORK $92,120 SEATTLE $101,920
Table 1 — Adjusted

Seattle's median is 10.6% higher — but after local prices, Seattle still leads by 12.1%.

New York's median $92,120 buys $81,800 at national prices (price parity 112.6); Seattle's $101,920 buys $91,700 (111.1).

Table 2 — The figures

Point by point

Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Seattle against New York.

New YorkSeattleΔ
Employment39,19038,800−1.0%
10th percentile$50,210$66,820+33.1%
25th percentile$67,370$80,440+19.4%
Median$92,120$101,920+10.6%
75th percentile$123,890$133,050+7.4%
90th percentile$157,200$171,710+9.2%
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
Business Operations Specialists, All Other in New York · Business Operations Specialists, All Other in Seattle

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.