Boston vs. Chicago
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 21-1018
Fig. 1 — Side by side
Both distributions, one scale
10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
Table 1 — Adjusted
Boston's median is 0.9% higher — but after local prices, the advantage flips: a median salary goes further in Chicago.
Boston's median $62,130 buys $57,400 at national prices (price parity 108.3); Chicago's $61,600 buys $59,500 (103.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is Chicago against Boston.
| Boston | Chicago | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 11,150 | 15,580 | +39.7% |
| 10th percentile | $45,450 | $43,010 | −5.4% |
| 25th percentile | $48,350 | $47,770 | −1.2% |
| Median | $62,130 | $61,600 | −0.9% |
| 75th percentile | $77,820 | $82,950 | +6.6% |
| 90th percentile | $98,210 | $114,770 | +16.9% |
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
- Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors in Boston · Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselors in Chicago
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.