Chicago vs. Los Angeles
Cashiers. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 41-2011
Fig. 1 — Side by side
Both distributions, one scale
10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
Table 1 — Adjusted
Los Angeles's median is 5.6% higher — but after local prices, the advantage flips: a median salary goes further in Chicago.
Chicago's median $35,010 buys $33,800 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $36,980 buys $32,600 (113.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Los Angeles against Chicago.
| Chicago | Los Angeles | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 99,240 | 109,940 | +10.8% |
| 10th percentile | $31,200 | $35,320 | +13.2% |
| 25th percentile | $32,210 | $36,070 | +12.0% |
| Median | $35,010 | $36,980 | +5.6% |
| 75th percentile | $37,110 | $38,700 | +4.3% |
| 90th percentile | $41,280 | $48,110 | +16.5% |
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
- Cashiers in Chicago · Cashiers in Los Angeles
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.