FAQ
What is the difference between median and mean pay?
The median is the middle worker: half earn more, half less. The mean averages everyone, so a few very high earners pull it above what most people make. Medians describe typical pay better; means are useful for totals like payroll budgets. When a statistic does not say which it uses, assume it flatters.
How much do benefits add on top of salary?
In the United States, benefits and legally required payments add roughly thirty percent on top of wages, over ten dollars per hour worked on average. Health insurance is usually the biggest piece, followed by retirement contributions and paid leave. Compare job offers on total compensation: a 6,000 dollar salary difference can vanish into a family health plan.
What do exempt and non-exempt mean?
Under US wage law, non-exempt employees must receive one and a half times pay for hours over forty a week; exempt employees, generally salaried managers and professionals above a pay threshold, are not. Misclassification is common and contested. State rules can be stricter, for example daily overtime in California.
How do raises compound over time?
A raise is a permanent base increase, so its value compounds like interest. At 3 percent yearly, pay grows about a third in a decade; at 5 percent, about 63 percent. This is why switching jobs for a large jump and then re-entering the raise cycle often beats loyalty math, though it carries its own risks.
What is a cost of living adjustment?
A COLA raises pay with inflation, indexed to a measure like the CPI. Social Security COLAs are automatic, union contracts often build in escalators, and companies adjust salary bands for inflation, though rarely fully. A COLA preserves purchasing power; it is not a real raise, which requires a pay increase above inflation.
How does remote work affect pay by location?
Many employers pay by location zone even for remote staff, so moving from the Bay Area to Boise may come with a pay cut at some companies and none at others. Pay transparent states increasingly expose these bands. Read relocation policies before the moving truck: the same job title can carry very different salaries depending on where you clock in from.