Salary Percentile Calculator — See Where You Rank by Job & State (2024 BLS Data)<br>BLS OES 2024 · 116 Occupations<br>Salary Percentile Calculator<br>See exactly where your salary ranks among US workers in your field and state.<br>Based on official BLS data for 116 occupations across all 50 US states.
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Frequently Asked Questions<br>What is a salary percentile?+A salary percentile tells you what percentage of workers in a given occupation earn less than you. For example, if you're at the 70th percentile, you earn more than 70% of workers in that field. It's a more useful benchmark than a simple average because it shows where you stand across the full distribution of wages.
How is my salary percentile calculated?+We use linear interpolation between the BLS wage anchor points (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentiles) to estimate your exact percentile rank. State figures are derived by applying BLS regional wage indices to the national data. For salaries below the 10th or above the 90th percentile, we flag this clearly rather than extrapolating an unreliable estimate.
What data does this calculator use?+All data comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) program, May 2024 release. This is the most comprehensive, official source of US occupational wage data, covering over 800 occupations and nearly every industry. We cover 116 occupation groups across all 50 states and Washington D.C.
How do I use this to negotiate my salary?+If you're below the median (50th percentile) for your occupation in your state, you have a data-backed argument for a raise. Come prepared with your percentile result and the BLS benchmark figures from the table below the gauge. Framing your ask around official government data — rather than salary sites — is often more persuasive to employers and hiring managers.
What is the median salary in the United States?+According to BLS OES May 2024 data, the median annual wage across all occupations in the United States is approximately $49,500. However, this varies enormously by occupation — from around $30,000 for food preparation workers to over $236,000 for physicians and surgeons. That's why comparing within your specific occupation is far more meaningful than a national cross-occupation average.
Salary Insights<br>What the BLS Data Really Shows<br>Research-backed salary guides powered by BLS OES May 2024 data.
What Is a Good Salary in the United States in 2024?<br>The national median annual wage in the United States was $49,500 according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) May 2024 data — meaning exactly half of all American workers earned above this figure and half earned below. But whether $49,500 is a "good salary" depends entirely on your occupation, your state, and your household's cost of living. A single benchmark number cannot answer that question on its own.<br>Salary percentiles provide a far more useful framework. Earning at the 75th percentile in your field means you out-earn 75% of workers in the same occupation — a genuinely strong position regardless of the raw number. For context, software developers and engineers at the national median earn $127,260 , while registered nurses at the median earn approximately $86,480 . Both figures represent strong compensation — but the comparison is only meaningful within each occupation's national distribution.<br>Geography reshapes the picture significantly. Workers in California earn wages roughly 26% above the national median, while Mississippi workers earn about 19% below it. A $65,000 salary in Arkansas affords a very different lifestyle than the same figure in New York City. The true measure of a good salary in 2024 is not whether it clears some universal threshold — it's where you rank within your specific occupation and geographic market. Use the RankMySalary calculator above to find your exact percentile by job category and state.
How to Use Salary Percentile Data to Negotiate Your Pay<br>Salary negotiations that lean on concrete, third-party data win more often than those based on gut feel or anecdote. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics give you exactly the kind of authoritative benchmark that removes emotion from the conversation and puts the focus on market reality. Knowing your percentile before you walk into a negotiation is the single most...