Chicago vs. Los Angeles
Retail Salespersons. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 41-2031
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 5.2% higher — but after local prices, the advantage flips: a median salary goes further in Chicago.
Chicago's median $35,820 buys $34,600 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $37,700 buys $33,200 (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 | 96,950 | 130,650 | +34.8% |
| 10th percentile | $31,200 | $35,760 | +14.6% |
| 25th percentile | $33,800 | $36,510 | +8.0% |
| Median | $35,820 | $37,700 | +5.2% |
| 75th percentile | $38,380 | $45,570 | +18.7% |
| 90th percentile | $48,580 | $54,650 | +12.5% |
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
- Retail Salespersons in Chicago · Retail Salespersons 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.