Pay & careers statistics
Salary Statistics 2026
This page collects current figures on US pay: how fast wages are growing, whether they beat inflation, what employers plan to budget for raises, and how earnings differ by occupation, education, sex, race and age. Each figure links to the agency, research team or company that published it, and most data cover 2025 and 2026. A final section covers pay transparency laws and how often job postings now include a salary.
By the Mojolin research desk · Updated November 2, 2026 · Next review by December 17, 2026
55 of 55 source quotes re-checked against the original pages on November 3, 2026
- Figures
- 55
- Primary sources
- 23
- Official or research
- 71%
- Charts
- 5
Key takeaways
- 3.0%US average hourly earnings rose 3.0% in the 12 months to September 2026.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- 0.7%Real average hourly earnings for US private-sector workers fell 0.7% from September 2025 to September 2026 after adjusting for inflation.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- 3.5%US median salary increase budgets are projected at 3.5% for 2027, unchanged from 2026, with a median merit budget of 3.1%.The Conference Board
- 4.8%Median base pay rose 4.8% for US workers who changed jobs in the year to September 2026, compared with 3.0% for those who stayed.ADP Research
- $1,578Full-time workers age 25 and older with a bachelor's degree had median weekly earnings of $1,578 in 2025, compared with $966 for high school graduates.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- 83.9%Women working full time, year round earned 83.9% of what men earned in 2025, up from 80.6% in 2024.U.S. Census Bureau
Research overview
What the numbers say
Nominal pay is still rising, but more slowly than prices. BLS put average hourly earnings for private-sector workers at $37.81 in September 2026, up 3.0% over the year, and the Employment Cost Index showed wages and salaries up 3.1% in the year to September. Consumer prices rose faster, so BLS measured real average hourly earnings down 0.7% over the same 12 months, and the ECI's inflation-adjusted wage measure fell 0.6%. Median weekly earnings of full-time workers grew 1.5% against a 3.5% rise in the CPI-U. For most workers, 2026 has been a year of flat or falling purchasing power.
Employer raise budgets for 2027 cluster tightly around 3.5%. The Conference Board, Mercer and Payscale all land between 3.2% and 3.5% for merit or total increase budgets, close to the pace of the last few years. The bigger change is in how the money is split: Payscale found only 32% of organizations plan across-the-board raises in 2027, and the Conference Board says AI skills are the leading skill category behind base-pay adjustments. Workers who change jobs still do better than those who stay, with ADP measuring 4.8% base pay growth for job-changers against 3.0% for job-stayers.
Pay gaps by occupation and education are large and stable. The US mean wage across all occupations was $69,770 in May 2025, while eight of the 10 largest occupations paid below that, starting at $32,150 for fast food and counter workers. Full-time workers 25 and older with a bachelor's degree had median weekly earnings of $1,578 in 2025, about 1.6 times the $966 earned by high school graduates. Industry matters too: average hourly earnings ranged from $23.90 in leisure and hospitality to about $56 in information and utilities.
The gender pay gap narrowed in the latest annual data but remains sizable. Census found women working full time, year round earned 83.9% of what men earned in 2025, up from 80.6% in 2024, while the BLS quarterly ratio for full-time workers was 83.4% in the third quarter of 2026. Gaps vary widely by race and age, from 95.6% for Black women to 78.1% for workers 55 and older. Pay transparency is becoming standard: about 53% of US online postings now show pay, but New York Fed researchers estimate roughly 24% of ads covered by disclosure laws still do not comply.
01
US wage growth
Chart
Average hourly earnings by US industry, September 2026
Average hourly earnings of all employees on private nonfarm payrolls, seasonally adjusted, preliminary September 2026 figures from Table B-3.
