Chicago vs. Los Angeles
Office Clerks, General. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 43-9061
Fig. 1 — Side by side
Both distributions, one scale
10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
Table 1 — Adjusted
Los Angeles's median is 3.8% higher — but after local prices, the advantage flips: a median salary goes further in Chicago.
Chicago's median $46,330 buys $44,700 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $48,100 buys $42,400 (113.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Los Angeles against Chicago.
| Chicago | Los Angeles | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 66,840 | 112,270 | +68.0% |
| 10th percentile | $32,580 | $36,120 | +10.9% |
| 25th percentile | $37,710 | $39,590 | +5.0% |
| Median | $46,330 | $48,100 | +3.8% |
| 75th percentile | $57,790 | $59,270 | +2.6% |
| 90th percentile | $72,910 | $70,740 | −3.0% |
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
- Office Clerks, General in Chicago · Office Clerks, General 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.