Chicago vs. Los Angeles
Fast Food and Counter Workers. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 35-3023
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 21.6% higher — but after local prices, Los Angeles still leads by 10.9%.
Chicago's median $34,630 buys $33,400 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $42,110 buys $37,100 (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 | 97,280 | 160,270 | +64.8% |
| 10th percentile | $31,200 | $35,720 | +14.5% |
| 25th percentile | $31,200 | $36,540 | +17.1% |
| Median | $34,630 | $42,110 | +21.6% |
| 75th percentile | $36,590 | $44,470 | +21.5% |
| 90th percentile | $38,610 | $46,830 | +21.3% |
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
- Fast Food and Counter Workers in Chicago · Fast Food and Counter 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.