Chicago vs. New York
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
New York's median is 6.9% higher — but at national prices the two medians buy almost exactly the same.
Chicago's median $35,820 buys $34,600 at national prices (price parity 103.6); New York's $38,280 buys $34,000 (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 | 96,950 | 202,080 | +108.4% |
| 10th percentile | $31,200 | $34,680 | +11.2% |
| 25th percentile | $33,800 | $36,560 | +8.2% |
| Median | $35,820 | $38,280 | +6.9% |
| 75th percentile | $38,380 | $45,080 | +17.5% |
| 90th percentile | $48,580 | $60,940 | +25.4% |
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
- Retail Salespersons in Chicago · Retail Salespersons 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.