Atlanta vs. Chicago
Managers, All Other. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 11-9199
Fig. 1 — Side by side
Both distributions, one scale
10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
Table 1 — Adjusted
Chicago's median is 11.5% higher — but after local prices, Chicago still leads by 7.7%.
Atlanta's median $130,340 buys $130,300 at national prices (price parity 100.1); Chicago's $145,370 buys $140,300 (103.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Chicago against Atlanta.
| Atlanta | Chicago | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 24,490 | 26,170 | +6.9% |
| 10th percentile | $74,300 | $83,320 | +12.1% |
| 25th percentile | $96,170 | $109,590 | +14.0% |
| Median | $130,340 | $145,370 | +11.5% |
| 75th percentile | $169,570 | $189,350 | +11.7% |
| 90th percentile | $217,520 | $239,340 | +10.0% |
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
- Managers, All Other in Atlanta · Managers, All Other in Chicago
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.