Chicago vs. Los Angeles
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
Table 1 — Adjusted
Los Angeles's median is 2.0% higher — but after local prices, the advantage flips: a median salary goes further in Chicago.
Chicago's median $98,970 buys $95,500 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $100,960 buys $88,900 (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 | 32,790 | 32,250 | −1.6% |
| 10th percentile | $60,380 | $67,190 | +11.3% |
| 25th percentile | $76,440 | $81,430 | +6.5% |
| Median | $98,970 | $100,960 | +2.0% |
| 75th percentile | $126,420 | $126,650 | +0.2% |
| 90th percentile | $140,600 | $133,850 | −4.8% |
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 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.