Our data & methodology

Primary data source

National medians, percentile distributions (10th, 25th, 75th, 90th), and total U.S. employment counts come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2024 release. The OEWS publishes annual estimates from a survey of approximately 1.2 million establishments and is the authoritative U.S. source for occupation-by-area wages.

Each profession on this site corresponds to one specific BLS Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code, listed in the profession's salary page header and in the bls-oews data file. Where a colloquial job title (e.g. "ultrasound technician") maps to the same SOC code as a more formal title (e.g. "diagnostic medical sonographer"), both pages reference the same underlying data.

State-level wages

BLS publishes OEWS data by state and by metropolitan statistical area (MSA). We use the published state median, p10, p90, and employment estimates as our primary state values. For occupations where BLS state-level estimates have suppressed cells (typically rural states with small employment counts), we apply the BLS-published "area pay relative to U.S." index for the broader occupational group to compute a benchmarked estimate.

For each occupation, we apply occupation-specific overrides where the published BLS state pattern materially departs from the broader-group baseline. The overrides are documented inline in the OCC_OVERRIDES section of our data file. The most prominent overrides:

• Respiratory therapists in California: 1.40× national median, reflecting the state's distinct RCP licensure, Title 22 staffing rules, and union density
• Diagnostic medical sonographers on the West Coast: 1.22–1.30× national median, reflecting persistent labor shortage in CA, OR, and WA
• Dental hygienists in California and Alaska: 1.32× and 1.25× national median respectively, reflecting the state-specific clinical board exam (CA) and remote-area pay premium (AK)
• Health information technicians in NJ and MD: 1.22× and 1.16× national median, reflecting density of academic medical centers and large insurance HQs

Cost-of-living adjustment

Cost-of-living calculations use the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, 2023 release (the most recent at time of publication). RPP is indexed so the U.S. average equals 100. A state with an RPP of 113 is 13% more expensive than the national average; a state with 87 is 13% cheaper.

The "Real pay" column on each profession page applies real_pay = nominal_state_median × (100 / state_RPP), producing a dollar value indexed to U.S.-average purchasing power. This lets you compare what salaries actually buy across states, not just their nominal value.

RPP is a state-level average. Real cost differences within a state can be larger than between states — Manhattan versus upstate New York, Bay Area versus Sacramento, Austin versus rural East Texas. We use state-level RPP because that's what BLS salary data is structured around. For city-level cost analysis, MIT's Living Wage Calculator and Numbeo offer finer-grained data.

ROI calculator math

The ROI calculator computes:

• All-in cost = tuition + (current annual income × program months / 12). The opportunity cost of being out of the workforce is included.
• Annual gain = state median for the new profession − current annual income.
• Payback period = all-in cost / annual gain.
• 20-year net = (annual gain × 20) − all-in cost.

Two simplifications we don't model: (a) student loan interest, which adds 15–25% to total cost over a typical 10-year repayment, and (b) entry-level pay, which usually runs 5–10% below state median for the first 1–2 years. Both factors push the realistic payback period out by 6–18 months versus the calculator's headline result. If your math is on the edge, treat the calculator's result as conservative-leaning rather than precise.

Program cost data

Median program tuition costs are sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) and program-school surveys updated 2024. Ranges (low/median/high) cover community college (low end), state university (median), and private/for-profit accelerated programs (high end). DPT and graduate-level program costs include tuition only; total cost-of-attendance with living expenses is typically 15–25% higher.

Growth projections

10-year employment growth projections (2023–2033) and annual openings come from the BLS Employment Projections program, 2023–2033 release. These are the same projections used in the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.

What we don't include

• Hourly wages — we display annual; divide by 2,080 for hourly.
• Shift differential — night and weekend premiums add 10–25% to base pay in many roles but aren't in OEWS.
• Union vs non-union splits — important for some occupations but not separately reported by OEWS.
• Travel and PRN rates — typically 30–60% above staff pay but not in our dataset.
• Benefits valuation — health insurance, pensions, and tuition reimbursement are real compensation but vary too widely across employers to standardize.
• Contract/per-diem and 1099 rates — different tax structure and benefit access; not directly comparable to W-2 OEWS data.

Update cadence

We refresh data annually after the BLS OEWS May release (typically published the following March/April). RPP data is refreshed annually after BEA's late-year release. Profession content is reviewed annually; structural changes (e.g. new specialty modalities, regulatory shifts) are updated as they occur.

Citation

If you cite our data, please source the underlying BLS OEWS release directly: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 release. Cost-of-living data: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Regional Price Parities, 2023 release.

Last reviewed

May 2026.