Chicago vs. Los Angeles
Recreation Workers. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 39-9032
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 8.3% higher — but at national prices the two medians buy almost exactly the same.
Chicago's median $35,830 buys $34,600 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $38,790 buys $34,200 (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 | 13,670 | 17,850 | +30.6% |
| 10th percentile | $31,200 | $36,100 | +15.7% |
| 25th percentile | $32,810 | $37,420 | +14.1% |
| Median | $35,830 | $38,790 | +8.3% |
| 75th percentile | $41,600 | $44,510 | +7.0% |
| 90th percentile | $48,130 | $48,790 | +1.4% |
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
- Recreation Workers in Chicago · Recreation Workers 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.