How to Research Salary Before Negotiating a Job Offer

Why Research Matters More Than Negotiation Tactics

Salary negotiation books are full of clever scripts: anchor high, stay silent, use the flinch. These tactics work at the margins. What actually determines how much you make in your next role is something simpler: whether you know what the market pays and whether you can articulate it credibly.

A candidate who walks in knowing the role pays $180-220K can ask for $210K and justify it. A candidate who walks in guessing will undershoot by 15-20K without realizing it. The tactic doesn't close that gap. The research does.

This guide is about how to do that research before you ever open the negotiation conversation.

Step 1: Understand the Data Problem

Salary data is messy. Every source has limitations.

Glassdoor and LinkedIn Salary are self-reported, which means biased upward at some companies and downward at others. Useful as a starting point, dangerous as the only source.

Levels.fyi is accurate for tech roles at major companies. Less useful outside of engineering, PM, design, and data.

Salary.com and Payscale aggregate from multiple sources. Directional, but often lag the market by 12-18 months.

Government data (BLS) is accurate but broad. It gives you national medians, which are usually lower than what you'll see at specific companies in specific markets.

Peer conversations are the most accurate but the least complete. A few data points, not a distribution.

The right approach is to triangulate across multiple sources. No single source is correct. The overlap across several sources is where the truth lives.

Step 2: Define the Role Precisely

Before you search, pin down exactly what you're researching.

Title and level. "Senior Product Manager" at one company means something different than at another. Get as specific as possible: "Senior PM, L5, B2B SaaS, Growth stage."

Location. Remote roles often pay based on where you live. Specify your location. "New York" is different from "Atlanta."

Company size and stage. A Series B startup pays differently than a FAANG-sized company. Startup total comp is often weighted toward equity. Large companies weigh toward cash.

Industry. The same title pays differently across industries. Fintech tends to pay higher than nonprofits. AI/ML companies pay higher than traditional SaaS.

The more specific you are, the more accurate your research. Broad searches give you broad ranges that are useless at the negotiation table.

Step 3: Collect Salary Data From 6-8 Sources

Goal: collect 10-20 data points for your specific role, level, location, and company stage.

Source 1: Levels.fyi (tech roles). Filter by company, level, and location. Record base, bonus, equity.

Source 2: Glassdoor. Search for the role at your target company. Glassdoor shows median and a range. Note how many reports it's based on. More reports equals more reliable.

Source 3: LinkedIn Salary. Search for the role in your location. Provides base and bonus ranges.

Source 4: Blind. Anonymous employee forum with active salary threads. Search for your target companies and roles. Look for specific data points, not just complaints.

Source 5: Recruiter conversations. Recruiters have market data in their heads. When a recruiter calls about a role, ask early: "What's the compensation range for this role?" Some will tell you. Those data points are golden.

Source 6: Your network. Two or three candid conversations with peers in similar roles. This is the highest-signal data. Most people will share a range if you ask respectfully.

Source 7: Job posting disclosures. Many states (California, Colorado, New York, Washington) require salary ranges on public postings. Search similar roles in those states for reference.

Source 8: Industry compensation reports. Every major industry has annual compensation surveys (e.g., Pavilion for B2B SaaS leaders, PacificCrest for enterprise software). Some are free, some require membership. Worth the time to find the one for your space.

Step 4: Build Your Range

Put your data points into a simple table. Throw out the extreme outliers (the one $400K number that seems wrong, the $80K number that's clearly a different role).

With what's left, identify:

The 25th percentile: the low end of what's reasonable. Below this, you're being underpaid.

The 50th percentile (median): what a typical strong candidate earns.

The 75th percentile: what top performers or senior candidates in the level earn.

Your negotiation range is usually 50th to 75th percentile. You target the 75th. You accept no less than the 50th unless the role compensates on other dimensions (equity, brand, growth).

