Chicago vs. Dallas
Human Resources Specialists. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 13-1071
Fig. 1 — Side by side
Both distributions, one scale
10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
Table 1 — Adjusted
Chicago's median is 9.6% higher — but after local prices, Chicago still leads by 9.2%.
Chicago's median $78,210 buys $75,500 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Dallas's $70,700 buys $68,600 (103.1).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Dallas against Chicago.
| Chicago | Dallas | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 26,470 | 29,190 | +10.3% |
| 10th percentile | $49,580 | $39,630 | −20.1% |
| 25th percentile | $61,470 | $51,820 | −15.7% |
| Median | $78,210 | $70,700 | −9.6% |
| 75th percentile | $100,550 | $92,490 | −8.0% |
| 90th percentile | $125,220 | $120,190 | −4.0% |
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
- Human Resources Specialists in Chicago · Human Resources Specialists 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.