Explore salary ranges for hundreds of jobs by experience level and location across the US.
Explore salary ranges for hundreds of jobs by experience level and location across the US.
Your salary is not fixed — it is a negotiated outcome influenced by your skills, experience, industry, location, the employer's compensation philosophy, and critically, how effectively you advocate for yourself. Most professionals significantly underestimate their market value and leave thousands of dollars on the table over the course of their careers by accepting initial offers without negotiating or staying in roles without seeking competitive increases. Developing a clear understanding of compensation benchmarks and negotiation strategy is one of the highest-return investments you can make in your career.
Employers set salary ranges based on internal equity (how the role compares to other roles in the organization), external market data from compensation surveys, and their budget constraints. Most positions have a defined pay range with a minimum, midpoint, and maximum. New hires typically start at or below the midpoint; experienced candidates with specialized skills can often negotiate entry at or above the midpoint. Understanding where a role sits within the organization's pay structure helps you target your negotiation appropriately.
Geographic location has an enormous impact on salary levels. A software engineer earning $120,000 in Austin, Texas, would likely earn $180,000 or more in San Francisco for the same work, reflecting differences in local cost of living, talent supply and demand, and concentration of high-paying employers. Remote work has begun to compress some of these geographic differentials, as employers hire talent from lower-cost areas, but significant variation persists. Using a salary explorer to compare compensation across cities, industries, and experience levels gives you the data you need to evaluate whether you are being paid competitively.
Phase 1: Build Long-Term Earnings Power. Most significant salary increases across a career come not from individual negotiation wins, but from strategic career moves compounded over time. Proactively building skills that are in high demand — particularly in data analysis, software development, project management, and specialized technical domains — increases your market value faster than tenure alone. Pursuing professional certifications, completing relevant courses, and taking on stretch assignments that demonstrate expanded capability all strengthen your positioning for above-market compensation over a five- to ten-year horizon.
Lateral moves to new employers are statistically the fastest route to meaningful pay increases. Employees who change jobs every two to three years earn substantially more over their careers than those who stay at one company and rely on merit-based raises, which average 3 to 4 percent annually. Track your professional accomplishments systematically: revenue generated, costs reduced, projects delivered on time, team members managed. These documented results are the foundation of every future compensation conversation, whether at your current employer or a new one. The professionals who earn the most over a career are those who treat skill development and performance metrics as continuous investments — not one-time preparations for a single salary conversation.
Phase 2: Research Your Market Value Before Any Salary Conversation. The single most important preparation step before any salary discussion — whether a job offer negotiation or a raise request — is arriving with documented market data rather than a personal opinion. Employers negotiate salaries constantly; most employees do it a handful of times per career. Closing that information gap is how you ensure you are working from an accurate baseline rather than an arbitrary starting point.
Complete this pre-negotiation research checklist before any salary conversation. First, pull salary data from multiple sources: the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics database (median and percentile wages by occupation and geography, updated annually), LinkedIn Salary (company-specific data and bonus averages), Glassdoor (self-reported ranges with employer reviews), and Levels.fyi for technology roles (includes equity, bonuses, and total compensation breakdowns). Use at least two or three sources — any single platform reflects its own respondent pool and methodology. Second, adjust for your geography: cost-of-living differences make the same title worth 20 to 40 percent more or less depending on location, and most employers expect location-adjusted anchors. Third, identify factors that justify targeting the upper range: specialized certifications or in-demand skills, measurable results from past roles, or years of experience above the role's baseline expectation.
Before any negotiation, write one paragraph explaining specifically why your profile warrants the number you intend to request. That paragraph is your salary anchor — the documented, data-backed case you will use in the conversation itself. Entering a negotiation without this research is the most common and most expensive mistake individual professionals make.
