New York vs. Washington
Lawyers. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 23-1011
Fig. 1 — Side by side
Both distributions, one scale
10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
Table 1 — Adjusted
New York's median is 6.6% higher — but after local prices, New York still leads by 3.4%.
New York's median $208,880 buys $185,600 at national prices (price parity 112.6); Washington's $195,190 buys $179,300 (108.9).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Washington against New York.
| New York | Washington | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 94,610 | 46,840 | −50.5% |
| 10th percentile | $94,070 | $106,520 | +13.2% |
| 25th percentile | $131,240 | $161,470 | +23.0% |
| Median | $208,880 | $195,190 | −6.6% |
| 75th percentile | $324,310 | $309,140 | −4.7% |
| 90th percentile | $391,620 | $382,890 | −2.2% |
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
- Lawyers in New York · Lawyers in Washington
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.