Payroll · United States

Salary percentile.

Pick an occupation, enter an annual salary, and see roughly where it sits among U.S. workers in that job. Built on the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2025 national wage percentiles. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere.

Inputs

Your job and pay

Occupation The 150 largest U.S. occupations with complete published data.

Annual salary (USD, before tax)

Base pay. For an hourly wage, convert it first.

Your percentile

Pick an occupation and enter a salary.

How the estimate works

For each occupation the BLS publishes five annual wage points: the 10th, 25th, 50th (median), 75th and 90th percentiles. Your percentile is found by drawing a straight line between the two published points that bracket your salary:

percentile = P_low + (P_high − P_low) × (salary − W_low) ÷ (W_high − W_low)

The BLS does not publish anything between those points, so a result such as “39th” is an estimate. Real pay distributions curve, so the true figure can differ by a few points. Below the 10th or above the 90th percentile the tool does not extrapolate; it only tells you which side you are on.

Worked example

A registered nurse earning $90,000. The May 2025 figures for Registered Nurses (SOC 29-1141) are $80,330 at the 25th percentile and $97,550 at the median. $90,000 falls between them, so: 25 + 25 × (90,000 − 80,330) ÷ (97,550 − 80,330) = 25 + 25 × 0.5616 ≈ 39th percentile. About 39% of nurses are estimated to earn less than that.

Sources and as-of date

All wage figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 national estimates, annual wage columns (A_PCT10, A_PCT25, A_MEDIAN, A_PCT75, A_PCT90). File: oesm25nat.zip, listed on the OEWS tables page.
Method and definitions: BLS OEWS technical notes (May 2025). OEWS wages are straight-time gross pay and exclude overtime, bonuses, tips and benefits; they are averaged across employers nationwide.
Occupations are the 150 largest detailed SOC occupations by employment that publish all five numeric percentiles. The BLS reports wages above a ceiling as top-coded, so occupations with that gap are omitted instead of guessed.
The data is a static copy taken on 2026-09-30. Canada is not covered.

Frequently asked questions

What does a salary percentile mean?

The 60th percentile means about 60% of workers in that occupation earn less than you and about 40% earn more. The 50th percentile is the median.

Why is my result only an estimate?

The BLS publishes five points per occupation, not the full distribution. The tool joins them with straight lines, so values between the points are approximations.

Does this include bonuses or stock pay?

No. OEWS counts base wages only, so compare it with your base salary. Location, experience and industry also move pay; these figures are national averages across all of them. For after-tax pay, use the paycheck calculator.

I am paid hourly. How do I use this?

Convert your wage to an annual figure with the hourly to salary calculator, then enter it here.

Disclaimer

Estimates for information only, not pay or negotiating advice. Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 national data; local and employer-specific pay differs.