Annual Salary: Annual salary is the total amount of money that an employee earns from an employer in one year, usually stated as a gross amount before taxes and other deductions are taken out. It is typically a fixed amount that is agreed upon at the start of employment and is paid out in regular intervals, such as weekly, biweekly, or monthly. The annual salary may not represent actual annual pay should a worker work more or less than 2,080 hours per year.

BLS: See U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Contractor (>3 months): Contractor refers to a self-employed individual or a company hired by another individual or organization to perform specific tasks or provide services for a specific period of time. Contractors typically work on a project basis and are not considered employees of the organization that hires them. They are responsible for their own expenses, taxes, and insurance. Contractors are most often leveraged to staff for peak periods or skill set gaps. Contractors typically work for three-to-six-month terms but can be staffed for longer periods.

Employee: Employee refers to an individual who works directly for an employer or organization in exchange for a wage or salary. Employees are typically hired to perform specific job duties or tasks within an organization, and they are expected to adhere to the employer's policies and procedures. In addition to receiving compensation for their work, employees may also be eligible for benefits such as health insurance, paid time off, and retirement savings plans. Employees are typically employed long-term (>12 months) and can be salaried or paid hourly.

Hourly Rate: Hourly rate is the amount of money that an employee earns for each hour worked. It is typically used to calculate pay for hourly or part-time workers and is also stated as a gross amount before taxes and other deductions. The hourly rate can vary depending on the job, the industry, and the employee's experience and qualifications.

Industry Group: Industry Group refers to the highest level of classification used to group related industries together based on similarities in their production processes, products, or services. The Industry Group level is one level above the Industry Sub-Group level, and it encompasses multiple sub-groups that share similar characteristics.

Industry Name: Industry Name refers to a more specific category within an Industry Sub-Group. For example, the transportation equipment manufacturing sub-group includes the motor vehicle manufacturing industry name, which would include companies such as Ford Motor Company, General Motors, or Toyota Motor Corporation. Industry names represent the most detailed classification available within the industry taxonomy.

Industry Sub-Group: Industry Sub-Group refers to a more specific category within an Industry Group. For example, within the manufacturing industry, there are sub-groups such as the transportation equipment manufacturing sub-group or the food manufacturing sub-group. Each sub-group typically includes businesses that produce similar products or offer similar services.

Job Group: Job Group refers to the highest level of classification to group jobs that share similar characteristics, such as skills, educational requirements, or work activities. The Job Group level is one level above the Job Sub-Group level, and it encompasses multiple sub-groups that share similar characteristics.

Job Name: Job Name refers to the specific title given to a job or occupation. For example, within the lawyers, judges, and related workers sub-group, there are job names such as lawyers and judicial law clerks. Job names represent the most detailed classification available within the job name definitions.

Job Sub-Group: Job Sub-Group refers to a more specific category within a job group. For example, within the legal occupations job group, there are sub-groups such as lawyers, judges, and related workers sub-group and legal support workers sub-group. Each sub-group typically includes jobs that require similar skills or perform similar work activities.

Location: Location refers to a country, state, territory, city, or nonmetropolitan area. Each available segmentation can be selected to manipulate the data to represent the desired location.

Location %-Variance: Location %-variance refers to the calculated percentage difference between a selected location segment's mean wages and the overall country's (US) mean wages.

Location Type: Location type refers to available levels of cost represented by different cities and regions. Cities and regions with similar cost of living standards are grouped together.

Location Type - High Cost: High cost location types are reflective of higher cost of living cities and regions. Examples include New York City, San Francisco, and London.

Location Type - Low Cost: Low cost location types are reflective of lower cost of living towns and regions. Low cost locations can include rural, less urbanized areas with considerably lower cost of living.

Location Type - Standard: Standard cost location types are reflective of average cost of living cities and regions. Standard locations represent a significant majority of the population sample and can include urban, suburban, and nonmetropolitan areas.

