Chicago vs. Los Angeles
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 51-9061
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 6.9% higher — but after local prices, the advantage flips: a median salary goes further in Chicago.
Chicago's median $48,230 buys $46,600 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $51,560 buys $45,400 (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 | 23,080 | 22,610 | −2.0% |
| 10th percentile | $36,370 | $38,470 | +5.8% |
| 25th percentile | $41,620 | $44,720 | +7.4% |
| Median | $48,230 | $51,560 | +6.9% |
| 75th percentile | $60,340 | $63,980 | +6.0% |
| 90th percentile | $77,320 | $82,200 | +6.3% |
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
- Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers in Chicago · Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers 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.