Is this a
good offer?
Compare an offer’s base salary with what that employer filed with the U.S. Department of Labor for the same job, and with BLS market pay for your city. Get a Low / Fair / Strong verdict and a counteroffer range you can explain.
- ✓Two benchmarks: the employer’s own filings (if it sponsors visas) and the whole market
- ✓Percentile position, plus the reference points behind the counter range
- ✓Your offer never leaves this browser
How the verdict works
Below about the 40th percentile of the main comparison. Usually worth a counter.
About the 40th to 65th percentile. A modest counter is normal.
Above about the 65th percentile. Asking is optional; non-salary terms may be easier wins.
The main comparison is the employer’s filings when it has at least 5 for your job (narrowed to your city when there are enough), otherwise the BLS market for your metro. Both are base pay only. Filings cover visa-sponsored positions, and BLS mixes all experience levels, so a junior offer can read “low” against a mixed-level median. Use the result as evidence, not a final answer.
After you check
- How to negotiate salary with data: what to say and when.
- Raise calculator: what the difference is worth per month and over 5 years.
- Salaries by job and city and employer filings to research further.
FAQ
How do I know if a job offer is good?
Compare the base salary with two things: what that employer has reported paying for the same job (its public DOL wage filings, if it sponsors visas) and what the whole market pays for the job in your metro (BLS). Below roughly the 40th percentile is low, 40th to 65th is fair, and above that is strong. Then adjust for your experience level.
How is the counteroffer range calculated?
We take the reference points above your offer, such as the employer’s filed median and 75th percentile and the market median to 75th percentile, and suggest moving toward them. If the full gap is over 25%, the range is capped at about +20%, because gaps that big often mean a level or title mismatch. It is an estimate from public data, not advice or a guarantee.
Is my offer amount sent to Outpaid?
No. The comparison runs in your browser against public data files. The number you type is never uploaded, and share cards leave it out unless you choose to add it.
What if the employer doesn’t sponsor visas?
You still get the BLS market comparison for your job and metro, which covers all employers and experience levels. Employer filings exist only for companies that file Labor Condition Applications.
Does this include bonus, equity or benefits?
No. Both sources are base pay. Negotiate sign-on, equity, bonus targets, start date and remote terms separately.
Where does the data come from?
U.S. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national + state), and U.S. DOL OFLC LCA Disclosure Data, FY2026 Q3 (LCA_Disclosure_Data_FY2026_Q3.xlsx). See the methodology page for every step.
Not legal, financial or career advice. Data: U.S. BLS OEWS May 2025; U.S. DOL LCA disclosures FY2026 Q3 (built 2026-10-11).