2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

Charlotte vs. Kansas City

Cooks, Fast Food. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.

Data released May 2025 BLS OEWS · SOC 35-2011
Fig. 1 — Side by side

Both distributions, one scale

10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
25k30k35k CHARLOTTE $27,690 KANSAS CITY $30,170
Table 1 — Adjusted

Kansas City's median is 9.0% higher — but after local prices, Kansas City still leads by 14.6%.

Charlotte's median $27,690 buys $28,400 at national prices (price parity 97.3); Kansas City's $30,170 buys $32,600 (92.5).

Table 2 — The figures

Point by point

Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Kansas City against Charlotte.

CharlotteKansas CityΔ
Employment15,83013,850−12.5%
10th percentile$22,430$29,180+30.1%
25th percentile$24,080$29,850+24.0%
Median$27,690$30,170+9.0%
75th percentile$30,840$31,700+2.8%
90th percentile$35,720$34,800−2.6%
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
Cooks, Fast Food in Charlotte · Cooks, Fast Food in Kansas City

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.