Chicago vs. San Francisco
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
San Francisco's median is 32.1% higher — but after local prices, San Francisco still leads by 18.4%.
Chicago's median $45,020 buys $43,500 at national prices (price parity 103.6); San Francisco's $59,470 buys $51,400 (115.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is San Francisco against Chicago.
| Chicago | San Francisco | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 12,740 | 10,540 | −17.3% |
| 10th percentile | $31,270 | $42,560 | +36.1% |
| 25th percentile | $35,730 | $46,100 | +29.0% |
| Median | $45,020 | $59,470 | +32.1% |
| 75th percentile | $60,810 | $91,940 | +51.2% |
| 90th percentile | $82,210 | $119,970 | +45.9% |
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 San Francisco
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.