Chicago vs. New York
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
New York's median is 2.9% 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); New York's $47,670 buys $42,300 (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 | 66,840 | 136,580 | +104.3% |
| 10th percentile | $32,580 | $34,640 | +6.3% |
| 25th percentile | $37,710 | $37,850 | +0.4% |
| Median | $46,330 | $47,670 | +2.9% |
| 75th percentile | $57,790 | $58,380 | +1.0% |
| 90th percentile | $72,910 | $70,520 | −3.3% |
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 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.