Boston vs. Chicago
Nursing Assistants. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 31-1131
Fig. 1 — Side by side
Both distributions, one scale
10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
Table 1 — Adjusted
Boston's median is 1.4% higher — but after local prices, the advantage flips: a median salary goes further in Chicago.
Boston's median $47,590 buys $44,000 at national prices (price parity 108.3); Chicago's $46,940 buys $45,300 (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 | 26,130 | 45,850 | +75.5% |
| 10th percentile | $40,190 | $38,980 | −3.0% |
| 25th percentile | $44,940 | $42,940 | −4.5% |
| Median | $47,590 | $46,940 | −1.4% |
| 75th percentile | $50,060 | $49,060 | −2.0% |
| 90th percentile | $59,450 | $54,450 | −8.4% |
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
- Nursing Assistants in Boston · Nursing Assistants 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.