Chicago vs. Los Angeles
Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 35-2012
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 18.6% higher — but after local prices, Los Angeles still leads by 8.2%.
Chicago's median $38,290 buys $37,000 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $45,400 buys $40,000 (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 | 14,010 | 9,860 | −29.6% |
| 10th percentile | $31,510 | $37,100 | +17.7% |
| 25th percentile | $36,170 | $39,070 | +8.0% |
| Median | $38,290 | $45,400 | +18.6% |
| 75th percentile | $46,000 | $49,680 | +8.0% |
| 90th percentile | $49,540 | $59,300 | +19.7% |
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, Institution and Cafeteria in Chicago · Cooks, Institution and Cafeteria 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.