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Employment Situation, September 2026
View data table
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Information | $56.1 |
| Utilities | $56.1 |
| Financial activities | $49.8 |
| Professional and business services | $46 |
| Construction | $41.7 |
| Wholesale trade | $40.1 |
| Manufacturing | $36.9 |
| Private education and health services | $36.4 |
| Transportation and warehousing | $32.8 |
| Retail trade | $26.4 |
| Leisure and hospitality | $23.9 |
- 1$37.81$37.81
Average hourly earnings for all employees on US private nonfarm payrolls were $37.81 in September 2026, up 5 cents from August.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsThe Employment Situation, September 2026Oct 2026
- 23.0%3.0%
US average hourly earnings rose 3.0% in the 12 months to September 2026.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsThe Employment Situation, September 2026Oct 2026
- 33.4%3.4%
Total compensation costs for US civilian workers, measured by the Employment Cost Index, rose 3.4% in the 12 months to September 2026.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsEmployment Cost Index, September 2026Oct 2026
- 43.1%3.1%
In the Employment Cost Index, wages and salaries rose 3.1% over the year to September 2026, while benefit costs rose 3.9%.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsEmployment Cost Index, September 2026Oct 2026
- 54.3%4.3%
Compensation costs rose 4.3% for unionized private-sector workers in the year to September 2026, compared with 3.3% for nonunion workers.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsEmployment Cost Index, September 2026Oct 2026
- 63.9%3.9%
The Atlanta Fed's Wage Growth Tracker, the median change in individual workers' hourly pay over 12 months, was 3.9% in September 2026.
IndustryFederal Reserve Bank of AtlantaWage Growth TrackerOct 2026
- 74.23%4.23%
The Social Security national average wage index for 2025 was $72,800.33, 4.23% higher than in 2024.
OfficialU.S. Social Security AdministrationNational Average Wage IndexOct 2026
- 8$49.46$49.46
US employers spent an average of $49.46 per hour worked on employee compensation in June 2026, of which $33.85 was wages and salaries and $15.61 was benefits.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsEmployer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026Sep 2026
What these figures suggest
The main US wage measures agree that pay is growing at roughly 3% to 4% a year. Average hourly earnings rose 3.0% in the year to September 2026, the Employment Cost Index showed wages and salaries up 3.1%, and the Atlanta Fed's tracker of individual workers' pay put median wage growth at 3.9%. The tracker runs higher because it follows the same people over time, so it captures raises from promotions and experience that averages across the workforce do not.
02
Real earnings and household income
- 90.7%0.7%
Real average hourly earnings for US private-sector workers fell 0.7% from September 2025 to September 2026 after adjusting for inflation.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsReal Earnings, September 2026Oct 2026
- 100.6%0.6%
Inflation-adjusted wages and salaries for private industry workers fell 0.6% in the year to September 2026, according to the Employment Cost Index.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsEmployment Cost Index, September 2026Oct 2026
- 111.5%1.5%
Median weekly earnings of full-time US workers rose 1.5% in the year to the third quarter of 2026, while consumer prices rose 3.5%.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsUsual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers, Third Quarter 2026Oct 2026
- 122.6%2.6%
US consumers expected their earnings to grow by a median 2.6% over the next year, according to the New York Fed's September 2026 survey.
IndustryFederal Reserve Bank of New YorkSurvey of Consumer Expectations, September 2026Oct 2026
- 13$87,460$87,460
US median household income was $87,460 in 2025, up 2.6% from $85,210 in 2024 and the highest on record since 1967.
OfficialU.S. Census BureauIncome in the United States: 2025Sep 2026
- 14$76,060$76,060
After taxes and credits, US median household income rose 3.1% to $76,060 in 2025.
OfficialU.S. Census BureauIncome in the United States: 2025Sep 2026
- 1513.0613.06
Households at the 90th percentile had 13.06 times the income of households at the 10th percentile in 2025, up from 9.23 times in 1967.
OfficialU.S. Census BureauMedian Household Income in 2025 Surpassed Previous Highs Before and After the COVID-19 PandemicSep 2026
What these figures suggest
Inflation picked up in 2026 and overtook pay growth, so real hourly earnings fell 0.7% in the year to September and median weekly earnings grew less than half as fast as prices. Consumers expect little relief, with the New York Fed survey showing median expected earnings growth of 2.6% for the next year. The annual Census data for 2025, collected before this squeeze, show record median household income of $87,460, though the gap between high and low earners kept widening.
03
Raises and salary increase budgets
- 163.5%3.5%
US median salary increase budgets are projected at 3.5% for 2027, unchanged from 2026, with a median merit budget of 3.1%.
IndustryThe Conference BoardUS Salary Increase Budgets 2026-2027Sep 2026
- 1737.8%37.8%
AI skills were the leading skill category driving base-pay adjustments at 37.8% of organizations, ahead of leadership skills at 30.7%.
