Chicago vs. Philadelphia
Receptionists and Information Clerks. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 43-4171
Fig. 1 — Side by side
Both distributions, one scale
10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
Table 1 — Adjusted
Chicago's median is 0.1% higher — but at national prices the two medians buy almost exactly the same.
Chicago's median $38,060 buys $36,700 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Philadelphia's $38,030 buys $37,100 (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 | 30,540 | 22,210 | −27.3% |
| 10th percentile | $31,690 | $27,520 | −13.2% |
| 25th percentile | $34,960 | $34,030 | −2.7% |
| Median | $38,060 | $38,030 | −0.1% |
| 75th percentile | $45,140 | $45,340 | +0.4% |
| 90th percentile | $49,560 | $49,500 | −0.1% |
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
- Receptionists and Information Clerks in Chicago · Receptionists and Information Clerks 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.