USA Salary Calculator: What International Professionals Actually Earn
If you're weighing a move to the US, the salary numbers you find online are usually one of two things: an outdated national average, or a recruiter's best guess. Neither tells you what you'd actually make in your specific city, in your specific occupation, at your specific experience level.
This calculator uses wage bands modeled on regional labour market data — the same kind of source the Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes and updates annually — broken down by occupation, city, and career stage. Pick your role below, then scroll down for the full data table and the factors that actually move your number up or down.
Free Tool
What could you actually earn in the United States?
Pick your occupation, city, and experience level. We'll show you the real wage range — not a guess.
Sample data for demonstration — verify against the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) before relying on these figures. Data last verified: [ADD DATE].
What actually moves your salary in the United States
Two people with the same job title can land very different offers. Here's what tends to explain the gap.
Credential recognition
Regulated professions — nursing, engineering, teaching — often require a state licensing board to assess your foreign credentials before you can work at full scope. Until that's done, you may be offered a lower-paid, unlicensed role in the same field.
State and cost of living
A higher wage in San Francisco or New York can still mean less spending power than a lower wage in a smaller metro, once rent and state income tax are factored in. Always compare salary alongside cost of living, not on its own.
Sector demand
Occupations with active labour shortages — healthcare, skilled trades, software — tend to see more competitive offers right now, simply because employers are struggling to fill these roles domestically.
How your resume frames your experience
Employers can only pay for what they can see. A resume that doesn't translate your foreign job titles, metrics, and scope into terms a US hiring manager recognizes will consistently undersell you relative to your real experience.
Common questions
Where does this data come from?
Wage ranges are based on regional labour market data, similar to what's published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), broken into low, median, and high bands per occupation and city. Real wages vary by employer, sector, and negotiation.
Why does the same job pay differently by city in the US?
Cost of living, state regulation, and local demand all affect wages, so identical roles can pay meaningfully differently between cities like San Francisco and Austin.
Is this salary before or after tax?
All figures are gross (pre-tax) pay. Take-home pay depends on which state you work in — US federal tax applies everywhere, but some states add their own income tax on top while others (like Texas) have none, so your net income will vary even at an identical gross figure.
Does this number account for my foreign experience?
Not directly — this tool estimates market rate for the role and location. How much of your foreign experience an employer credits depends on how clearly your resume translates it into US terms, which is where a tailored, ATS-checked resume makes the difference.
Why is my occupation not listed?
We're expanding this list based on the occupations our users search for most. If yours is missing, the closest comparable occupation will usually give you a reasonably close estimate.
Full salary data table
Every occupation, city, combination in the calculator above, in one scannable table.
| Occupation | City | Entry-level | Mid-career | Senior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nurse | New York | $68,000/yr | $78,000/yr | $95,000/yr |
| Registered Nurse | San Francisco | $82,000/yr | $95,000/yr | $115,000/yr |
| Registered Nurse | Austin | $62,000/yr | $70,000/yr | $85,000/yr |
| Software Developer | New York | $85,000/yr | $110,000/yr | $145,000/yr |
| Software Developer | San Francisco | $110,000/yr | $140,000/yr | $180,000/yr |
| Software Developer | Austin | $80,000/yr | $100,000/yr | $130,000/yr |
| Accountant | New York | $55,000/yr | $65,000/yr | $80,000/yr |
| Accountant | San Francisco | $60,000/yr | $70,000/yr | $85,000/yr |
| Accountant | Austin | $50,000/yr | $58,000/yr | $72,000/yr |
| Electrician | New York | $48,000/yr | $58,000/yr | $72,000/yr |
| Electrician | San Francisco | $55,000/yr | $65,000/yr | $78,000/yr |
| Electrician | Austin | $44,000/yr | $52,000/yr | $64,000/yr |
| Chef / Cook | New York | $32,000/yr | $38,000/yr | $48,000/yr |
| Chef / Cook | San Francisco | $36,000/yr | $42,000/yr | $52,000/yr |
| Chef / Cook | Austin | $28,000/yr | $34,000/yr | $42,000/yr |
| Teacher | New York | $50,000/yr | $58,000/yr | $70,000/yr |
| Teacher | San Francisco | $58,000/yr | $68,000/yr | $82,000/yr |
| Teacher | Austin | $46,000/yr | $54,000/yr | $64,000/yr |