Frequently Asked Questions

The best way to determine if you are undervalued is to calculate your MCA Score. By benchmarking your pay against live market demand and federal BLS data, we provide an objective look at your current market value.

Average compensation depends heavily on your location, industry, and experience level. By running a search, you can view the median salary and distribution curve for your exact position.

You should expect a salary that aligns with current market rates. Whether you are negotiating a raise or applying for a new job, knowing the expected salary range gives you the power to negotiate fairly.

An MCA Score between 40 and 79 is generally considered 'Competitive' or 'Strong Alignment.' If your score is above 80, you are a Market Leader. If it falls below 40, it may be time to negotiate a raise or explore new opportunities.

A 'right' salary should reflect the current demand for your skills. Since market conditions change, using a real-time calculator helps you verify if your current pay matches the most recent job listings and government benchmarks.

Knowing your market rate gives you leverage during salary negotiations and performance reviews. It ensures you aren't leaving money on the table and helps you make informed decisions about your career progression.

Start typing your job title and our smart autocomplete will suggest government standard industry roles. This helps ensure your salary comparison is based on accurate and relevant data.

Our suggestions are based on federal Standard Occupational Classifications (SOC). Don't worry if your internal company title isn't there—just enter it anyway, and our algorithm will map you to the closest federal equivalent.

We understand the hesitation around sharing salary information. While entering your current salary helps us provide a direct comparison specific to you, you can choose to leave it blank. Our tool will still give you valuable insights based on the average salary for your role and location.

We take your privacy seriously. Any data you enter is used solely to provide you with accurate salary comparisons and insights. We do not sell or share your personal information with third parties. For more details, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

That is great news! Being fairly paid means your employer is keeping up with market trends. You can use this data during your next review to confirm your value and discuss future growth or additional benefits.

If you are above the market average, you are in a strong position. Use our insights to see how much higher the top 10% of earners in your field are making and what skills might be required to stay at that level.

MCA stands for Market Compensation Alignment. It is a proprietary score from 1 to 99 that measures how your base pay aligns with the current US market. A higher score indicates you are a Market Leader, while a lower score suggest your compensation is below the current market rate.

Our engine uses a 'Triangulated' logic. We cross-reference official federal BLS statistics, national economic trends, and over 7,000,000+ live US job listings to identify exactly where your salary sits in today's economy.

It is significantly more accurate than traditional salary calculators. By weighing real-time job vacancies (market demand) against official BLS data (historical baselines), our engine accounts for sudden economic shifts that static surveys often miss.

Absolutely. Our engine applies dynamic regional modifiers. A $100k salary in San Francisco will result in a different MCA Score than the same salary in Austin, reflecting the specific cost of labor in your state or city.

Your MCA Score places you into one of five brackets, from 'Action Required' up to 'Market Leader'. See our MCA Score guide for a full breakdown of each bracket and what to do next.

If your MCA Score consistently falls in the 'Below Market' or 'Action Required' range and a conversation with your manager hasn't closed the gap, it may be worth exploring the market. Run your search periodically to track how your alignment changes as market conditions shift.

Yes. Alongside official federal BLS benchmarks, we continuously ingest live job listings so your MCA Score reflects what employers are hiring for right now, not just historical averages.

Your job title, location, and salary inputs are used only to generate your MCA Score and are never sold to recruiters or employers. See our Privacy Policy for the full details on how search data is stored and used.

Bring your MCA Score breakdown to your next review as evidence. Showing your employer exactly where you sit against live listings and BLS benchmarks reframes the conversation around market data rather than personal opinion.