2026 Edition · An annual reference on what work pays

Los Angeles vs. Philadelphia

Social and Human Service Assistants. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.

Data released May 2025 BLS OEWS · SOC 21-1093
Fig. 1 — Side by side

Both distributions, one scale

10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
40k50k60k70k LOS ANGELES $50,330 PHILADELPHIA $45,370
Table 1 — Adjusted

Los Angeles's median is 9.9% higher — but at national prices the two medians buy almost exactly the same.

Los Angeles's median $50,330 buys $44,300 at national prices (price parity 113.6); Philadelphia's $45,370 buys $44,200 (102.6).

Table 2 — The figures

Point by point

Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Philadelphia against Los Angeles.

Los AngelesPhiladelphiaΔ
Employment18,79012,160−35.3%
10th percentile$38,380$36,090−6.0%
25th percentile$46,070$38,420−16.6%
Median$50,330$45,370−9.9%
75th percentile$61,150$49,740−18.7%
90th percentile$70,900$61,600−13.1%
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.
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Social and Human Service Assistants in Los Angeles · Social and Human Service Assistants in Philadelphia

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.