Chicago vs. Los Angeles
Logisticians. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 13-1081
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 2.3% higher — but after local prices, the advantage flips: a median salary goes further in Chicago.
Chicago's median $79,900 buys $77,100 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $81,730 buys $72,000 (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 | 10,220 | 10,950 | +7.1% |
| 10th percentile | $48,430 | $54,270 | +12.1% |
| 25th percentile | $62,990 | $64,470 | +2.3% |
| Median | $79,900 | $81,730 | +2.3% |
| 75th percentile | $99,320 | $105,320 | +6.0% |
| 90th percentile | $127,150 | $133,960 | +5.4% |
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
- Logisticians in Chicago · Logisticians 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.