Chicago vs. Los Angeles
Driver/Sales Workers. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 53-3031
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 11.7% higher — but at national prices the two medians buy almost exactly the same.
Chicago's median $40,490 buys $39,100 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $45,220 buys $39,800 (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 | 10,190 | 11,130 | +9.2% |
| 10th percentile | $31,200 | $34,320 | +10.0% |
| 25th percentile | $31,200 | $36,400 | +16.7% |
| Median | $40,490 | $45,220 | +11.7% |
| 75th percentile | $50,110 | $50,890 | +1.6% |
| 90th percentile | $69,640 | $61,110 | −12.2% |
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
- Driver/Sales Workers in Chicago · Driver/Sales Workers 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.