2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

Los Angeles vs. New York

Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.

Data released May 2025 BLS OEWS · SOC 51-9111
Fig. 1 — Side by side

Both distributions, one scale

10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
40k50k60k LOS ANGELES $43,470 NEW YORK $38,790
Table 1 — Adjusted

Los Angeles's median is 10.8% higher — but after local prices, Los Angeles still leads by 10.0%.

Los Angeles's median $43,470 buys $38,300 at national prices (price parity 113.6); New York's $38,790 buys $34,500 (112.6).

Table 2 — The figures

Point by point

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

Los AngelesNew YorkΔ
Employment13,99016,110+15.2%
10th percentile$35,820$34,200−4.5%
25th percentile$37,370$36,310−2.8%
Median$43,470$38,790−10.8%
75th percentile$48,380$47,850−1.1%
90th percentile$61,560$59,200−3.8%
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
Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders in Los Angeles · Packaging and Filling Machine Operators and Tenders 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.