About WageBenchmark.com
WageBenchmark.com is a free salary benchmarking tool built on official U.S. government data. Our mission is to make wage transparency accessible to everyone — job seekers, HR professionals, recruiters, and researchers.
Why We Built This
Most salary sites show you a single number — "the average salary for a software developer is $120,000." But that number obscures a wide distribution. The p10 earner might make $75,000 and the p90 earner $210,000. Knowing where you fall in that distribution is what actually helps you negotiate, make career decisions, or set competitive compensation.
WageBenchmark shows the full picture: 10th, 25th, median (50th), 75th, and 90th percentile wages — for any occupation, in any location, from the most comprehensive wage survey in the United States.
Our Data
All wage data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program. BLS surveys approximately 1.1 million business establishments each year, making OEWS the gold standard for U.S. wage benchmarking.
Job outlook data comes from BLS Employment Projections. H-1B wage data comes from the Department of Labor Foreign Labor Certification program. All datasets are in the public domain, updated annually.
How to Use This Data
- Job seekers: Use the salary data to anchor your compensation expectations before interviewing. If you have significant experience, target the 75th percentile or higher. If you're entry-level, the 25th–50th percentile is a realistic range.
- HR & compensation teams: Use the full distribution to set competitive pay bands. The p25–p75 range typically defines the "market range" for a role.
- Recruiters: Use location-specific data to set expectations with candidates and ensure offers are competitive in the local market.
- Researchers & journalists: All data is from public BLS sources. We encourage citation and linking.
Data Limitations
OEWS measures wages at the time of the May survey — they do not include bonuses, overtime, commissions, or benefits. For total compensation, add 20–30% for typical employer benefit costs. BLS suppresses some values (marked "not available") when the sample size is too small. We never estimate suppressed values — if BLS didn't report it, we don't either.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is WageBenchmark free to use? +
Yes. WageBenchmark is completely free. All data comes from public-domain U.S. government sources, and we encourage job seekers, HR teams, researchers, and journalists to use and cite it.
What do the wage percentiles mean? +
The percentiles describe the full pay distribution for an occupation. The 10th percentile means 10% of workers earn less than that figure; the median (50th) is the midpoint; the 90th percentile means only the top 10% earn more. Knowing where you fall is more useful than a single average.
Does the salary data include bonuses or benefits? +
No. BLS OEWS measures base wages at the time of the May survey. It excludes bonuses, overtime, commissions, and benefits. For total compensation, add roughly 20 to 30 percent for typical employer benefit costs.
Why are some wages shown as not available? +
BLS suppresses an estimate when the sample is too small to be reliable. We display those as not available and never estimate or interpolate them. If BLS did not report a value, neither do we.
How should I use this data to negotiate salary? +
Anchor on the median for your occupation and location. If you have significant experience, target the 75th percentile or above; entry-level roles typically fall in the 25th to 50th percentile range. The 25th to 75th percentile band is the usual market range.