Chicago vs. Los Angeles
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
Table 1 — Adjusted
Los Angeles's median is 0.5% higher — but after local prices, the advantage flips: a median salary goes further in Chicago.
Chicago's median $101,750 buys $98,200 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $102,260 buys $90,000 (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 | 17,150 | 19,600 | +14.3% |
| 10th percentile | $67,480 | $67,500 | +0.0% |
| 25th percentile | $79,330 | $82,990 | +4.6% |
| Median | $101,750 | $102,260 | +0.5% |
| 75th percentile | $129,950 | $134,150 | +3.2% |
| 90th percentile | $167,300 | $181,190 | +8.3% |
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
- Financial and Investment Analysts in Chicago · Financial and Investment Analysts 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.