2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

Chicago vs. Los Angeles

Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.

Data released May 2025 BLS OEWS · SOC 37-3011
Fig. 1 — Side by side

Both distributions, one scale

10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
40k50k60k CHICAGO $45,280 LOS ANGELES $44,650
Table 1 — Adjusted

Chicago's median is 1.4% higher — but after local prices, Chicago still leads by 10.0%.

Chicago's median $45,280 buys $43,700 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $44,650 buys $39,300 (113.6).

Table 2 — The figures

Point by point

Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Los Angeles against Chicago.

ChicagoLos AngelesΔ
Employment25,16027,860+10.7%
10th percentile$34,200$37,120+8.5%
25th percentile$38,160$38,240+0.2%
Median$45,280$44,650−1.4%
75th percentile$47,700$49,030+2.8%
90th percentile$61,250$59,430−3.0%
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
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers in Chicago · Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers 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.