Philadelphia vs. Washington
Physicians, All Other. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 29-1229
Fig. 1 — Side by side
Both distributions, one scale
10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
Table 1 — Adjusted
Philadelphia's median is 15.1% higher — but after local prices, Philadelphia still leads by 20.0%.
Philadelphia's median $245,810 buys $239,700 at national prices (price parity 102.6); Washington's $208,710 buys $191,700 (108.9).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Washington against Philadelphia.
| Philadelphia | Washington | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 11,380 | 10,650 | −6.4% |
| 10th percentile | $75,590 | $77,430 | +2.4% |
| 25th percentile | $92,920 | $105,860 | +13.9% |
| Median | $245,810 | $208,710 | −15.1% |
| 75th percentile | $349,980 | $313,520 | −10.4% |
| 90th percentile | $391,750 | $402,900 | +2.8% |
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
- Physicians, All Other in Philadelphia · Physicians, All Other in Washington
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.