IndustryThe Conference BoardUS Salary Increase Budgets 2026-2027Sep 2026
- 183.2%3.2%
US employers in Mercer's survey predicted an average merit budget of 3.2% and a total increase budget of 3.5% for 2027.
IndustryMercerResults of the July QuickPulse US Compensation Planning SurveyAug 2026
- 198.4%8.4%
Employers expect to promote an average of 8.4% of their employees in 2027.
IndustryMercerResults of the July QuickPulse US Compensation Planning SurveyAug 2026
- 203.5%3.5%
Average total base-pay increases in the US are expected to rise to 3.5% in 2027 from 3.4% in 2026, according to Payscale.
IndustryPayscalePayscale Finds Employers Plan Higher Pay Increases and More Differentiated Pay Strategies in 2027Aug 2026
- 2132%32%
Only 32% of organizations plan to give all employees the same across-the-board raise in 2027, down from 44% adopting or considering it for 2026.
IndustryPayscalePayscale Finds Employers Plan Higher Pay Increases and More Differentiated Pay Strategies in 2027Aug 2026
- 2225%25%
One in four organizations (25%) say perceptions of unfair pay are a leading reason they lose employees.
IndustryPayscalePayscale Finds Employers Plan Higher Pay Increases and More Differentiated Pay Strategies in 2027Aug 2026
- 234.8%4.8%
Median base pay rose 4.8% for US workers who changed jobs in the year to September 2026, compared with 3.0% for those who stayed.
IndustryADP ResearchADP National Employment Report, September 2026Sep 2026
- 242.9%2.9%
Advertised pay for salaried jobs on Indeed grew 2.9% from Q1 2025 to Q1 2026, compared with 1.7% for hourly jobs.
IndustryIndeed Hiring LabPay for Salaried Workers Is Rising Faster Than Hourly WagesMay 2026
What these figures suggest
Three separate employer surveys project 2027 salary increase budgets of 3.2% to 3.5%, essentially unchanged from 2026. Employers are spending that money more selectively, moving away from equal raises for everyone and toward merit, promotions and in-demand skills such as AI. Changing employers remains the fastest route to a bigger raise, and salaried roles are seeing faster advertised pay growth than hourly ones.
04
Pay by occupation and industry
Chart
Mean annual wage by US occupational group, May 2025
Annual mean wages from Table 1 of the OEWS release, May 2025 estimates.
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2025
View data table
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Management | $145,260 |
| Legal | $139,510 |
| Computer and mathematical | $120,080 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical | $108,700 |
| Architecture and engineering | $106,830 |
| Business and financial operations | $95,230 |
| All occupations | $69,770 |
| Educational instruction and library | $67,540 |
| Sales and related | $54,960 |
| Office and administrative support | $51,560 |
| Personal care and service | $41,070 |
| Food preparation and serving | $37,150 |
- 25$69,770$69,770
The mean annual wage across all US occupations was $69,770 in May 2025.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Employment and Wages, May 2025May 2026
- 26$502,050$502,050
Pediatric surgeons ($502,050) and cardiologists ($454,940) were the two highest paying US occupations in May 2025.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Employment and Wages, May 2025May 2026
- 27$32,150$32,150
Eight of the 10 largest US occupations paid below the national average, from $32,150 for fast food and counter workers to $46,590 for customer service representatives.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Employment and Wages, May 2025May 2026
- 28$134,940$134,940
Among the 10 largest US occupations, only registered nurses ($101,420) and general and operations managers ($134,940) earned above-average wages.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Employment and Wages, May 2025May 2026
- 29$101,420$101,420
Registered nurses, the largest healthcare practitioner occupation, had an annual mean wage of $101,420 in May 2025.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Employment and Wages, May 2025May 2026
- 30$109,820$109,820
Elevator and escalator installers and repairers were the highest paying construction and extraction occupation, with an annual mean wage of $109,820.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsOccupational Employment and Wages, May 2025May 2026
- 31$27.95$27.95
Employers' total compensation costs for full-time leisure and hospitality workers averaged $27.95 per hour worked in June 2026.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsEmployer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026Sep 2026
What these figures suggest
Occupation drives the widest pay differences. The mean annual wage across all US jobs was $69,770 in May 2025, yet most of the largest occupations, from fast food to retail, paid well below that, while physicians and surgeons topped $450,000. By industry, average hourly earnings in information and utilities were more than double those in leisure and hospitality. Mean wages are pulled up by high earners, so the typical worker in most occupations earns less than the mean.