Nearshore: Nearshore refers to activities or operations take place within a developed, moderately cost of living country or region. A company may leverage a nearshore location to take advantage of lower personnel or less government regulations. Example countries include Costa Rica, Poland, and Romania.

Number of Jobs: Number of jobs reflects the total number of employees, both part-time and full-time, who are paid a wage or salary for a particular segmentation.

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics: The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program produces employment and wage estimates annually for approximately 830 occupations. These estimates are available for the nation as a whole, for individual states, and for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas; national occupational estimates for specific industries are also available.

Offshore: Offshore refers to activities or operations that take place within a developing, lower cost of living country or region. A company may leverage an offshore location to take advantage of considerably lower personnel costs or less government regulations. Example countries include India, Malaysia and China.

Onshore: Onshore refers to activities or operations that take place within a developed, higher cost of living country or region. Example countries include the United States, France, and Japan.

Personnel Type: Personnel type refers to the working arrangement between an organization and hired individual. The available personnel types are defined as employee, contractor, and time and materials (T&M).

Rate Period: Rate period refers to different wage period options. Annual reflects a full year of wages (annual salary) while hourly reflects wages for a single hour worked. Annual is equivalent to 2,080 hours (40 hours multiplied by 52 weeks). The selected rate period should reflect the typical payment method for a particular job name. For example, chief executives would typically reflect an annual rate period while bartenders would typically reflect an hourly rate period.

Shoring: Shoring refers to different service delivery location options, including onshore (high cost), nearshore (medium cost), and offshore (low cost).

State/Territory: A state or territory refers to a geographical and political subdivision of the United States. There are 50 states, each with its own government and laws, and five territories, which are not part of any state and are under the jurisdiction of the federal government. States and territories may vary in size, population, and level of autonomy or self-governance, depending on the country and its system of government.

Statistics - 10th Percentile: 10th percentile, also known as the first decile, represents the value below which 10% of the data points in a distribution fall. For example, if the 10th percentile salary for a particular occupation is $30,000, it means that 10% of the people in that occupation earn less than $30,000.

Statistics - 25th Percentile: 25th percentile, also known as the first quartile, represents the value below which 25% of the data points in a distribution fall. For example, if the 25th percentile salary for a particular occupation is $40,000, it means that 25% of the people in that occupation earn less than $40,000.

Statistics - 75th Percentile: 75th percentile, also known as the third quartile, represents the value below which 75% of the data points in a distribution fall. For example, if the 75th percentile salary for a particular occupation is $60,000, it means that 75% of the people in that occupation earn less than $60,000.

Statistics - 90th Percentile: 90th percentile, also known as the ninth decile, represents the value below which 90% of the data points in a distribution fall. For example, if the 90th percentile salary for a particular occupation is $80,000, it means that 90% of the people in that occupation earn less than $80,000.

Statistics - Mean: Mean, also known as the arithmetic mean, is the sum of all data points in a distribution divided by the total number of data points. The mean is a measure of central tendency that can be sensitive to outliers, or extreme values in a distribution.

Statistics - Median: Median is the middle value in a distribution when the data is arranged in ascending or descending order. The median is a measure of central tendency that is less sensitive to outliers than the mean.

T&M (<3 months): T&M refers to a time and materials contract agreement where payment is based on a number of hours worked to complete a project. T&M contracts are commonly used when the scope of the project is difficult to estimate, or when the project requirements are subject to change. T&M work is typically shorter term (< 3 months) and can vary from month to month.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is a government agency that collects, analyzes, and disseminates statistical information on labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy. The agency's mission is to provide accurate, timely, and relevant data to help individuals, businesses, and policymakers make informed decisions.

Year: Year refers to the calendar year period for which the data is represented.

Years of Experience: Years of experience is used to describe an individual's level of expertise or proficiency in a particular skill or field. It is measured in terms of the number of years of experience that an individual has in that area or field. An individual’s years of experience pertains to a specific field or job sub-group and can span multiple job roles.