2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

Los Angeles vs. Washington

Compliance Officers. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.

Data released May 2025 BLS OEWS · SOC 13-1041
Fig. 1 — Side by side

Both distributions, one scale

10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
100k150k LOS ANGELES $94,810 WASHINGTON $100,200
Table 1 — Adjusted

Washington's median is 5.7% higher — but after local prices, Washington still leads by 10.2%.

Los Angeles's median $94,810 buys $83,500 at national prices (price parity 113.6); Washington's $100,200 buys $92,000 (108.9).

Table 2 — The figures

Point by point

Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Washington against Los Angeles.

Los AngelesWashingtonΔ
Employment17,70013,820−21.9%
10th percentile$55,740$60,710+8.9%
25th percentile$71,230$77,470+8.8%
Median$94,810$100,200+5.7%
75th percentile$124,210$127,980+3.0%
90th percentile$146,350$148,700+1.6%
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
Compliance Officers in Los Angeles · Compliance Officers in Washington

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.