Los Angeles vs. New York
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 15.9% higher — but after local prices, Los Angeles still leads by 15.1%.
Los Angeles's median $42,110 buys $37,100 at national prices (price parity 113.6); New York's $35,420 buys $31,500 (112.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is New York against Los Angeles.
| Los Angeles | New York | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 160,270 | 166,040 | +3.6% |
| 10th percentile | $35,720 | $33,070 | −7.4% |
| 25th percentile | $36,540 | $34,480 | −5.6% |
| Median | $42,110 | $35,420 | −15.9% |
| 75th percentile | $44,470 | $37,790 | −15.0% |
| 90th percentile | $46,830 | $44,130 | −5.8% |
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 Los Angeles · Fast Food and Counter Workers 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.