Chicago vs. Los Angeles
Pharmacy Technicians. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 29-2052
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 8.4% higher — but at national prices the two medians buy almost exactly the same.
Chicago's median $46,820 buys $45,200 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $50,760 buys $44,700 (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 | 15,830 | 13,130 | −17.1% |
| 10th percentile | $37,780 | $39,820 | +5.4% |
| 25th percentile | $38,830 | $45,180 | +16.4% |
| Median | $46,820 | $50,760 | +8.4% |
| 75th percentile | $49,950 | $62,910 | +25.9% |
| 90th percentile | $59,170 | $78,850 | +33.3% |
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
- Pharmacy Technicians in Chicago · Pharmacy Technicians 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.