2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

Dallas 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
30k40k50k DALLAS $38,510 LOS ANGELES $42,390
Table 1 — Adjusted

Los Angeles's median is 10.1% higher — but at national prices the two medians buy almost exactly the same.

Dallas's median $38,510 buys $37,400 at national prices (price parity 103.1); 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 Dallas.

DallasLos AngelesΔ
Employment81,940120,720+47.3%
10th percentile$30,400$35,890+18.1%
25th percentile$35,060$37,190+6.1%
Median$38,510$42,390+10.1%
75th percentile$46,030$47,010+2.1%
90th percentile$54,320$56,740+4.5%
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 Dallas · 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.