2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

Chicago vs. Los Angeles

Medical and Health Services Managers. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.

Data released May 2025 BLS OEWS · SOC 11-9111
Fig. 1 — Side by side

Both distributions, one scale

10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
100k150k200k CHICAGO $123,090 LOS ANGELES $134,230
Table 1 — Adjusted

Los Angeles's median is 9.1% higher — but at national prices the two medians buy almost exactly the same.

Chicago's median $123,090 buys $118,800 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $134,230 buys $118,200 (113.6).

Table 2 — The figures

Point by point

Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Los Angeles against Chicago.

ChicagoLos AngelesΔ
Employment16,68023,740+42.3%
10th percentile$77,120$68,630−11.0%
25th percentile$97,010$95,530−1.5%
Median$123,090$134,230+9.1%
75th percentile$168,030$182,850+8.8%
90th percentile$226,080$228,400+1.0%
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
Medical and Health Services Managers in Chicago · Medical and Health Services Managers 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.