Chicago vs. New York
Child, Family, and School Social Workers. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 21-1021
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 2.7% higher — but after local prices, the advantage flips: a median salary goes further in Chicago.
Chicago's median $64,790 buys $62,500 at national prices (price parity 103.6); New York's $66,540 buys $59,100 (112.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is New York against Chicago.
| Chicago | New York | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 13,550 | 24,350 | +79.7% |
| 10th percentile | $48,460 | $49,820 | +2.8% |
| 25th percentile | $53,950 | $58,790 | +9.0% |
| Median | $64,790 | $66,540 | +2.7% |
| 75th percentile | $82,640 | $89,450 | +8.2% |
| 90th percentile | $110,390 | $108,720 | −1.5% |
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
- Child, Family, and School Social Workers in Chicago · Child, Family, and School Social Workers 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.