$90,000 to $140,000: how to read the salary range in a job posting
A posted salary range is the employer's own estimate of what it might pay, and most hires land below the middle of it. Here is how to read the level, band and location notes around the number, and where you are likely to land.
Alex Vavilov
CEO at Glozo | Helping Recruiters & Agencies Cut Sourcing Time by 80% with our Talent Intelligence Platform
A salary range in a job posting is the lowest and highest base pay the employer says it expects to pay for that opening. Most hires land inside it, and most land below the middle: in a Glassdoor comparison of 147,568 US job listings from 2024, the posted range contained what employees in the same job reported earning 67% of the time, and more than 60% of those salaries sat below the range's midpoint.
So when a posting says $90,000 to $140,000 for a senior analyst, the useful question is where in that $50,000 you would land, and why the employer needed a range that wide in the first place. The answer usually sits in the words printed around the number: the level, the grade or band, the location note, and what the employer counts as pay.
This guide covers postings that show a number. If the posting says "Salary: DOE" and shows nothing at all, that is a different problem, and what DOE means in a job posting covers it.
What the numbers in a salary range mean
The minimum is the lowest pay the employer expects to offer someone who meets the posting's requirements. For a new hire at the level described, it is the realistic floor.
The midpoint is halfway between the two ends. In a $90,000 to $140,000 range it is $115,000. It is the number most readers anchor on, and most new hires do not reach it. In the Glassdoor data, more than 60% of reported salaries fell below the middle of the posted range.
The maximum is the most the employer says it might pay for this opening. The ends are guides rather than walls: in the same comparison, 22% of reported salaries sat below the posted range and 11% above it.
One distinction changes how you read all three numbers. A company's full pay band for a level can be wider than what a team plans to pay this particular hire, and employers choose which one to print. Virginia's state HR guidance, for example, lets agencies post the full band or "a range within the pay band that reflects realistically what the hiring official is willing/able to pay", and advises against posting the full band unless the job is posted by role title only. If you cannot tell which kind of range you are looking at, ask the recruiter whether the posted figures are the full band or the budget for this hire.
Why the salary range in a job posting is so wide
Four things stretch a range, and a single posting often has more than one of them.
The first is several levels under one posting. Virginia Commonwealth University's HR rules for multi-title postings set the hiring range from the minimum of the Level 1 title to the maximum of the Level 3 title, so one ad covers three rungs of pay. To see how far apart the rungs of one role sit in the market, compare levels in PayScope's salary guides by role and level. The General Manager guide puts the national entry median at $65,320 and the leader median at $163,956. A posting covering both levels would need a range more than $98,000 wide.
The second is several locations. A remote or multi-city posting has to cover every place the hire could sit, so the bottom tends to reflect the cheapest market and the top the most expensive one.
The third is the band itself. When an employer prints the full band for a grade instead of the budget for this opening, the top of the posted range describes pay for someone with years in the job.
The fourth is the law. SHRM counted 18 states and Washington, D.C. requiring salary ranges in job ads as of 2026, and the laws ask for good faith rather than precision. Colorado requires the range the employer "in good faith believes it might pay". New York City requires a good-faith minimum and maximum and rules out open-ended ranges such as "$15 per hour and up". California, from January 1, 2026, defines the posted pay scale as a good-faith estimate of the range the employer reasonably expects to pay. Good faith limits how far a range can drift from reality, but it does not put the top on offer to every candidate.
Level, grade, band and step: the words around the number
A level is a seniority rung inside one job title: entry, mid, senior, lead, or codes such as II, III or L4. It tells you which slice of the range the employer has in mind for this hire.
A pay grade is a numbered tier that groups jobs of similar scope under one pay range. Grades are most common in government and large employers. The federal General Schedule runs from GS-1 to GS-15, and OPM publishes its pay tables.
A pay band, also called a salary band, is the full range attached to a grade or level, from its minimum to its maximum. Bands are often wider than what a team will pay a new hire, which is why a posting that prints the whole band looks wider than the offer you are likely to get.
A step is a fixed increment inside a grade, used mostly in public-sector pay. Each General Schedule grade has 10 steps, and new federal appointments are generally made at step 1.
