Chicago vs. San Francisco
Sales Managers. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 11-2022
Fig. 1 — Side by side
Both distributions, one scale
10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
Table 1 — Adjusted
San Francisco's median is 7.6% higher — but after local prices, the advantage flips: a median salary goes further in Chicago.
Chicago's median $158,690 buys $153,200 at national prices (price parity 103.6); San Francisco's $170,810 buys $147,700 (115.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is San Francisco against Chicago.
| Chicago | San Francisco | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 25,390 | 17,770 | −30.0% |
| 10th percentile | $80,060 | $78,120 | −2.4% |
| 25th percentile | $110,000 | $114,990 | +4.5% |
| Median | $158,690 | $170,810 | +7.6% |
| 75th percentile | $212,000 | $258,330 | +21.9% |
| 90th percentile | $288,430 | $336,650 | +16.7% |
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
- Sales Managers in Chicago · Sales Managers in San Francisco
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.