Chicago vs. Philadelphia
Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 25-2011
Fig. 1 — Side by side
Both distributions, one scale
10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
Table 1 — Adjusted
Chicago's median is 14.6% higher — but after local prices, Chicago still leads by 13.8%.
Chicago's median $43,050 buys $41,600 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Philadelphia's $36,750 buys $35,800 (102.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Philadelphia against Chicago.
| Chicago | Philadelphia | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 17,180 | 15,260 | −11.2% |
| 10th percentile | $36,650 | $30,350 | −17.2% |
| 25th percentile | $37,750 | $35,470 | −6.0% |
| Median | $43,050 | $36,750 | −14.6% |
| 75th percentile | $47,250 | $44,030 | −6.8% |
| 90th percentile | $61,120 | $59,280 | −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
- Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in Chicago · Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education in Philadelphia
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.