Atlanta vs. Chicago
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 53-7062
Fig. 1 — Side by side
Both distributions, one scale
10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
Table 1 — Adjusted
Chicago's median is 3.9% higher — but at national prices the two medians buy almost exactly the same.
Atlanta's median $39,020 buys $39,000 at national prices (price parity 100.1); Chicago's $40,550 buys $39,100 (103.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Chicago against Atlanta.
| Atlanta | Chicago | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 78,460 | 157,920 | +101.3% |
| 10th percentile | $31,460 | $31,860 | +1.3% |
| 25th percentile | $36,070 | $35,920 | −0.4% |
| Median | $39,020 | $40,550 | +3.9% |
| 75th percentile | $46,840 | $47,640 | +1.7% |
| 90th percentile | $52,510 | $56,440 | +7.5% |
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
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in Atlanta · Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in Chicago
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.