Chicago vs. Los Angeles
Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 53-7061
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 2.6% higher — but after local prices, the advantage flips: a median salary goes further in Chicago.
Chicago's median $36,580 buys $35,300 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $37,540 buys $33,100 (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 | 12,030 | 15,950 | +32.6% |
| 10th percentile | $31,200 | $35,340 | +13.3% |
| 25th percentile | $34,330 | $36,250 | +5.6% |
| Median | $36,580 | $37,540 | +2.6% |
| 75th percentile | $46,570 | $44,390 | −4.7% |
| 90th percentile | $55,990 | $47,740 | −14.7% |
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
- Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment in Chicago · Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment 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.