Chicago vs. New York
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
New York's median is 25.0% higher — but after local prices, New York still leads by 15.1%.
Chicago's median $80,400 buys $77,600 at national prices (price parity 103.6); New York's $100,520 buys $89,300 (112.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is New York against Chicago.
| Chicago | New York | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 30,970 | 79,290 | +156.0% |
| 10th percentile | $49,910 | $60,400 | +21.0% |
| 25th percentile | $62,160 | $76,510 | +23.1% |
| Median | $80,400 | $100,520 | +25.0% |
| 75th percentile | $105,710 | $130,700 | +23.6% |
| 90th percentile | $140,260 | $166,880 | +19.0% |
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 Chicago · Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists in New York
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.