Chicago vs. Los Angeles
Security Guards. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 33-9032
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 0.1% higher — but after local prices, the advantage flips: a median salary goes further in Chicago.
Chicago's median $39,990 buys $38,600 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $40,030 buys $35,200 (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 | 48,360 | 83,280 | +72.2% |
| 10th percentile | $35,940 | $36,300 | +1.0% |
| 25th percentile | $37,060 | $37,130 | +0.2% |
| Median | $39,990 | $40,030 | +0.1% |
| 75th percentile | $46,360 | $45,730 | −1.4% |
| 90th percentile | $64,180 | $56,750 | −11.6% |
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
- Security Guards in Chicago · Security Guards 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.