Guides

Practical, original articles on reading pay data, comparing cities, and negotiating offers — written to complement the salary explorer, not replace it.

• How we source salary dataWhat “observed” vs “modeled” pay means on Pay by Role, which public sources we use, and how often figures refresh.10 min read
• How to read a salary rangeWhat p10, median, and p90 actually mean — and how to use percentiles when evaluating an offer or planning a move.9 min read
• Salary vs cost of livingHow to compare pay across cities when rents and prices differ — and where simplified COL indexes help or mislead.10 min read
• Negotiating a job offer with salary dataA practical framework for using market percentiles, competing offers, and non-salary levers without burning goodwill.11 min read
• Remote work and location-based payHow companies set geo pay, what to check in a remote offer, and how to compare “same job, different city” packages.10 min read
• Take-home pay explainedGross vs net on Pay by Role, what our simplified tax models include and exclude, and how to use the site calculators without over-trusting them.11 min read
• When to trust salary dataRed flags in job posts, survey bias, sample size, observed vs modeled figures on this site, and when to ask HR for the real band.12 min read
• Changing careers and payHow to use category peers and skills overlap on Pay by Role when switching fields — and how to expect pay cuts, lateral moves, or gains without fooling yourself.11 min read
• Understanding pay and COL indexesWhat payIndex and colIndex mean on Pay by Role city pages, how we use them in modeled estimates, and how not to misuse them.10 min read
• How employers set salary bandsTypical band structure, leveling, geo differentials, and how employers trade equity for cash — so market percentiles make more sense in negotiation.12 min read

Prefer the methodology summary? See About & methodology.