Boston vs. Chicago
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 13-1161
Fig. 1 — Side by side
Both distributions, one scale
10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
Table 1 — Adjusted
Boston's median is 21.5% higher — but after local prices, Boston still leads by 17.9%.
Boston's median $102,390 buys $94,600 at national prices (price parity 108.3); Chicago's $80,400 buys $77,600 (103.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Chicago against Boston.
| Boston | Chicago | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 32,310 | 30,970 | −4.1% |
| 10th percentile | $59,730 | $49,910 | −16.4% |
| 25th percentile | $78,060 | $62,160 | −20.4% |
| Median | $102,390 | $80,400 | −21.5% |
| 75th percentile | $134,140 | $105,710 | −21.2% |
| 90th percentile | $167,440 | $140,260 | −16.2% |
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
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists in Boston · Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists 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.