How to Read Salary Data

Salary numbers mislead unless you know what is counted. Check the measure first: median or mean, since means are dragged up by outliers at the top. Check the population: all workers, full-time only, or one occupation title.

Check what is included: base pay or total compensation with equity and bonus. A 160,000 dollar figure at a big tech firm may be mostly stock that can fall; a 75,000 dollar trade wage may exclude heavy overtime. Finally check geography and year, because a national median from 2019 can sit far below a coastal 2025 posting.

Ask these questions and most salary statistics become honest..