Chicago vs. New York
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
New York's median is 7.3% 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); New York's $38,440 buys $34,100 (112.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is New York against Chicago.
| Chicago | New York | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 13,670 | 21,900 | +60.2% |
| 10th percentile | $31,200 | $34,460 | +10.4% |
| 25th percentile | $32,810 | $35,740 | +8.9% |
| Median | $35,830 | $38,440 | +7.3% |
| 75th percentile | $41,600 | $46,480 | +11.7% |
| 90th percentile | $48,130 | $54,990 | +14.3% |
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 New York
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.