Los Angeles vs. Washington
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
Washington's median is 25.7% higher — but after local prices, Washington still leads by 31.1%.
Los Angeles's median $80,220 buys $70,600 at national prices (price parity 113.6); Washington's $100,830 buys $92,600 (108.9).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Washington against Los Angeles.
| Los Angeles | Washington | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 36,850 | 24,450 | −33.6% |
| 10th percentile | $51,730 | $60,940 | +17.8% |
| 25th percentile | $63,410 | $76,070 | +20.0% |
| Median | $80,220 | $100,830 | +25.7% |
| 75th percentile | $105,560 | $131,510 | +24.6% |
| 90th percentile | $134,130 | $158,940 | +18.5% |
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
- Human Resources Specialists in Los Angeles · Human Resources Specialists in Washington
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.