Chicago vs. Los Angeles
Training and Development Specialists. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 13-1151
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 7.4% higher — but after local prices, the advantage flips: a median salary goes further in Chicago.
Chicago's median $67,050 buys $64,700 at national prices (price parity 103.6); Los Angeles's $71,990 buys $63,400 (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 | 10,940 | 15,030 | +37.4% |
| 10th percentile | $39,430 | $38,940 | −1.2% |
| 25th percentile | $48,590 | $47,200 | −2.9% |
| Median | $67,050 | $71,990 | +7.4% |
| 75th percentile | $96,170 | $100,870 | +4.9% |
| 90th percentile | $124,110 | $129,990 | +4.7% |
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
- Training and Development Specialists in Chicago · Training and Development Specialists 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.