At a glance
The nominal median for Management Analysts is $105,090 in Chicago versus $101,100 in St. Louis, a gap of $3,990 a year.
After the BEA 2024 price adjustment the order flips and St. Louis leads: $106,323 versus $101,443, a gap of $4,880.
Published medians for the occupation, not an offer, take-home pay or a relocation recommendation.
Sources: BLS wages (May 2025) · BEA price parity (2024) · Census ACS (2020–2024) · metro areas, not city limits · How we calculate
Chicago vs. St. Louis: key measures
For the BLS Management Analysts classification, this comparison holds the occupation code constant between Chicago and St. Louis. It pairs reported wage percentiles with regional prices, metro rents and commuting context. The metrics are not job offers, apartment quotes or a complete household budget. The figures describe metropolitan statistical areas, not city limits.
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| Measure | Chicago | St. Louis |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile annual wage (BLS) | $60,760 | $61,830 |
| 25th percentile annual wage (BLS) | $81,580 | $78,210 |
| Annual occupational median (BLS) | $105,090 | $101,100 |
| 75th percentile annual wage (BLS) | $137,080 | $130,310 |
| 90th percentile annual wage (BLS) | $177,770 | $164,770 |
| Price-adjusted median (site calculation) | $101,443 | $106,323 |
| All-items RPP (BEA) | 103.595 | 95.088 |
| Median gross rent / month (ACS) | $1,430 | $1,113 |
| 45+ minute commute share (ACS) | 23.5% | 12.2% |
The price-adjusted wage equals the BLS May 2025 annual occupational median × 100 ÷ the BEA 2024 all-items regional price parity. Census rent, household income and commuting figures are ACS 2020–2024 five-year estimates. They describe different populations and do not determine take-home pay, employment prospects or individual rent. ACS gross rent includes contract rent plus estimated utility and fuel costs.
What changes when location is considered?
Chicago leads on published nominal annual median pay by $3,990. St. Louis leads on the national-price-equivalent median by $4,880. The higher nominal wage reverses after the broad price adjustment.
These are different lenses: the nominal figures come from BLS, while the adjusted metric uses the 2024 BEA all-items regional price parity (103.6 for Chicago versus 95.1 for St. Louis). Neither is a prediction of an actual offer.
Chicago has a higher metro-wide ACS monthly median gross rent by $317. The share of workers with one-way trips of at least 45 minutes is 11.3 percentage points higher in Chicago.
How Chicago and St. Louis rank for this occupation
Out of the 74 curated metros with a reported management analysts median, Chicago ranks 14th on nominal median pay and 32nd on price-adjusted pay. St. Louis ranks 30th nominal and 18th adjusted. The middle adjusted median across all 74 metros is $99,958: Chicago’s ($101,443) is 1.5% above that middle value and St. Louis’s ($106,323) is 6.4% above it.
Ranks compare published medians for this one occupation. See all 74 metros for management analysts for the full list.
Pay at each percentile and how common the job is
After the BEA price adjustment, Chicago is higher at 0 of the 5 published percentile levels and St. Louis at 5. The 90th percentile is 2.9× the 10th in Chicago and 2.7× in St. Louis; the middle half of wages spans 53% of the median in Chicago and 52% in St. Louis.
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| Percentile | Chicago adjusted | St. Louis adjusted | Higher after adjustment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $58,651 | $65,024 | St. Louis |
| 25th | $78,749 | $82,250 | St. Louis |
| 50th (median) | $101,443 | $106,323 | St. Louis |
| 75th | $132,323 | $137,041 | St. Louis |
| 90th | $171,601 | $173,282 | St. Louis |
Twelve months of median gross rent equals 16% of the management analysts median wage in Chicago and 13% in St. Louis (a lens, not a budget). BLS estimates 37,510 such workers in Chicago and 5,100 in St. Louis. Per 10,000 commuting workers that is 98.2 versus 43.4, ranking 12th and 53rd of 74 metros (middle value 60.4). These are employment estimates, not open vacancies.
A role-specific offer checklist for this comparison
Match the actual work: Management analyst roles span consulting firms and in-house operations. Occupational medians cannot isolate seniority, consulting specialization or bonus structures. Before treating the median difference as a personal salary difference, confirm that both positions share responsibilities, experience requirements and hours, and compare written offers with local rent quotes. The full checklist has the steps.
How reliable are the surrounding housing estimates?
These ACS medians are 2020–2024 five-year metro estimates with published margins of error. Household income covers households, not workers in this occupation.
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| ACS metro context | Chicago | St. Louis |
|---|---|---|
| Median gross rent (± MOE) | $1,430 ± $6 | $1,113 ± $7 |
| Median household income (± MOE) | $90,887 ± $454 | $80,196 ± $701 |
Neither displayed rent nor income estimate crosses the site’s 30% relative-MOE caution threshold. Sampling uncertainty still applies. The 30% flag is our editorial rule, not a Census certification. See the methodology.
How should I use these figures for a relocation decision?
Start with written offers and real housing quotes, then enter them in the browser-only worksheet. Rent is already part of the price parity, so do not subtract it again from a price-adjusted salary. These comparisons are not placement, tax or financial advice.