Career · Research

Glassdoor says $75K. LinkedIn says $90K. Who's right?

AI teaches you to find REAL salary data, read it like a recruiter, compare cities with cost-of-living math, and turn research into negotiation leverage. Decisions on data, not guesses.

trusted data sources mapped

Any vs any

city-by-city comparison

Yes

includes COL adjustment

$19.00

$39.00

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The Problem

You Googled your salary and now you're more confused.

Every website shows a different number and the range is $30K wide

Glassdoor says $72K. Indeed says $68K. LinkedIn says $65-95K. You have five tabs open and zero confidence in any number.

You don't know if you're reading median, average, base, or total comp

The salary number on screen could mean very different things depending on how the site calculated it. Most people don't know the difference.

A $120K offer in San Francisco might be worse than $85K in Austin

Without cost-of-living adjustment, you can't compare salaries across cities. The higher number isn't always the better deal.

You walked into a negotiation with 'I Googled it' instead of real data

Saying 'Glassdoor says I should make more' gets an eye roll. Presenting BLS data with percentile analysis gets a counteroffer.

What You Get

Real data. Right sources. Confident decisions.

Personalized Research Plan

Which sources to check for YOUR role — ranked by accuracy.

Data Literacy Coach

Median vs average, percentiles, total comp — read data like a recruiter.

City Comparison Framework

Salary + COL + taxes = real purchasing power per city.

Data-to-Decision Engine

Turn research into negotiation evidence or relocation math.

Ongoing Market Monitor

Alerts and annual check-in — never be caught underpaid again.

Printable Research Kit

Source cheat sheet, comparison worksheet, negotiation evidence page.

How It Works

From confused to data-driven in one research session.

Get your personalized research plan

AI maps the best data sources for YOUR specific role — not all sources are equal for all jobs.

~5 minutes

Research, understand, and compare

Run the searches, learn to read the data correctly, and compare cities with real COL math.

~30 minutes

Turn data into action — negotiate, relocate, or decide

One-page evidence sheet for negotiations, city comparison for relocation, or market monitor for ongoing tracking.

Decision ready

8+ sources

mapped and ranked for your role — so you stop guessing and start knowing what you're actually worth in any market

30 min

one research session

1 page

negotiation evidence sheet

Annual

market monitoring system

Questions

Everything you need to know.

Why do salary websites all show different numbers?

Each site uses different data. Glassdoor relies on self-reported salaries (employees submit anonymously — often skewed). LinkedIn uses profile data and job postings. Indeed uses posting ranges. BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) uses employer-reported payroll data — the most statistically rigorous. None is perfectly accurate alone, but the Data Literacy tool teaches you which to trust most for your specific role and how to triangulate across sources.

What's the difference between base salary and total compensation?

Base salary is what you see on your paycheck. Total compensation includes base + annual bonus + equity/stock + 401k employer match + health insurance value + PTO value + other benefits. For some roles (especially tech and finance), total comp is 20-50% higher than base. Comparing base-to-base across offers misses a huge part of the picture. The tool teaches you to calculate your own total comp and compare it properly.

How do I adjust salary for cost of living?

The City Comparison tool walks you through it with specific calculators (NerdWallet, BestPlaces). The key insight: housing is 60%+ of the cost difference between cities. A $90K salary in Austin where rent is $1,500/month gives you more than $120K in San Francisco where rent is $3,200/month. After housing, state taxes are the next biggest factor — some states have zero income tax while others take 10%+.

Can I use this data to negotiate my current salary?

Absolutely — and that's one of the primary use cases. The Data-to-Decision tool builds a one-page evidence sheet: your role's market rate from 3+ sources, your percentile placement, your total comp calculation, and the gap between your pay and market. Presenting this data professionally (not 'Glassdoor says' but 'BLS median for this role in our metro is $X, and industry surveys from [source] confirm the 75th percentile at $Y') is what gets raises approved.

What's the BLS and why is it more reliable than commercial sites?

The Bureau of Labor Statistics is a US government agency that collects compensation data directly from employers through mandatory surveys. Unlike Glassdoor (self-reported, small samples) or Indeed (job posting ranges, not actual pay), BLS data covers millions of workers across every occupation and metro area. It's the source that economists, recruiters, and HR departments actually use. The tool shows you exactly how to find and read BLS data for your role.

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