05
Pay by education and the wage floor
Chart
Median weekly earnings by educational attainment, 2025
Full-time wage and salary workers age 25 and over. The 2025 annual figures are 11-month averages that exclude October 2025, when data were not collected.
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Unemployment rates and earnings by educational attainment, 2025
View data table
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Doctoral degree | $2,307 |
| Professional degree | $2,294 |
| Master's degree | $1,876 |
| Bachelor's degree | $1,578 |
| Associate's degree | $1,135 |
| Some college, no degree | $1,062 |
| High school diploma | $966 |
| Less than a high school diploma | $770 |
- 32$1,578$1,578
Full-time workers age 25 and older with a bachelor's degree had median weekly earnings of $1,578 in 2025, compared with $966 for high school graduates.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsUnemployment rates and earnings by educational attainment, 2025Sep 2026
- 33$1,752$1,752
In the third quarter of 2026, full-time workers 25 and older without a high school diploma had median weekly earnings of $819, versus $1,752 for those with at least a bachelor's degree.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsUsual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers, Third Quarter 2026Oct 2026
- 34$4,985$4,985
Among workers with advanced degrees, the top-earning 10% of men made $4,985 or more per week in Q3 2026, compared with $3,572 or more for the top 10% of women.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsUsual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers, Third Quarter 2026Oct 2026
- 3580.3 million80.3 million
80.3 million US workers were paid by the hour in 2024, 55.6% of all wage and salary workers.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCharacteristics of minimum wage workers, 2024Jun 2025
- 361.0%1.0%
Just 1.0% of hourly paid US workers earned the federal minimum wage of $7.25 or less in 2024, down from 13.4% in 1979.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCharacteristics of minimum wage workers, 2024Jun 2025
- 3743%43%
Workers under 25 made up one-fifth of hourly paid workers in 2024 but 43% of those paid the federal minimum wage or less.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCharacteristics of minimum wage workers, 2024Jun 2025
What these figures suggest
Each step up in education is linked to higher earnings. In 2025, full-time workers with a bachelor's degree had median weekly earnings about 63% higher than high school graduates, and doctoral and professional degree holders earned roughly three times as much as workers without a diploma. At the bottom of the scale, very few hourly workers now earn the federal minimum of $7.25, because most states and many employers pay more.
06
Median weekly earnings by race, age and job type
Chart
Median weekly earnings of full-time workers by race and ethnicity, Q3 2026
Not seasonally adjusted. People of Hispanic ethnicity may be of any race.
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers, Third Quarter 2026
View data table
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Asian | $1,633 |
| White | $1,261 |
| Black | $1,012 |
| Hispanic | $981 |
- 38$1,232$1,232
Median weekly earnings of the 122.2 million full-time US wage and salary workers were $1,232 in the third quarter of 2026.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsUsual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers, Third Quarter 2026Oct 2026
- 39$1,633$1,633
Median weekly earnings of full-time workers in Q3 2026 were $981 for Hispanic, $1,012 for Black, $1,261 for White and $1,633 for Asian workers.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsUsual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers, Third Quarter 2026Oct 2026
- 4074.6%74.6%
Black men had median weekly earnings of $1,040 in Q3 2026, 74.6% of the median for White men.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsUsual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers, Third Quarter 2026Oct 2026
- 41$813$813
Full-time workers ages 16 to 24 had the lowest median weekly earnings in Q3 2026: $813 for men and $720 for women.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsUsual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers, Third Quarter 2026Oct 2026
- 42$1,910$1,910
Full-time workers in management, professional and related occupations had the highest median weekly earnings in Q3 2026: $1,910 for men and $1,493 for women.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsUsual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers, Third Quarter 2026Oct 2026
What these figures suggest
The typical full-time US worker earned $1,232 a week in the third quarter of 2026. Median earnings for Asian workers were about two-thirds higher than for Hispanic workers, and Black and Hispanic men earned about three-quarters of what White men earned. Earnings climb steeply with age until the mid-30s and stay near their peak through the early 60s.
07
The gender pay gap
Chart
Women's earnings as a percent of men's, by race and ethnicity, Q3 2026
Ratio of women's to men's median weekly earnings within each group, full-time wage and salary workers, not seasonally adjusted.
