Chicago vs. Los Angeles
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
Los Angeles's median is 4.5% higher — but after local prices, the advantage flips: a median salary goes further in Chicago.
Chicago's median $40,550 buys $39,100 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $42,390 buys $37,300 (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 | 157,920 | 120,720 | −23.6% |
| 10th percentile | $31,860 | $35,890 | +12.6% |
| 25th percentile | $35,920 | $37,190 | +3.5% |
| Median | $40,550 | $42,390 | +4.5% |
| 75th percentile | $47,640 | $47,010 | −1.3% |
| 90th percentile | $56,440 | $56,740 | +0.5% |
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 Chicago · Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 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.