2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

Chicago vs. Dallas

General and Operations Managers. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.

Data released May 2025 BLS OEWS · SOC 11-1021
Fig. 1 — Side by side

Both distributions, one scale

10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
100k200k300k CHICAGO $109,390 DALLAS $111,010
Table 1 — Adjusted

Dallas's median is 1.5% higher — but at national prices the two medians buy almost exactly the same.

Chicago's median $109,390 buys $105,600 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Dallas's $111,010 buys $107,700 (103.1).

Table 2 — The figures

Point by point

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

ChicagoDallasΔ
Employment122,930125,090+1.8%
10th percentile$58,000$46,710−19.5%
25th percentile$76,900$71,040−7.6%
Median$109,390$111,010+1.5%
75th percentile$175,170$173,250−1.1%
90th percentile$298,090$279,830−6.1%
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.
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General and Operations Managers in Chicago · General and Operations Managers 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.