Chicago vs. New York
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 41-4012
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 7.7% higher — but at national prices the two medians buy almost exactly the same.
Chicago's median $75,350 buys $72,700 at national prices (price parity 103.6); New York's $81,140 buys $72,100 (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 | 38,490 | 61,860 | +60.7% |
| 10th percentile | $46,240 | $48,160 | +4.2% |
| 25th percentile | $58,550 | $61,010 | +4.2% |
| Median | $75,350 | $81,140 | +7.7% |
| 75th percentile | $101,640 | $120,200 | +18.3% |
| 90th percentile | $137,000 | $161,940 | +18.2% |
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 Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products in Chicago · Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products 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.