2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

Kansas City vs. Riverside

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
30k35k40k45k KANSAS CITY $30,170 RIVERSIDE $42,480
Table 1 — Adjusted

Riverside's median is 40.8% higher — but after local prices, Riverside still leads by 22.4%.

Kansas City's median $30,170 buys $32,600 at national prices (price parity 92.5); Riverside's $42,480 buys $39,900 (106.4).

Table 2 — The figures

Point by point

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

Kansas CityRiversideΔ
Employment13,85016,910+22.1%
10th percentile$29,180$34,800+19.3%
25th percentile$29,850$37,480+25.6%
Median$30,170$42,480+40.8%
75th percentile$31,700$43,000+35.6%
90th percentile$34,800$44,080+26.7%
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
Cooks, Fast Food in Kansas City · Cooks, Fast Food in Riverside

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.