2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

Atlanta vs. Los Angeles

Production Workers, All Other. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.

Data released May 2025 BLS OEWS · SOC 51-9199
Fig. 1 — Side by side

Both distributions, one scale

10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
40k60k80k ATLANTA $40,970 LOS ANGELES $39,520
Table 1 — Adjusted

Atlanta's median is 3.5% higher — but after local prices, Atlanta still leads by 15.0%.

Atlanta's median $40,970 buys $40,900 at national prices (price parity 100.1); Los Angeles's $39,520 buys $34,800 (113.6).

Table 2 — The figures

Point by point

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

AtlantaLos AngelesΔ
Employment10,72011,190+4.4%
10th percentile$30,220$36,550+20.9%
25th percentile$35,670$37,090+4.0%
Median$40,970$39,520−3.5%
75th percentile$50,000$49,910−0.2%
90th percentile$60,090$78,550+30.7%
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
Production Workers, All Other in Atlanta · Production Workers, All Other 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.