Chicago vs. New York
Customer Service Representatives. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 43-4051
Fig. 1 — Side by side
Both distributions, one scale
10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
Table 1 — Adjusted
New York's median is 5.3% higher — but after local prices, the advantage flips: a median salary goes further in Chicago.
Chicago's median $47,100 buys $45,500 at national prices (price parity 103.6); New York's $49,590 buys $44,100 (112.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is New York against Chicago.
| Chicago | New York | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 75,240 | 125,570 | +66.9% |
| 10th percentile | $34,480 | $36,930 | +7.1% |
| 25th percentile | $38,260 | $43,060 | +12.5% |
| Median | $47,100 | $49,590 | +5.3% |
| 75th percentile | $58,950 | $61,940 | +5.1% |
| 90th percentile | $71,530 | $77,290 | +8.1% |
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
- Customer Service Representatives in Chicago · Customer Service Representatives in New York
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.