Chicago vs. Los Angeles
Electricians. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 47-2111
Fig. 1 — Side by side
Both distributions, one scale
10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
Table 1 — Adjusted
Chicago's median is 27.9% higher — but after local prices, Chicago still leads by 34.2%.
Chicago's median $102,350 buys $98,800 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $73,810 buys $65,000 (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 | 17,720 | 20,610 | +16.3% |
| 10th percentile | $49,890 | $46,140 | −7.5% |
| 25th percentile | $74,400 | $58,830 | −20.9% |
| Median | $102,350 | $73,810 | −27.9% |
| 75th percentile | $118,660 | $101,930 | −14.1% |
| 90th percentile | $124,070 | $131,680 | +6.1% |
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
- Electricians in Chicago · Electricians 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.