Boston vs. Los Angeles
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 18.9% higher — but after local prices, Boston still leads by 22.7%.
Boston's median $102,390 buys $94,600 at national prices (price parity 108.3); Los Angeles's $82,990 buys $73,100 (113.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Los Angeles against Boston.
| Boston | Los Angeles | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 32,310 | 39,390 | +21.9% |
| 10th percentile | $59,730 | $48,720 | −18.4% |
| 25th percentile | $78,060 | $64,060 | −17.9% |
| Median | $102,390 | $82,990 | −18.9% |
| 75th percentile | $134,140 | $120,960 | −9.8% |
| 90th percentile | $167,440 | $157,370 | −6.0% |
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
- Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists in Boston · Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists 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.