2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

Chicago vs. Dallas

Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.

Data released May 2025 BLS OEWS · SOC 35-9011
Fig. 1 — Side by side

Both distributions, one scale

10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
20k30k40k CHICAGO $31,200 DALLAS $21,050
Table 1 — Adjusted

Chicago's median is 32.5% higher — but after local prices, Chicago still leads by 32.2%.

Chicago's median $31,200 buys $30,100 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Dallas's $21,050 buys $20,400 (103.1).

Table 2 — The figures

Point by point

Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Dallas against Chicago.

ChicagoDallasΔ
Employment18,10018,600+2.8%
10th percentile$31,200$15,710−49.6%
25th percentile$31,200$17,820−42.9%
Median$31,200$21,050−32.5%
75th percentile$34,080$28,920−15.1%
90th percentile$39,170$35,960−8.2%
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
Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers in Chicago · Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers in Dallas

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.