How to research your market salary before any negotiation
Walking into a negotiation without data is how people get underpaid for years. Here's how to find your real number in an evening.
By Sofia Marín · 2026-08-06
Every salary negotiation is won or lost before it starts — by whoever has better data. The good news: your market rate is more findable than ever.
Where the real numbers are
- Levels & salary aggregators — self-reported but large-sample; look at medians, not outliers.
- Government pay data — dry, but unbeatable for baseline ranges by role and region.
- Recruiters — ask one what they'd pitch you at; they price people all day.
- Posted ranges — pay-transparency laws now force many listings to show bands. Mine them.
Make it a rangeAnchor to the 60th–75th percentile for your experience, not the median — negotiations move down from your anchor, rarely up.