Chicago vs. Los Angeles
Self-Enrichment Teachers. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 25-3021
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 9.0% higher — but at national prices the two medians buy almost exactly the same.
Chicago's median $45,020 buys $43,500 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $49,070 buys $43,200 (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 | 12,740 | 22,400 | +75.8% |
| 10th percentile | $31,270 | $36,530 | +16.8% |
| 25th percentile | $35,730 | $39,050 | +9.3% |
| Median | $45,020 | $49,070 | +9.0% |
| 75th percentile | $60,810 | $72,800 | +19.7% |
| 90th percentile | $82,210 | $100,620 | +22.4% |
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
- Self-Enrichment Teachers in Chicago · Self-Enrichment Teachers 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.