Check a salary offer against what open postings advertise

The comparison uses the same figures as the salary checker. On Nov 14, 2026, 19,579 of the 45,511 open roles here publish a yearly salary range in US dollars. Each posting counts once, by the midpoint of its range.

• Median: the middle posting of the group you picked.
• Lower and upper quarter: the 25th and the 75th percentile. Below the first, three out of four postings advertise more; above the second, three out of four advertise less; between them lies the middle half.
• Percent against the median: (offer − median) ÷ median × 100, rounded to a whole percent.

The sentence under the figure follows fixed rules. Below the lower quarter it reads “worth asking for more”; inside the middle half and more than 5% under the median, “there is room to ask”; within 5% of the median, “close to the median”. A group needs at least 20 postings. If the category and level you picked have fewer, the page says so and compares with the next wider group: every category at the same level, then the same category at any level, then all postings. A wider group mixes categories or levels, so it is only a rough guide: the page says so, and gives the position without the advice.

Advertised ranges are what employers say they are prepared to pay, not what people were paid. Bonus, equity and benefits are not in them, and ranges in other currencies are left out. Treat the result as one reference point in a negotiation, not as a verdict on the offer.