What wage percentiles actually tell you about a salary
A percentile tells you where a wage sits in a published distribution. It does not label a career stage, quote an offer, or explain why workers earn different amounts.
By statenumbers.com · · 6 min read
Salary pages often show one number: the median. That is useful, but it hides the width of the wage distribution. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also publishes 10th, 25th, 75th, and 90th percentile estimates for many occupations and areas. Read together, those points show whether wages are tightly grouped or spread across a wide range.
How a percentile works
If a wage is at the 25th percentile, about 25% of workers in that occupation and area earn less and about 75% earn more. The median is the 50th percentile: half earn less and half earn more. The 90th percentile marks a wage with about 90% below it—not the maximum wage in the occupation.
- 10th percentile: the lower end of the published distribution, with 10% at or below.
- 25th percentile: the point with one-quarter at or below.
- Median: the midpoint, not the average.
- 75th percentile: the point with three-quarters at or below.
- 90th percentile: the upper end BLS publishes here, not a ceiling.
A real example from the current data
For registered nurses nationally, the May 2025 OEWS estimates form this distribution:
BLS also estimates 3,379,720 registered-nurse jobs nationally in this release. That employment estimate describes jobs in the occupation; it is not the number of unique people with a nursing credential.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics · OEWS · May 2025 · rel. May 15, 2026 · Official API
Why “10th percentile means entry level” is wrong
Experience affects pay, but the percentile table does not observe a universal career ladder. A lower-paid worker might be new to the field, work for a lower-paying industry, live in a lower-wage area, hold a job with a different schedule, or have a compensation package that shifts value away from wages. A highly experienced worker can also sit below the median in a low-paying market.
The same caution applies at the top. The 90th percentile is not automatically a “senior salary.” Industry, union coverage, shift differentials, specialization, location, and employer type can all shape the upper tail. Use percentiles to describe the distribution, then use experience-specific job postings and compensation surveys to interpret your own position.
Area and occupation definitions matter
A national distribution combines many local labor markets. A state distribution narrows the geography but still blends its metros and industries. Before comparing yourself with a row, confirm that the occupation definition matches the work you do; similar job titles can belong to different occupational codes.
OEWS wage estimates cover wages paid by employers. They are not household income, after-tax income, or total compensation. Benefits, bonuses excluded from the wage definition, self-employment income, and hours arrangements can make an offer differ from the published annual estimate.
How to compare two states
- Start with the median. It is the most stable single summary of the middle of each distribution.
- Check the spread. Compare the 10th-to-90th range so a similar median does not hide very different upper or lower tails.
- Check employment. A wage estimate says little about how many jobs exist; employment adds scale, though not openings or future demand.
- Adjust comparable wages for prices. The occupation pages convert state medians to national-price dollars. We do not adjust the percentile endpoints because the ranking is specifically defined around the median.
- Validate the actual market. Compare current postings for the relevant metro, specialty, schedule, and employer type.
Missing is not zero. BLS can suppress an estimate when it cannot publish a reliable value or must protect respondent information. This site shows an em dash instead of turning a suppressed percentile or state wage into zero.
The useful question to ask
Do not ask which percentile you “should” earn based on a title alone. Ask where a specific offer falls within the relevant occupation and geography, what explains that position, and whether its cost-adjusted purchasing power and benefits meet your household’s needs. Percentiles give that conversation a factual starting point; they do not finish it.