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers, Third Quarter 2026
View data table
| Category | Value |
|---|---|
| Black | 95.6% |
| Hispanic | 89.4% |
| Asian | 81.8% |
| White | 81.6% |
- 4383.4%83.4%
Women working full time had median weekly earnings of $1,127 in Q3 2026, 83.4% of the $1,352 median for men.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsUsual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers, Third Quarter 2026Oct 2026
- 4483.9%83.9%
Women working full time, year round earned 83.9% of what men earned in 2025, up from 80.6% in 2024.
OfficialU.S. Census BureauIncome in the United States: 2025Sep 2026
- 453.2%3.2%
Median earnings of women working full time, year round rose 3.2% in 2025, while men's median earnings did not change significantly.
OfficialU.S. Census BureauIncome in the United States: 2025Sep 2026
- 4678.1%78.1%
Women ages 16 to 24 earned 88.6% as much as men their age in Q3 2026, while the ratio for workers 55 and older was 78.1%.
OfficialU.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsUsual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers, Third Quarter 2026Oct 2026
- 4785%85%
Counting both full- and part-time workers, US women earned 85% of what men earned in 2024, based on median hourly earnings.
ResearchPew Research CenterGender pay gap in U.S. has narrowed slightly over 2 decadesMar 2025
- 4895 cents95 cents
Women ages 25 to 34 earned an average of 95 cents for every dollar earned by men in the same age group in 2024.
ResearchPew Research CenterGender pay gap in U.S. has narrowed slightly over 2 decadesMar 2025
- 4911.1%11.1%
The unadjusted gender pay gap in the EU was 11.1% in 2024, ranging from 18.8% in Estonia to minus 0.8% in Luxembourg.
OfficialEurostatGender pay gap statisticsFeb 2026
What these figures suggest
US women working full time earned about 83 to 84 cents for every dollar men earned in the latest BLS and Census data, and Pew's broader measure, which includes part-time workers, puts the figure at 85 cents. The gap is far smaller for younger workers and widens with age, which points to career breaks and occupational differences that build up over time. The EU gap is narrower, at 11.1% in 2024, though it is measured on gross hourly earnings rather than weekly or annual pay.
08
Pay transparency in job postings
- 5053%53%
About 53% of US online job postings have included pay information since January 2024, up from an average of 15% before 2018.
IndustryFederal Reserve Bank of New York, Liberty Street EconomicsDo Employers Comply with Pay Transparency Requirements in Job Postings?Oct 2025
- 51Ten statesTen states
Ten US states, the District of Columbia and several local jurisdictions had adopted pay transparency laws for job postings as of October 2025.
IndustryFederal Reserve Bank of New York, Liberty Street EconomicsDo Employers Comply with Pay Transparency Requirements in Job Postings?Oct 2025
- 5220 points20 points
In the month a pay transparency law took effect, the share of job postings with salary information rose by an average of 20 percentage points.
IndustryFederal Reserve Bank of New York, Liberty Street EconomicsDo Employers Comply with Pay Transparency Requirements in Job Postings?Oct 2025
- 5324%24%
About 24% of job ads covered by pay transparency laws did not comply with the requirements as of January 2025.
IndustryFederal Reserve Bank of New York, Liberty Street EconomicsDo Employers Comply with Pay Transparency Requirements in Job Postings?Oct 2025
- 5459%59%
59% of US job postings on Indeed included salary information as of May 2025.
IndustryIndeedPay Transparency Across High-Earning SectorsJul 2025
- 5530 points30 points
State pay transparency laws raised the share of postings with salary information by 30 percentage points and increased wages by 1.3% to 3.6%, an NBER study found.
ResearchNational Bureau of Economic ResearchThe Impact of Pay Transparency in Job Postings on the Labor MarketNov 2025
What these figures suggest
More than half of US job postings now show pay, up from about 15% before 2018, and the jump came fastest in states that passed disclosure laws. Compliance is not complete: New York Fed researchers estimate about a quarter of ads covered by these laws still omit pay. Research on the laws so far finds modestly higher advertised wages and no measurable drop in job postings.
