Two metros. The same yardstick.
Chicago vs. Atlanta: income and estimated net worth.
Chicago has the higher single-adult median income at ages 25–34: $57,308 versus $52,098. The difference is $5,210 before any adjustment for living costs.
At those ages, estimated median net worth is $19,843 in Chicago and $16,472 in Atlanta. These are modeled local wealth distributions, not a forecast of what happens when someone moves.
Age 30 falls in the 25–34 band; these are not exact-age city estimates. This is a selected comparison, not a claim about measured migration flows.
Income across life stages.
Estimated wealth across life stages.
| Age band | Chicago | Atlanta |
|---|---|---|
| 18–24 | Not enough local data | Not enough local data |
| 25–34 | $19,843 | $16,472 |
| 35–44 | $21,306 | $25,540 |
| 45–54 | $83,348 | $88,154 |
| 55–64 | $92,954 | $105,800 |
| 65–74 | $143,546 | $139,420 |
| 75+ | $208,438 | $207,286 |
A higher income or wealth median does not establish a better place to live. These tables do not adjust for taxes, rent, household needs or local prices, and wealth is a model reweighted by income.
Other questions worth asking.
All metro comparisons and national age benchmarks →
- Average net worth at 25: national context
- Average net worth at 30: national context
- Average net worth at 35: national context
- Average net worth at 40: national context
- Median income at 30: national context
- What income is top 10% or top 1% in Chicago?
- Chicago vs. Atlanta
- Seattle vs. Chicago
- Chicago vs. Minneapolis–St. Paul