BEA regional price parities, 2024

Compare a wage in two metros

The dollars BLS published, then those dollars in national prices. A higher wage in a more expensive metro can buy less.

Veterinarians in Logan, UT-ID and Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

MetroPublished medianEmploymentPrice parityIn national prices
Logan, UT-ID$103,4903095.927$107,884
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$132,2801,34098.629$134,119

Veterinarians in Logan, UT-ID · Veterinarians in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

A wage of $106,405 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX has about the same purchasing power as the $103,490 median in Logan, UT-ID. In the other direction, $128,656 in Logan, UT-ID matches the $132,280 median in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.

Price parities describe a broad price level for 2024. Wages are May 2025. The index is not a household budget and it is not a cost-of-living allowance. How the comparison works.

Questions this page answers

How are wages adjusted for local prices?

A nominal wage is divided by the metro's 2024 all-items regional price parity and multiplied by 100. The United States equals 100. The parity is the Bureau of Economic Analysis series released February 19, 2026. The wages are the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

What salary in one metro matches a salary in another?

Multiply the salary by the second metro's price parity and divide by the first metro's price parity. The comparison page does that for the published median and for a wage you enter.