Career Advice
Working Parents in 2025: 91.6% of Families With Kids Have an Employed Parent
BLS Employment Characteristics of Families, 2025: dual-earner couples, working mothers and fathers, and families with an unemployed member.
Getting a raiseTiming, scripts and what to say
Career adviceOffers, interviews, benefits
AdvancementPromotions and new roles
Work lifeBosses, co-workers, culture
Featured guides
Our newest, most-read guides on pay and careers.
Know your number before you ask
Successful raise requests start with data. Our salary guide shows how to look up your job's pay range in the Bureau of Labor Statistics wage tables, then turn it into a target.
- Find your occupation's median and top-10% pay
- Adjust for your metro area
- Use it in your raise or offer conversation
Latest from JobPayRaise
New guides, data and news.
Career Advice
Home Office & Job-Hunt Gear Deals (October 28): Talix 140W 20,000mAh Power Bank $38.99, Acer Aspire Go 15 (Ryzen 7, 16GB) $499.99, Nautica Herringbone Tweed Sport Coat $98
Home office and job-hunt tech deals for October 28, 2026: Talix 140W 20,000mAh Power Bank $38.99; Acer Aspire Go 15 (Ryzen 7,…
Career Advice
Who Earns the Federal Minimum Wage? 2024 BLS Data in 8 Facts
BLS data on workers paid $7.25 or less in 2024: who they are, where they work, and why only 1.0% of hourly…
Front Page News
September 2026 Jobs Report: +29,000 Jobs, 4.2% Unemployment and $37.81 Average Pay
The September 2026 Employment Situation: payrolls +29,000, unemployment 4.2%, average hourly earnings $37.81 (+3.0% over the year), and which industries are hiring.
Getting a Raise
Inflation Hit 3.7% in September 2026: The Raise You Need Just to Break Even
The September 2026 CPI: prices up 3.7% over 12 months, gasoline up 34.2%, shelter up 3.2%. What that means for the size…
Career Advice
Highest-Paying Jobs Without a College Degree in Kentucky (2025 BLS Data)
The best-paying jobs in Kentucky that don't need a bachelor's degree, using May 2025 BLS wage data: no-degree jobs, certificate and associate's…
Career Advice
Highest-Paying Jobs Without a College Degree in Louisiana (2025 BLS Data)
The best-paying jobs in Louisiana that don't need a bachelor's degree, using May 2025 BLS wage data: no-degree jobs, certificate and associate's…
Quick facts that help in a pay talk
Raise budgets are set earlyMany companies plan next year's salary budgets in the fall, so ask before budgets close. See our 2027 raise forecast.
Ranges are often public nowSeveral states require salary ranges in job posts. See which ones.
Offers are usually negotiableA polite, data-backed counter rarely costs you the offer. How to counter.
Getting a raise
Getting a Raise
Your Real Pay Is Bigger Than Your Paycheck: Employer Compensation Costs, June 2026
BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation for June 2026: $46.89 an hour in private industry, split into wages and benefits, full-time vs.…
Getting a Raise
Union Members Earn $1,404 a Week vs. $1,174: What the 2025 Union Data Shows
The 2025 BLS union membership report: a 10.0% membership rate, public vs. private sector rates, the most unionized jobs, and the union…
Getting a Raise
Median Weekly Pay Hit $1,232 in Q3 2026: Earnings by Age, Gender and Education
BLS Usual Weekly Earnings for the third quarter of 2026: median weekly pay, the gender pay ratio, earnings by age, occupation and…
Career advancement
Career Advancement
How Many Jobs Will You Have? BLS Data on Job-Hopping Over a Career
BLS longitudinal data on late baby boomers: 12.9 jobs from ages 18 to 58, how job duration changes with age, earnings growth,…
Career Advancement
Job Openings 7.1 Million, Quits 3.1 Million: What the August 2026 JOLTS Means for Job Hoppers
The August 2026 JOLTS report: job openings, hires, quits and layoffs, and what a low quit rate means if you are thinking…
Career Advancement
Median Job Tenure Rose to 4.1 Years in 2026: How Long Workers Stay, by Age and Industry
BLS Employee Tenure in 2026: median tenure of 4.1 years, by age, gender, education, industry and occupation, and what it means for…