Question 1

How is the salary range calculated?

Accepted Answer

Each role uses 10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages modelled on the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) release. We adjust the national percentile up or down by a state pay index (derived from BLS state mean-wage ratios) and then by an experience curve — entry-level workers land near 70% of the median, and each year above 5 adds a role-specific premium.

Question 2

How accurate is the take-home pay estimate?

Accepted Answer

Take-home is approximate. We apply 2025-2026 federal brackets with the single-filer standard deduction, the full FICA contribution (Social Security capped at the 2025 wage base, plus Medicare), and a state tax computed from the top marginal bracket scaled to an effective rate. We do not model 401(k) contributions, HSA deductions, local city taxes, married-filing-jointly status, or itemised deductions — those can shift the number 2-5 percentage points either way.

Question 3

Why does the same role pay so differently across states?

Accepted Answer

Two reasons. First, regional cost of living: a software engineer in California earns roughly 21% more in nominal dollars than a Texas counterpart largely because Bay Area rent is much higher. Second, state tax — Texas, Florida, and 7 other states levy no state income tax, so the same gross salary delivers measurably more take-home there.

Question 4

How often is the salary data updated?

Accepted Answer

We refresh the static dataset whenever the BLS OEWS annual update publishes (typically March-April) and again when state tax brackets change. The page footer shows the most recent edit date. Live BLS API integration is on the roadmap so this page will eventually update within hours of any official BLS release.

Question 5

Can I use this for salary negotiation?

Accepted Answer

Yes — this is exactly the use case. Walk into a negotiation with the 25th-to-75th percentile band for your role in your state. Use the median as the conservative ask and the 75th percentile as your stretch number. If you have a specific company offer, compare it to the take-home figure rather than the gross — that is the dollar amount that actually hits your bank account.

Question 6

How is this different from Glassdoor or Levels.fyi?

Accepted Answer

Glassdoor relies on voluntary employee self-reports, which skew toward dissatisfied or recently-changed-job employees. Levels.fyi is gold-standard for big-tech total comp but covers fewer roles. Our calculator uses the BLS — the same federal dataset economists cite — which covers every occupation and every state with consistent methodology.

Question 7

Why do you show percentiles instead of a single number?

Accepted Answer

A single median masks the real range. Two software engineers with the same title and city can earn 2x different amounts depending on company, specialism, and negotiation. The 25th-to-75th band tells you the realistic middle range, the 90th tells you what top performers earn, and the 10th tells you the floor for the role.

Question 8

Does this include bonuses, equity, and benefits?

Accepted Answer

No. BLS wage data is base-cash wages only. Add 5-25% on top for typical bonus + benefits in salaried roles, and a separate equity component for venture-backed and public-tech employers. For total-comp estimation in tech specifically, cross-reference Levels.fyi.

Question 9

Is the calculator free?

Accepted Answer

Yes, completely free with no sign-up required. Workzil makes money on premium job-application features (auto-apply, AI resume tailoring, interview prep) — the calculator and all other free tools exist so we can be the most useful job-search platform on the web, not because we monetise the data.

Question 10

What if my role is not in the list?

Accepted Answer

We currently cover 30 of the most-searched roles across tech, healthcare, finance, trades, and management. If yours is not listed, pick the closest match and adjust mentally for specialism — or use our role-specific salary pages at /salary-calculator/<role> for the full international 50+ role coverage.

Question 11

How does Workzil use this calculator?

Accepted Answer

When you create a free Workzil account, we tie the calculator output to your AI matching — every job posting you see is annotated with how its salary range compares to your target, so you can filter out under-paying roles immediately. The Chrome extension also surfaces the same comparison on LinkedIn, Indeed, and 16+ other boards in real time.

Salary Calculator — See Your Take-Home Pay by State

Salary Calculator — Take-Home by State

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Salary calculator by state

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