2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

Los Angeles vs. New York

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
40k50k60k LOS ANGELES $35,800 NEW YORK $36,980
Table 1 — Adjusted

New York's median is 3.3% higher — but after local prices, New York still leads by 4.2%.

Los Angeles's median $35,800 buys $31,500 at national prices (price parity 113.6); New York's $36,980 buys $32,900 (112.6).

Table 2 — The figures

Point by point

Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is New York against Los Angeles.

Los AngelesNew YorkΔ
Employment24,86037,600+51.2%
10th percentile$34,530$32,900−4.7%
25th percentile$34,940$33,990−2.7%
Median$35,800$36,980+3.3%
75th percentile$37,560$46,350+23.4%
90th percentile$49,570$59,430+19.9%
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 Los Angeles · Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers 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.