Chicago vs. New York
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
New York's median is 1.8% 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); New York's $100,800 buys $89,500 (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 | 32,790 | 75,780 | +131.1% |
| 10th percentile | $60,380 | $63,480 | +5.1% |
| 25th percentile | $76,440 | $78,760 | +3.0% |
| Median | $98,970 | $100,800 | +1.8% |
| 75th percentile | $126,420 | $130,570 | +3.3% |
| 90th percentile | $140,600 | $136,340 | −3.0% |
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 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.