Phase 3: The Negotiation Conversation Itself. Most people never negotiate their salary — and they pay for it every year, since future raises and offers often anchor to the number last accepted. Negotiating is a learnable skill, not a personality trait. Frame your ask as a question rather than a demand: "Based on my research, I was expecting something closer to X — is there flexibility there?" Give a specific number rather than a range, since ranges anchor to the bottom. If base salary cannot move, negotiate the full package: signing bonus, remote flexibility, equity, performance review timing, or professional development budget. The best time to negotiate is after an offer is extended but before you accept, and again after strong performance reviews. Candidates who negotiate earn an average of $5,000 to $10,000 more per year at the same company doing the same work as those who accept the first offer without question.
The same job title can pay dramatically different amounts depending on location. A software engineer earns a median of $165,000 in San Francisco but $95,000 in Phoenix — partly reflecting cost of living differences but also local market supply and demand. Remote work has complicated this picture: some employers now offer location-based pay (adjusting salaries to local market rates), while others pay a flat national rate regardless of where employees live. If you are negotiating a remote role, research whether the company uses location-based pay and factor this into your decision. Living in a lower cost-of-living area while earning a coastal salary can dramatically accelerate wealth building.
Remote work has also created salary arbitrage opportunities that did not exist a decade ago. An engineer hired by a San Francisco company at San Francisco rates who relocates to a low-cost state can significantly improve their real purchasing power without changing employers. However, many employers have adopted location-adjusted pay policies that reduce remote employees' salaries if they move to a lower-cost area — reviewing your employment agreement and HR policies before making geographic decisions based on salary assumptions is essential.
Base salary is often only 60-80% of total compensation. Before accepting or evaluating an offer, calculate the full package: employer 401(k) matching (a 4% match on a $80,000 salary is worth $3,200 per year), health insurance premiums paid by the employer (often worth $5,000-$15,000 annually), equity compensation like stock options or RSUs, paid time off (20 days PTO at a $100,000 salary is worth approximately $7,700), professional development budgets, remote work stipends, and bonuses. Two jobs with identical salaries can differ by $20,000-$30,000 in total value once all benefits are accounted for. Tools like LinkedIn Salary, Levels.fyi (for tech), and the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook help benchmark total compensation, not just base pay. When evaluating any offer, build a spreadsheet converting every benefit to annual dollar value before deciding. Many candidates leave $5,000–$15,000 on the table by not negotiating non-salary components — signing bonuses, remote work stipends, equity vesting schedules, and professional development budgets are all frequently negotiable even when the stated base salary is firm.
Use multiple sources: Glassdoor (company-specific), LinkedIn Salary (broad market data), levels.fyi (tech compensation), and the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. Look at your specific role, industry, metro area, and experience level. Networking with peers in similar roles provides the most accurate intelligence.
In the United States, you have a legal right to discuss your salary with coworkers under the National Labor Relations Act. Employers cannot legally prohibit it (except for supervisors and managers). Knowing what peers earn helps you identify pay gaps and negotiate more effectively.
During your annual performance review is standard, but the highest-leverage time is after a significant achievement, when you have a competing offer, or when the company is doing well. Come with documented accomplishments and market salary data. Never ask for a raise by citing personal financial needs â base it on your value to the employer.
Research your market value thoroughly. A 10-20% increase is common when switching jobs; 5-10% for a raise in your current role. In tech roles where RSUs are significant, the total comp gap between staying and moving can be much larger. Ask for what the market data supports.
Degree premium varies dramatically by field. In tech, experience and skills often matter more than credentials. In law, medicine, engineering, and education, credentials are legally required. For management roles, an MBA can provide a meaningful salary boost at certain company levels. Research your specific path.
A sign-on bonus is a one-time payment at hire, often used to compensate for unvested stock or bonuses you're leaving at your current employer. It is often more negotiable than base salary. If the company cannot meet your base salary request, ask for a sign-on bonus to bridge the gap.
Many companies pay remote workers based on the cost of living in their location (geographic-based pay), while others pay the same rate regardless of location. In either case, remote work can increase effective purchasing power for workers willing to live in lower cost-of-living areas while earning higher salaries from remote employers.
Remote work flexibility, additional vacation days, professional development budget, home office stipend, equity/stock options, signing bonus, flexible hours, and performance review timeline. Benefits that are non-cash often have lower cost to employers and more room to negotiate.