Los Angeles vs. New York
Chefs and Head Cooks. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 35-1011
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 2.6% higher — but after local prices, New York still leads by 3.5%.
Los Angeles's median $69,990 buys $61,600 at national prices (price parity 113.6); New York's $71,780 buys $63,800 (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 | 11,430 | 20,010 | +75.1% |
| 10th percentile | $37,310 | $46,530 | +24.7% |
| 25th percentile | $48,310 | $55,070 | +14.0% |
| Median | $69,990 | $71,780 | +2.6% |
| 75th percentile | $80,850 | $89,860 | +11.1% |
| 90th percentile | $102,760 | $120,370 | +17.1% |
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
- Chefs and Head Cooks in Los Angeles · Chefs and Head Cooks 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.