Does a Senior title pay more? Advertised pay by level, field by field

Pay · figures recounted Nov 14, 2026 from 45,511 open jobs · how they are made

Across all fields, postings that state pay and name Senior in the title advertise a median of $188K a year, 13% more than the $166K of postings with no level in the title. The step differs by field: +33% in hardware and engineering, −16% in science and healthcare. In 4 of the 21 fields counted, Senior postings advertise less than postings with no level.

How much more a Senior title advertises, by field

Each bar is the median pay of postings with Senior in the title as a share of the median of postings that name no level, in fields where both groups have at least 15 postings with a stated yearly range.

The figures behind the bars

Medians of the middle of each stated range, in US dollars a year. A dash means fewer than 15 postings.

Using the figures when you ask for a raise

A raise request is easier to grant when it names a number and a reason. Employers answer to what the market advertises for the same work, so bring the range for your kind of work and level, then the results you produced in the last year. Ask in a meeting set for the purpose, not in passing, and ask for a figure inside the range rather than for “more”.

The raise calculator shows what a percentage means in money, the raise request email writes the message, and the salary pages hold the range for your role and level.

Why Senior does not always pay more

A posting with no level in the title can be a manager, a specialist or a mid-level role, and some fields mix very different jobs under one name, so the group with no level can sit above the Senior group. Advertised pay is what an employer offers new hires, not what people already in the job earn. The title is the employer’s word: a Senior at a small company and a Senior at a large one can do very different work.

Next: Salary data · What the level in a title means · Raise calculator