2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

Chicago vs. Dallas

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.

Data released May 2025 BLS OEWS · SOC 25-2031
Fig. 1 — Side by side

Both distributions, one scale

10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
75k100k125k CHICAGO $98,970 DALLAS $65,890
Table 1 — Adjusted

Chicago's median is 33.4% higher — but after local prices, Chicago still leads by 33.1%.

Chicago's median $98,970 buys $95,500 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Dallas's $65,890 buys $63,900 (103.1).

Table 2 — The figures

Point by point

Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Dallas against Chicago.

ChicagoDallasΔ
Employment32,79028,000−14.6%
10th percentile$60,380$61,470+1.8%
25th percentile$76,440$63,450−17.0%
Median$98,970$65,890−33.4%
75th percentile$126,420$75,770−40.1%
90th percentile$140,600$77,760−44.7%
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
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in Chicago · Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education in Dallas

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.