What you see in the posting, what it means, what to do
Most range questions come down to a handful of patterns. Read the row that matches your posting.
| You see in the posting | What it usually means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| A wide range, such as $90,000-$140,000 | The posting covers several levels or locations, or prints the full pay band | Work out which level the duties describe and compare against that level, not the midpoint |
| A narrow range, such as $98,000-$104,000 | One level and a set budget for this hire | Treat the top as close to the real ceiling |
| An hourly range, such as $28-$36 per hour | An hourly role, usually eligible for overtime | Multiply by the hours you will actually work. 40 hours a week for 52 weeks is 2,080 hours, so $28 an hour is about $58,240 a year |
| OTE $150,000 | On-target earnings: base pay plus the commission paid if you hit quota | Ask for the base and the commission split, then compare base with base |
| "Up to $120,000" or "Starting at $70,000" | Only one end of the range is stated. New York City treats open-ended ranges as non-compliant | Read the stated figure as the edge of the offer, not the likely number |
| A level code, such as Senior II, L4 or IC3 | The employer's internal seniority rung for this hire | Match it to the duties and years asked for, then check what that level pays for your role |
| "Band 4" or "Grade 12" | An internal pay tier with its own minimum and maximum | Public employers publish their pay structures, so look up the band before you apply |
| "Pay varies by location" | Geographic pay tiers sit behind one posted range | Ask which tier your location falls into before you compare |
| A base salary range with no bonus or equity mentioned | Most posted ranges are base pay only. New York City's law covers base pay; Colorado also requires a general description of bonuses and benefits | Compare base with base, and ask what else is paid |
| "Salary: DOE" or "Competitive" | No number is published, although an internal range exists | See what DOE means in a job posting |
Where you are likely to land inside the range
Four steps turn a posted range into a number you can plan around.
1. Find the level the duties describe. Ignore the title for a moment and read what the job asks for: years of experience, whether you would manage people, how much you would own. A posting asking for three to five years and no direct reports describes a lower rung than one asking for eight years and a team, even when both carry the same title.
2. Look up what that level pays for your role. Compare the posted range with what the market pays at that level, not with the role overall. The salary guides break pay down by level for each role they cover, and for many of them by city.
3. Place yourself, and expect the lower half. A new hire who meets the requirements lands below the midpoint more often than above it, which matches the Glassdoor finding. Landing near the middle is a strong result. The top of the range usually goes to someone who brings more than the posting asks for.
4. Compare like with like. Put base against base. Convert hourly ranges at the hours you will actually work, and split OTE into base and commission before you compare it with a salaried offer.
If you have the posting open now, run it through PayScope's Job Analysis to see where the market sits for your role, level and city before you apply.
What you say about that number in an interview is a separate question. How to answer salary expectations covers the interview moment, and how to use data to negotiate a better salary covers the offer stage.
When the posting shows no number
Some postings print no range at all, usually "DOE", "depends on experience", or "competitive". The employer still has a range internally; it has chosen not to publish it. Salary listed as DOE explains what that signals and how to ask for the range. If the question behind your search is whether you are paid fairly in the job you have now, the percentile test for whether you are underpaid answers it.
Check the range before you apply
A posted range tells you what the employer is prepared to pay across everyone it might hire. Your number depends on the level you match, the city you work in, and what the market pays for that combination. Work that out before the first call, so you know whether the posting is worth your time and which part of the range is realistic for you.
Paste the posting into Job Analysis and see the market floor, median and ceiling for your role and city. Free to start.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the top of a salary range realistic?
Sometimes, but rarely for a typical new hire. In Glassdoor's 2024 comparison of 147,568 US job listings with employee-reported pay, more than 60% of salaries fell below the middle of the posted range, and 11% sat above the top. The top usually goes to candidates who match a higher level than the posting's typical hire.
Is the salary range in a job posting negotiable?
Usually, within limits. The range is the employer's own statement of what it expects to pay for the opening, so an offer anywhere inside it is open to discussion. Offers outside the range happen, but less often: Glassdoor found 11% of reported salaries above the posted range and 22% below it.
What is the difference between a salary range and a pay band?
A pay band is the full range attached to a grade or level inside a company. The salary range in a job posting can be that full band or a narrower slice the hiring manager expects to pay for this opening. Virginia's state HR guidance, for example, lets agencies post either and advises against posting the full band unless the job is posted by role title only.
Does the posted salary range include bonus and equity?
Usually not. Most posted ranges cover base pay only. New York City's law requires just the base salary or hourly rate, while Colorado also requires a general description of bonuses, commissions and benefits. A figure labeled OTE is different: it includes the commission paid at target.
Why do some job postings show a range that covers several levels?
The employer is hiring at more than one level under a single posting, or has not yet decided which level to hire. Virginia Commonwealth University's rules for multi-title postings, for instance, set the hiring range from the minimum of the Level 1 title to the maximum of the Level 3 title. The duties and years of experience in the posting show which part of that range applies to a given candidate.
What does it mean when a job posting shows no salary at all?
The posting usually says DOE (depends on experience) or "competitive" instead. The employer has an internal range but has chosen not to print it, which is allowed in places without a posting requirement. Candidates can still ask for the range and can estimate it from market pay for the role, level and city before applying.
