Is My Salary Fair? How to Check Your Pay Against Real Data
"Is this a good salary?" is hard to answer from a single number. The useful question is: where does this pay fall compared with what people in the same job, in the same area, actually earn? You can answer that with free, official data.
Step 1: Use real wage data, not guesses
In the US, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes pay for hundreds of occupations every year in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. It comes from employer payroll records, not self-reported salaries, and it's broken down by state and metro area. Our salary pages show these figures for common jobs and cities.
Step 2: Read percentiles, not just the average
BLS reports pay at several points:
- 10th percentile: 10% of workers earn less than this. Often new entrants.
- 25th percentile: the low end of typical pay.
- Median (50th): half earn more, half earn less. The best single "typical" number.
- 75th percentile: the high end of typical pay.
- 90th percentile: only 10% earn more. Usually very experienced people or high-cost employers.
A rough rule: an offer between the 25th and 75th percentile is normal. Below the 25th is worth questioning unless you're new to the field. Above the 75th is a strong offer.
Step 3: Compare with the right area
Pay varies a lot by location. The same job can pay far more in a large expensive metro than in a small town. Compare an on-site job with that metro area or state. For a fully remote job, national figures are usually the fairest comparison, since the employer can hire from anywhere.
Step 4: Turn hourly pay into yearly (the right way)
BLS yearly figures assume full-time work: the hourly rate times 2,080 hours (40 hours × 52 weeks). So to compare an hourly offer, multiply the rate by 2,080. To know what you'd actually earn, multiply by your real hours: $25 an hour at 30 hours a week is $39,000 a year, even though the full-time equivalent is $52,000.
Step 5: Look beyond the base salary
Bonuses, health insurance, retirement matching and paid time off can add up to a lot. A slightly lower salary with strong benefits can beat a higher one with expensive insurance. Shift differentials and overtime matter too, especially in healthcare and trades.
What to do with the answer
- Below market: ask for more and point to the local data. Many employers expect some negotiation.
- At market: fine, and you can still negotiate on start date, title, remote days or a signing bonus.
- Above market: great, but check what's behind it: long hours, heavy on-call or commission can explain a high number.
The fastest way to do all of this for a real posting is to paste it into ScreenJob's free job screen. It finds the job title and location, pulls the local BLS figures and tells you which percentile the pay falls in.