What tech really pays — not a self-reported average

Why these numbers, not the crowd’s

Why we don’t use crowd-sourced salary data

Sites like Levels.fyi, Glassdoor, and Payscale build their pay figures from numbers anonymous users type in. That sounds democratic; for a career decision it’s the wrong foundation, in four specific ways:

1. Selection bias— the people who submit aren’t a random sample of the occupation; they skew toward certain companies, titles, and regions. 2. Visibility bias — high earners are more likely to post, pulling the numbers up. 3. No verification — nobody checks the figures; a typo or a brag counts the same as a paystub. 4. Staleness and give-to-get— entries can be years old, and some sites make you hand over your own salary to see anyone else’s.

We use BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statisticsinstead: an official survey of employers across the entire occupation, with a published methodology and a fixed reference date (May 2025). It answers “what does this role pay,” not “what did a few strangers say they make” — and unlike the crowd sites, we do not sell courses or collect salary submissions, so there’s no reason to skew it.

How to read the band

A distribution, honestly labeled

The band is the occupation’s wage distribution. The lower percentiles (10th–25th) are roughly where people newer to the field land; the upper (75th–90th) reflect experience and specialization — the U.S. Department of Labor’s CareerOneStop uses exactly this “entry” to “experienced” framing. The median is the middle, not a promise. Pay is set by role, location, and market — not produced by a certificate, and entry-level genuinely starts lower.

The sources

Every figure is cited

Wage bands: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 — national annual 10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th, and 90th percentile wages per occupation (SOC code shown). Entry/experienced framing: U.S. Department of Labor CareerOneStop wage convention (10th = entry, 90th = experienced). Figures are occupation-level wage distributions, not personal salary predictions, take-home pay, a transition guarantee, or earnings caused by any certificate.

Common questions

Tech pay, answered honestly

What will I make starting out in tech?

Entry-level pay sits near the bottom of the occupation’s wage distribution. The U.S. Department of Labor’s CareerOneStop labels the 10th-percentile wage "entry" and the 90th "experienced," so the band tool shows, for each role, roughly where a newcomer lands versus an experienced specialist. For IT support the 10th percentile is about $40,980; for software developers about $82,460 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). It is a distribution, not a promise — your actual pay depends on location, employer, and skills.

Why don’t you use Levels.fyi or Glassdoor salary numbers?

Those are self-reported by anonymous users, which introduces selection and visibility bias (who chooses to submit, and high earners over-reporting), no verification, and staleness — and some sites make you submit your own salary to see others’. For someone deciding on a career, that’s the wrong altitude and the wrong reliability. We use BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics: an official survey of employers across the whole occupation, with a published methodology and a fixed reference date. It is the honest answer to "what does this role pay," not "what did a few strangers say they make."

Is the median what I’ll earn?

No — the median is the middle: half in the occupation earn more, half less. Where you fall depends on experience, location, employer, and specialization. The band shows the whole range (10th to 90th percentile) precisely so you can see that a single number hides most of the story.

Does a certification raise this pay?

These are occupation-level wages set by the role and the market — not earnings caused by a certificate. A certification can help you qualify for or move within a role; it does not move the occupation’s wage distribution. Anyone quoting "this cert adds $X to your salary" is selling something.