Compensation Research Guide (2022)

Scope of this Guide:

This guide provides a description of research strategies and a select listing of sources to use when conducting compensation research for position negotiation and/or other career-related activities. It is not a comprehensive listing of all the compensation, salary, and benefit information available. If you have questions about what is and is not included in this guide, please contact the Business/SPEA Library.

Salary Calculators:

There are a number of salary calculators from reputable sources that can provide a quick salary or wage figure as an initial benchmark:

• SalaryExpert (Economic Research Institute)
• PayScale Salary Calculator
• Job Seekers Salary Calculator (Educate to Career)

Access to other salary and wage sources can be found  here.

Further Compensation Research:

However, there are many nuances (e.g., geography, job title, functional area, etc.) that can get lost in aggregate salary data. And, salary may be only one variable to consider when making compensation decisions. Therefore, this guide also addresses other considerations, including:

• Location and living costs
• Company and industry averages and benefits
• Tax systems and labor structures