Chicago vs. Los Angeles
Food Preparation Workers. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 35-2021
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 12.3% higher — but after local prices, Los Angeles still leads by 2.5%.
Chicago's median $35,410 buys $34,200 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $39,770 buys $35,000 (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 | 27,100 | 44,930 | +65.8% |
| 10th percentile | $31,200 | $36,000 | +15.4% |
| 25th percentile | $31,200 | $37,500 | +20.2% |
| Median | $35,410 | $39,770 | +12.3% |
| 75th percentile | $38,870 | $44,170 | +13.6% |
| 90th percentile | $45,330 | $46,810 | +3.3% |
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
- Food Preparation Workers in Chicago · Food Preparation 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.