Find Your Market Rate.
Backed by Government Data.
Median wages, percentile ranges, and cost-of-living adjustments for 45 occupations across 30 US metro areas — anchored to BLS OEWS wage data. Core roles track the published OEWS metro tables; broader roles are modeled estimates, calibrated to BLS wage ratios and clearly labeled on each page.
Browse All OccupationsFeatured Salary Comparisons
| San Francisco, CA | $175,000 |
| New York, NY | $168,000 |
| Austin, TX | $140,000 |
| Seattle, WA | $115,000 |
| Houston, TX | $74,000 |
| Nashville, TN | $68,000 |
| New York, NY | $128,000 |
| Chicago, IL | $98,000 |
| Dallas, TX | $95,000 |
Browse by Occupation Category
Technology
Healthcare
Finance
Business
Legal & Education
Skilled Trades
Engineering
Why SalariesByCity?
Anchored to Government Data
Figures are anchored to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey — the gold standard for US wage data. Core occupations track the published OEWS metro tables; broader roles are modeled estimates calibrated to BLS wage ratios, labeled as such on every page.
City-Level Precision
Compare salaries across 30 major US metros with cost-of-living adjustments so you see real purchasing power, not just nominal figures.
No Login Required
All data is free to access. No account, no paywall, no email capture. Just accurate salary information when you need it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does SalariesByCity get its salary data?
Salary figures are anchored to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. Core occupations (Software Developer, Registered Nurse, Lawyer, etc.) track the published BLS metro-level wage tables. Broader occupations use modeled estimates calibrated to BLS national wage ratios — each page labels whether its data is BLS-aligned or modeled.
How many occupations and cities does SalariesByCity cover?
The site covers 45 occupations across 7 categories (Technology, Healthcare, Finance, Business, Legal & Education, Skilled Trades, and Engineering) in 30 major US metropolitan areas — from San Francisco and New York to smaller metros like El Paso and Oklahoma City. That produces over 1,350 unique salary data points.
What does the cost-of-living adjustment show?
The COL-adjusted salary divides your nominal pay by the metro area's cost-of-living index (US average = 100) and multiplies by 100. A $150,000 salary in San Francisco (COL 187) has the purchasing power of about $80,200 in an average-cost city. This helps you compare real purchasing power, not just headline numbers.
Is SalariesByCity free to use?
Yes — all salary data, city comparisons, percentile breakdowns, and the salary calculator are completely free. No account, no login, no paywall. The site is supported by contextual career resource links, not gated content.
How often is the salary data updated?
BLS releases updated OEWS data annually (typically in the spring for the prior year's survey). SalariesByCity recalibrates its figures after each BLS release. Cost-of-living indices are updated from composite metropolitan area data on a similar annual cycle.