Chicago vs. Seattle
Carpenters. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 47-2031
Fig. 1 — Side by side
Both distributions, one scale
10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
Table 1 — Adjusted
Chicago's median is 5.0% higher — but after local prices, Chicago still leads by 11.5%.
Chicago's median $80,440 buys $77,600 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Seattle's $76,410 buys $68,800 (111.1).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Seattle against Chicago.
| Chicago | Seattle | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 14,220 | 14,970 | +5.3% |
| 10th percentile | $41,220 | $58,090 | +40.9% |
| 25th percentile | $58,770 | $63,740 | +8.5% |
| Median | $80,440 | $76,410 | −5.0% |
| 75th percentile | $113,970 | $99,700 | −12.5% |
| 90th percentile | $118,450 | $123,750 | +4.5% |
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
- Carpenters in Chicago · Carpenters 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.