May 2025 wages · released May 15, 2026

How much does the job pay in that metro?

Median wage, the 10th to 90th percentile, and the number of people employed, for one occupation in one metropolitan area.

National median$50,980All occupations, annual

Employment155,495,730Wage and salary jobs

In this release830Detailed occupations, 393 metros

A public high school teacher standing in a classroom in the United States — A public high school classroom in the United States. Photograph by Harrison Keely. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

The figures are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025, released May 15, 2026. A page answers one question: how much do people in that occupation make in that metro, and how does the middle of the distribution compare with the state and the country.

How to read a percentile · Compare two metros after prices · Estimate take-home pay

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A wage in a place

Home Health and Personal Care Aides in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: median $39,680, employment 644,700
Home Health and Personal Care Aides in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: median $34,320, employment 385,530
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: median $40,550, employment 157,920
Fast Food and Counter Workers in Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: median $28,070, employment 128,380
Fast Food and Counter Workers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: median $27,570, employment 105,810

Largest occupations

Home Health and Personal Care Aides · 4,305,810 employed · median $35,800
Retail Salespersons · 3,897,860 employed · median $35,410
Fast Food and Counter Workers · 3,854,050 employed · median $31,200
General and Operations Managers · 3,503,020 employed · median $105,770
Registered Nurses · 3,379,720 employed · median $97,550
Cashiers · 3,089,410 employed · median $32,880
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand · 2,950,280 employed · median $40,240
Stockers and Order Fillers · 2,833,810 employed · median $37,330
Customer Service Representatives · 2,595,750 employed · median $44,770
Office Clerks, General · 2,464,940 employed · median $45,010
Waiters and Waitresses · 2,270,910 employed · median $35,230
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners · 2,209,760 employed · median $36,840

High medians, large occupations

Physicians, All Other · median $265,930 · 342,720 employed
General Internal Medicine Physicians · median $256,560 · 67,150 employed
Family Medicine Physicians · median $244,180 · 107,510 employed
Nurse Anesthetists · median $236,590 · 51,840 employed
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers · median $232,140 · 103,560 employed
Chief Executives · median $213,990 · 204,350 employed
Computer and Information Systems Managers · median $175,140 · 670,570 employed
Architectural and Engineering Managers · median $171,270 · 220,260 employed

Largest metros

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

9,492,000 jobs · all-occupations median $61,430 · price parity 112.6

Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

6,271,560 jobs · all-occupations median $55,850 · price parity 113.6

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

4,513,280 jobs · all-occupations median $54,720 · price parity 103.6

Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

4,049,800 jobs · all-occupations median $51,440 · price parity 103.1

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

3,289,720 jobs · all-occupations median $49,410 · price parity 98.6

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

3,136,190 jobs · all-occupations median $71,060 · price parity 108.9

All metropolitan areas · Wages by state · All occupations

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Read the table before you quote it

A percentile is a place in the distribution. A mean is not a median. An hourly wage is not an annual wage times 2,080. A metro is the whole metropolitan area in the BLS title.

Guides on wages, metros, and the take-home estimate

Questions this page answers

How much does a job pay in a metro area?

Choose an occupation and a metropolitan area. The page shows the May 2025 median wage, the 10th to 90th percentile, employment, and a comparison with the state and the nation. Across all occupations, the national median annual wage is $50,980.

Where do the wages come from?

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, released May 15, 2026. Price comparisons use U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metropolitan area, 2024, released February 19, 2026.

What is the take-home figure?

The take-home figure is an estimate for tax year 2026. It subtracts federal income tax, employee Social Security, employee Medicare, Additional Medicare Tax, and state income tax from a yearly wage. It is not a paycheck and it is not a tax return.