2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

Chicago vs. Dallas

Financial and Investment Analysts. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.

Data released May 2025 BLS OEWS · SOC 13-2051
Fig. 1 — Side by side

Both distributions, one scale

10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
100k150k CHICAGO $101,750 DALLAS $100,350
Table 1 — Adjusted

Chicago's median is 1.4% higher — but at national prices the two medians buy almost exactly the same.

Chicago's median $101,750 buys $98,200 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Dallas's $100,350 buys $97,300 (103.1).

Table 2 — The figures

Point by point

Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Dallas against Chicago.

ChicagoDallasΔ
Employment17,15011,530−32.8%
10th percentile$67,480$64,040−5.1%
25th percentile$79,330$77,930−1.8%
Median$101,750$100,350−1.4%
75th percentile$129,950$127,970−1.5%
90th percentile$167,300$186,510+11.5%
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
Financial and Investment Analysts in Chicago · Financial and Investment Analysts in Dallas

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.