Chicago vs. New York
Waiters and Waitresses. Median, spread and buying power, side by side.
Data released May 2025
BLS OEWS · SOC 35-3031
Fig. 1 — Side by side
Both distributions, one scale
10th to 90th percentile, median struck in red
Table 1 — Adjusted
New York's median is 52.6% higher — but after local prices, New York still leads by 40.4%.
Chicago's median $31,200 buys $30,100 at national prices (price parity 103.6); New York's $47,610 buys $42,300 (112.6).
Table 2 — The figures
Point by point
Published percentiles for both metros; the last column is New York against Chicago.
| Chicago | New York | Δ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment | 54,100 | 138,720 | +156.4% |
| 10th percentile | $31,200 | $33,810 | +8.4% |
| 25th percentile | $31,200 | $35,310 | +13.2% |
| Median | $31,200 | $47,610 | +52.6% |
| 75th percentile | $35,800 | $64,480 | +80.1% |
| 90th percentile | $50,410 | $95,610 | +89.7% |
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
- Waiters and Waitresses in Chicago · Waiters and Waitresses in New York
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.