BBengjiao

Methodology

1. Data sources

Wage, employment and percentile figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), the standard reference for US occupational pay. Skills and work-activity ratings come from O*NET. Education requirements and employment outlook come from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. Every figure on every page cites its source and reference year.

2. SOC mapping

Each occupation is mapped to a Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code. The mapping quality is graded:

  • Exact — the occupation matches an official SOC title.
  • Closely related — near match within a broader SOC occupation.
  • Broad — spans several SOC occupations.
  • Modeled — no official SOC core; figures are estimates.

3. Data confidence grades

Every occupation carries a confidence grade that reflects how directly the figures map to official data:

  • A — directly sourced for this occupation.
  • B — high-confidence estimate from a closely related SOC occupation.
  • C — moderate confidence; figures should be read with caution.
  • D — modeled; labeled "Estimated" and low-confidence.

4. Percentiles and typical range

We publish the 10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th and 90th percentile wages exactly as reported. The "typical range" is the 25th–75th percentile band. Percentiles are never described as entry-level or senior wages — they describe where a worker falls in the distribution.

5. Estimation

The salary calculator starts from the official median and applies conservative, transparent multipliers for experience, education, certifications and industry. Every adjustment is labeled an estimate, the combined adjustment is capped at ±25%, and results are never presented as official BLS figures. We state the confidence level and the limitations of the model on every result.

6. Data quality rules

  • Official missing values are preserved as null — never rewritten to 0.
  • Percentile order (P10 ≤ P25 ≤ Median ≤ P75 ≤ P90) is validated on import.
  • Annual/hourly figures must be consistent within tolerance.
  • Year-over-year changes above 30% go to manual review before publishing.
  • Low-confidence (C/D) or draft pages are never indexed.

7. Limitations

OEWS wages reflect full-time and part-time workers and can lag the market. They exclude self-employed workers and, for many roles, tips and commission. Actual pay depends on employer, region, negotiation and experience. Use these figures as a benchmark, not a guarantee.