Chicago vs. New York
Civil Engineers. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 17-2051
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 7.2% higher — but at national prices the two medians buy almost exactly the same.
Chicago's median $100,160 buys $96,700 at national prices (price parity 103.6); New York's $107,330 buys $95,400 (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 | 9,760 | 15,590 | +59.7% |
| 10th percentile | $74,130 | $78,250 | +5.6% |
| 25th percentile | $80,020 | $88,710 | +10.9% |
| Median | $100,160 | $107,330 | +7.2% |
| 75th percentile | $126,570 | $143,310 | +13.2% |
| 90th percentile | $159,940 | $176,400 | +10.3% |
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
- Civil Engineers in Chicago · Civil Engineers 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.