Example: for a Senior Product Manager in a Series C SaaS company in Austin, your data might land at:

25th: $165K base + $15K bonus + $30K equity/year = $210K total

50th: $185K base + $20K bonus + $50K equity/year = $255K total

75th: $210K base + $25K bonus + $80K equity/year = $315K total

That's your negotiation context. You now anchor at $210K base, with a target total comp north of $280K. And you know $185K base isn't enough unless equity is unusually generous.

Step 5: Understand the Negotiation Levers Beyond Base

Base salary is the most negotiable in some companies, least in others. Know your levers.

Sign-on bonus. Often the easiest lever. Companies have specific recruiting budgets for this and it doesn't affect ongoing compensation commitments.

Annual bonus target. Negotiable at senior levels. Less so at junior.

Equity. At startups, often the biggest lever. At public companies, equity grants are usually fixed by level.

Start date. Want extra time off before starting? Negotiate a later start date with any accrued vacation paid out.

Title and level. A higher starting level often means higher base, higher equity, and a faster path to promotion. Sometimes more negotiable than you think.

Relocation. If moving, this is a real line item, often $10-25K for cash.

PTO and flexibility. Harder to negotiate, but not impossible at senior levels.

For specific scripts around these asks, see our salary negotiation scripts guide.

Step 6: Know the Sensitive Questions

Two questions trip up candidates during negotiation. Know your answer to each before you need it.

"What's your current salary?" In many states, this question is illegal. Even where it's legal, you don't have to answer. Redirect: "I'd rather focus on what the market supports for this role, and I've done research on that. I'd welcome hearing the range you have in mind."

"What are your salary expectations?" Don't give a single number. Give a range anchored at your 75th percentile. "Based on my research for this role and level, I'm looking at a range of $200-230K base, with flexibility depending on the total package."

The candidate who gives a single number early almost always ends up below what they could have gotten.

Step 7: Factor in Location and Remote Policies

More companies tie compensation to geography. A senior role may pay $200K in San Francisco but $170K in Austin, even if the work is identical.

Questions to answer for any remote or distributed role:

Does this company have a location-based pay policy? (Most do now.)

Do they pay national rates or tiered by cost of living?

If I move during my time here, will my comp adjust?

Is the location-based cut already baked into the initial offer, or are they offering you a premium rate they might claw back later?

Location matters more in 2026 than it did in 2021. Do the math on your actual take-home in your actual city.

Step 8: Consider Total Comp, Not Just Cash

A job that pays $180K in cash with a bad 401k match, no equity, and mediocre healthcare is worth less than a job that pays $170K with a 6% 401k match, $60K/year in RSUs, and strong healthcare.

Before comparing offers or setting your range, build a total comp spreadsheet:

Base salary

Bonus target (and likelihood of payout)

Equity (value at current price, vesting schedule)

Benefits (401k match, HSA, healthcare premium savings)

Other perks (stipends, PTO value)

Signing bonus

For more on evaluating the full offer beyond cash, read our guide on evaluating a job offer beyond salary.

Step 9: Know When to Push and When to Accept

Not every negotiation should be a hard push. Signs to push harder:

The offer is below the 50th percentile of your research.

The company is clearly well-funded and growing.

You have another offer or active late-stage interviews.

Your experience is above the level range for the role they're offering.

Signs to accept closer to the initial offer:

The offer is at or above the 75th percentile.

The role includes something highly valuable to you beyond cash (reporting line, equity upside, rare experience).

You've already negotiated once and gotten movement. Going a third time has diminishing returns and risk.

The right negotiation isn't always the longest one.

Your LinkedIn Affects Your Negotiation Leverage

Here's the thing most candidates miss: your LinkedIn profile affects the range you're offered before negotiation even starts. Recruiters size up candidates during sourcing and set initial offer bands based partly on how senior and in-demand the candidate seems.

A profile that reads as a strong mid-level candidate gets mid-level offers. A profile that reads as a standout senior gets senior offers. The difference can be 15-25% in starting compensation, before any negotiation.

If you want to see how your profile is reading to recruiters right now, and whether it's positioning you at the top or the middle of your level, get a free Avery LinkedIn audit. It's the highest-leverage thing you can do before your next negotiation.