2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

Atlanta vs. Los Angeles

Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.

Data released May 2025 BLS OEWS · SOC 35-9031
Fig. 1 — Side by side

Both distributions, one scale

10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
20k30k40k ATLANTA $28,560 LOS ANGELES $36,920
Table 1 — Adjusted

Los Angeles's median is 29.3% higher — but after local prices, Los Angeles still leads by 13.9%.

Atlanta's median $28,560 buys $28,500 at national prices (price parity 100.1); Los Angeles's $36,920 buys $32,500 (113.6).

Table 2 — The figures

Point by point

Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Los Angeles against Atlanta.

AtlantaLos AngelesΔ
Employment11,94015,340+28.5%
10th percentile$20,000$35,000+75.0%
25th percentile$21,930$35,870+63.6%
Median$28,560$36,920+29.3%
75th percentile$33,700$43,040+27.7%
90th percentile$35,020$46,060+31.5%
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
Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop in Atlanta · Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop 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.