Chicago vs. Washington
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
Washington's median is 17.6% higher — but after local prices, Washington still leads by 11.9%.
Chicago's median $145,370 buys $140,300 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Washington's $170,980 buys $157,000 (108.9).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Washington against Chicago.
| Chicago | Washington | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 26,170 | 42,010 | +60.5% |
| 10th percentile | $83,320 | $128,610 | +54.4% |
| 25th percentile | $109,590 | $151,990 | +38.7% |
| Median | $145,370 | $170,980 | +17.6% |
| 75th percentile | $189,350 | $195,190 | +3.1% |
| 90th percentile | $239,340 | $221,230 | −7.6% |
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 Chicago · Managers, All Other 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.