Bragswap

Am I underpaid? Check your pay against official data

Updated

If your pay is below the median for your job in your metro area, you are paid below market. The median is the pay in the middle: half the people doing your job there earn more, half earn less. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) publishes it for about 800 jobs and 530 areas.

Most people guess wrong: 63% of employees paid at the market rate think they are underpaid (Payscale, 2025).

See where your pay stands for your job and city. Takes 30 seconds. Free, no sign-up.

Check my pay

How the check works

  1. Your job title is matched to one of about 800 BLS occupations. The search knows some 59,000 job titles.
  2. Your city is matched to its metro area, through its county.
  3. Your pay is placed among the BLS figures for that job and area: the 10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th and 90th percentiles.
  4. Your level picks the figure you are compared with: the 25th percentile for entry level, the median for mid level, the 75th for senior, the 90th for lead. The BLS does not publish pay by level, so this is a guide, not a measure.
  5. If the area has no figures for your job, the check uses your state, then the U.S.

What your result means

Your result, and what to ask for
ResultWhat it means
Far below your level's figureClearly below the market. The gap is your case.
A little below itJust under the market. Ask to reach it.
Right at itAt the market. Your case rests on what you delivered.
Above itAbove the market. Ask for scope or a new title.

What the data covers

  • Pay: base pay, commissions, production bonuses and tips. Not overtime, shift differentials, year-end bonuses, stock or benefits.
  • People: employees of businesses and governments. Not the self-employed.
  • Not measured: experience, employer size, performance. The level you pick stands in for experience.
  • Date: May 2025 estimates, published May 15, 2026. Pay has risen since.

See the medians for the 50 most common jobs in the 20 largest U.S. metro areas.

Questions

Is the median the same as the average?

No. The median is the pay in the middle. The average (mean) is pulled up by the highest salaries, so it is usually higher.

Which pay should I compare?

Your yearly pay before tax: base pay, plus commissions and tips if you earn them, as the BLS counts them. Leave out overtime and year-end bonuses. Paid by the hour? Type your hourly rate, like $38/hr: the check counts 2,080 hours a year (40 hours a week, 52 weeks), as the BLS does.

I am underpaid. What now?

Ask for the gap, with the source and three specific wins.

Sources

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, www.bls.gov/oes. BLS.gov cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from BLS.gov.