About these figures
Figures come from US and EU statistical agencies, regional Federal Reserve banks, peer-reviewed or working-paper research, and the original reports of the consultancies and companies that ran each survey, and every quote was checked against the publisher's page. Monthly and quarterly BLS data are preliminary and get revised. Pay measures differ: average hourly earnings, the Employment Cost Index, median weekly earnings and the Atlanta Fed tracker each define pay and coverage differently, and salary budget surveys report employer plans rather than actual raises. Compare trends within a source rather than exact levels across sources.
Every figure was taken from the publisher's own page, together with the sentence it appears in, and that sentence is re-checked against the source before each update. Where a survey covers a specific group, the figure says so. Read the methodology. Spotted a problem? Email editorial@mojolin.com.
Frequently asked questions
+How fast are US wages growing in 2026?
Average hourly earnings for private-sector workers rose 3.0% in the year to September 2026, to $37.81. The Employment Cost Index showed wages and salaries up 3.1%, and the Atlanta Fed's Wage Growth Tracker, which follows individual workers, stood at 3.9%.
+Are wages keeping up with inflation?
Not in 2026. BLS measured real average hourly earnings down 0.7% from September 2025 to September 2026, and median weekly earnings rose 1.5% while consumer prices rose 3.5%.
+What raise should I expect in 2027?
Employer surveys point to budgets of about 3.5%. The Conference Board projects a 3.5% median salary increase budget and a 3.1% merit budget, Mercer reports a 3.2% average merit budget, and Payscale expects 3.5% total base-pay increases. Individual raises vary widely around those averages.
+What is the median salary in the US?
Median weekly earnings for full-time wage and salary workers were $1,232 in the third quarter of 2026, which works out to roughly $64,000 a year. The mean annual wage across all occupations was $69,770 in May 2025.
+How big is the gender pay gap in the US?
Census found women working full time, year round earned 83.9% of what men earned in 2025. BLS put the ratio at 83.4% for full-time workers in Q3 2026, and Pew's measure including part-time workers was 85% in 2024.
+How many job postings include a salary?
About 53% of US online job postings have included pay since January 2024, according to New York Fed researchers using Lightcast data, and Indeed counted 59% in May 2025. Ten states and the District of Columbia had pay transparency laws as of late 2025.
Sources
23 primary sources, by publisher
- 01Industry ADP Research. ADP National Employment Report, September 2026 (Sep 2026)
- 02Official Eurostat. Gender pay gap statistics (Feb 2026)
- 03Industry Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. Wage Growth Tracker (Oct 2026)
- 04Industry Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Survey of Consumer Expectations, September 2026 (Oct 2026)
- 05Industry Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Liberty Street Economics. Do Employers Comply with Pay Transparency Requirements in Job Postings? (Oct 2025)
- 06Industry Indeed. Pay Transparency Across High-Earning Sectors (Jul 2025)
- 07Industry Indeed Hiring Lab. Pay for Salaried Workers Is Rising Faster Than Hourly Wages (May 2026)
- 08Industry Mercer. Results of the July QuickPulse US Compensation Planning Survey (Aug 2026)
- 09Research National Bureau of Economic Research. The Impact of Pay Transparency in Job Postings on the Labor Market (Nov 2025)
- 10Industry Payscale. Payscale Finds Employers Plan Higher Pay Increases and More Differentiated Pay Strategies in 2027 (Aug 2026)
- 11Research Pew Research Center. Gender pay gap in U.S. has narrowed slightly over 2 decades (Mar 2025)
- 12Industry The Conference Board. US Salary Increase Budgets 2026-2027 (Sep 2026)
- 13Official U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Characteristics of minimum wage workers, 2024 (Jun 2025)
- 14Official U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026 (Sep 2026)
- 15Official U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment Cost Index, September 2026 (Oct 2026)
- 16Official U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2025 (May 2026)
- 17Official U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Real Earnings, September 2026 (Oct 2026)
- 18Official U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Employment Situation, September 2026 (Oct 2026)
- 19Official U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Unemployment rates and earnings by educational attainment, 2025 (Sep 2026)
- 20Official U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers, Third Quarter 2026 (Oct 2026)
- 21Official U.S. Census Bureau. Income in the United States: 2025 (Sep 2026)
- 22Official U.S. Census Bureau. Median Household Income in 2025 Surpassed Previous Highs Before and After the COVID-19 Pandemic (Sep 2026)
- 23Official U.S. Social Security Administration. National Average Wage Index (Oct 2026)