Chicago vs. Washington
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
Washington's median is 17.1% higher — but after local prices, Washington still leads by 11.4%.
Chicago's median $39,990 buys $38,600 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Washington's $46,830 buys $43,000 (108.9).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Washington against Chicago.
| Chicago | Washington | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 48,360 | 40,950 | −15.3% |
| 10th percentile | $35,940 | $36,530 | +1.6% |
| 25th percentile | $37,060 | $38,660 | +4.3% |
| Median | $39,990 | $46,830 | +17.1% |
| 75th percentile | $46,360 | $71,030 | +53.2% |
| 90th percentile | $64,180 | $78,790 | +22.8% |
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
- Security Guards in Chicago · Security Guards in Washington
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.