Data Sources & Methodology

Where Our Data Comes From

ilovesalary.com aggregates salary and compensation data from multiple authoritative sources — including government statistical agencies, employer-reported surveys, job posting databases, and user-contributed data — to produce accurate, up-to-date salary benchmarks for over 40 countries and hundreds of cities worldwide.

All data is processed through our proprietary validation pipeline before publication. We cross-reference figures across multiple independent sources to identify and exclude outliers. We never publish data derived from a single source without cross-validation.

Important: Salary figures on ilovesalary.com represent market benchmarks and averages based on aggregated data. They are intended for research and comparison purposes. Individual salaries vary based on employer, experience, negotiation, benefits and many other factors. ilovesalary.com is not a licensed financial or legal advisor.

Our Primary Data Sources

Government Statistical Agencies

Bureau of Labour Statistics (USA), Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), Statistics Canada, Office for National Statistics (UK), Eurostat, and equivalent national agencies. These provide the most authoritative baseline wage data available.

Industry Salary Surveys

Published annual compensation surveys from professional associations, HR consulting firms and industry bodies, including Mercer, Willis Towers Watson, Aon Hewitt, Robert Half, Hays and Michael Page — covering 50+ industries globally.

Job Posting Aggregation

Structured analysis of millions of publicly advertised job postings across SEEK, Indeed, LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Reed and dozens of regional job boards. Salary ranges disclosed in job ads provide current market-rate signals.

User-Contributed Data

Anonymised salary submissions from ilovesalary.com users who voluntarily share compensation details. All submissions are validated against our model before inclusion — outliers are flagged and reviewed before publication.

Immigration and Visa Authorities

For international salary benchmarks, we reference mandatory disclosure thresholds from immigration authorities — including Australia’s TSMIT ($70,000 AUD for 482 visas), the UK’s Shortage Occupation List salaries, and the US Department of Labour’s prevailing wage database for H-1B roles.

Cost of Living Databases

For purchasing power comparisons and cost-adjusted salary benchmarks, we use publicly available cost-of-living indices from the IMF, World Bank, OECD and specialist providers including Numbeo and the EIU Cost of Living survey.

How We Process and Validate Data

Step 1 — Collection

Data is collected from government agencies, industry surveys, job posting feeds and user contributions on a rolling basis. Government data is typically collected annually or quarterly. Job posting data is updated monthly. User-contributed data is collected continuously.

Step 2 — Normalisation

All salary figures are converted to annual gross before tax in local currency. Part-time, contract and commission-heavy roles are flagged and excluded from base salary averages. Benefits, bonuses and equity are tracked separately where disclosed.

Step 3 — Cross-Validation

Each data point is cross-referenced against at least two independent sources before inclusion. When sources disagree by more than 15%, the discrepancy is reviewed, and the lower-confidence figure is excluded or weighted down.

Step 4 — Outlier Removal

Statistical outliers — figures more than 2.5 standard deviations from the role median — are automatically flagged and reviewed by our data team before inclusion. This reduces the distorting effect of anomalous data points on reported averages.

Step 5 — Review and Publication

Validated benchmarks are reviewed by our editorial team and published with a confidence rating. All published figures include the data period they represent and a last-updated timestamp.

Data Update Frequency

• National average salaries — Updated quarterly — Government statistical agencies
• Role-level salary ranges — Updated quarterly — Industry surveys and job postings
• City and regional benchmarks — Updated biannually — ABS, BLS, Statistics Canada and job postings
• Visa salary thresholds (TSMIT, etc.) — Updated on regulatory change — Home Affairs, USCIS, Home Office
• Cost of living indices — Updated quarterly — IMF, World Bank, EIU, Numbeo
• User-contributed data — Updated continuously — ilovesalary.com community
• Tax rates and take-home calculations — Updated annually every July — National revenue authorities
• Minimum wage data — Updated on regulatory change — Fair Work, DOL, HMRC and equivalents

Country-Specific Data Sources

Australia

• Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) — Average Weekly Earnings, Labour Force Survey
• Fair Work Commission — National Minimum Wage Orders, Modern Award rates
• Department of Home Affairs — TSMIT (Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold)
• SEEK.com.au and LinkedIn Australia — job posting salary disclosures
• Hays Australia, Michael Page Australia — annual salary guides
• Australian Taxation Office (ATO) — income tax rates, Medicare Levy, Zone Offsets

Canada

• Statistics Canada — Labour Force Survey, Survey of Employment, Payrolls and Hours
• Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) — National Occupational Classification wages
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) — prevailing wage requirements
• Job Bank Canada (Government of Canada) — wage data by NOC code and province
• Robert Half Canada, Hays Canada — annual salary guides
• Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) — federal and provincial tax rates

United States

• Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
• Department of Labour (DOL) — Foreign Labour Certification prevailing wages (H-1B)
• Census Bureau — American Community Survey income data
• Glassdoor, LinkedIn Salary Insights, and Levels. fyi — disclosed compensation data
• Robert Half, Randstad — annual salary guides
• IRS — federal income tax brackets and state tax rates

United Kingdom

• Office for National Statistics (ONS) — Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE)
• Home Office — Skilled Worker visa salary thresholds, Shortage Occupation List
• HMRC — Income tax bands, National Insurance rates
• Reed.co.uk, CV-Library — job posting salary data
• Hays UK, Michael Page UK, Robert Half UK — annual salary surveys

Other Countries

• Eurostat — EU-wide earnings statistics for European country pages
• OECD — earnings data and tax wedge calculations for OECD member countries
• World Bank — wage data for emerging market country pages
• Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) — Ministry of Human Resources data for UAE, KSA, Qatar
• Regional HR consultancy reports — for country pages where government data is limited

Data Limitations and Disclaimers

Lag: Government statistics are typically published 6 to 18 months after the reference period. Rapidly changing markets may not be fully reflected in published figures.

Sample size: For niche roles or small cities, sample sizes may be small, and confidence intervals may be wide. We indicate low-confidence figures where applicable.

Self-selection bias: User-contributed data may overrepresent professionals who are actively job-searching or recently hired, which can slightly skew the figures upward.

Job title inconsistency: The same job title can mean very different things at different companies. We normalise roles using ANZSCO, NOC, SOC and ISCO occupational classification codes where possible.

Total compensation versus base salary: Unless stated, all figures represent base salary only and exclude bonuses, equity, employer superannuation, health benefits and other non-cash compensation.

Exchange rates: International comparisons use purchasing power parity (PPP)- adjusted rates rather than nominal exchange rates. Nominal comparisons are noted where used.

Not financial advice: Salary data on ilovesalary.com is provided for informational and research purposes only. It does not constitute financial, legal or career advice. Always verify salary expectations directly with employers and consider your specific circumstances before making career or relocation decisions.

Questions About Our Data?

If you believe a salary figure on ilovesalary.com is incorrect, outdated or misleading, we want to know. Our editorial team reviews all data queries and will investigate any credible concerns within 5 business days.

You can also contribute your own salary data through our free Salary Checker. All voluntary submissions are anonymised and help improve the accuracy of our benchmarks for everyone.

For data correction requests or methodology questions, contact us at data@ilovesalary.com