Chicago vs. New York
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 22.8% higher — but after local prices, Chicago still leads by 28.9%.
Chicago's median $102,350 buys $98,800 at national prices (price parity 103.6); New York's $79,020 buys $70,200 (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 | 17,720 | 36,550 | +106.3% |
| 10th percentile | $49,890 | $46,170 | −7.5% |
| 25th percentile | $74,400 | $61,990 | −16.7% |
| Median | $102,350 | $79,020 | −22.8% |
| 75th percentile | $118,660 | $126,030 | +6.2% |
| 90th percentile | $124,070 | $132,170 | +6.5% |
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 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.