Expertise & Methodology
How Salario calculators work — data sources, calculation methods, editorial standards, and update cadence.
Why this page exists
When you use a calculator that affects a real-life decision — what to ask for in negotiation, whether to take a contract role, what state to move to — you deserve to know exactly where the numbers come from and how they were computed. This page documents Salario's data sources, methodology, editorial process, and update cadence, so you can decide for yourself whether to trust an output.
Primary data sources
Salario is built on government and primary-source data. We do not aggregate from other salary sites.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) OEWS
Occupational wage data for 800+ occupations across 50 states and 400+ metro areas. Updated annually (May survey). Used for /salary/[job]/ and /salary/[city]/ pages.
- BLS Employment Projections
10-year occupational growth rates and employment outlook. Used for career outlook context.
- IRS Federal Tax Brackets & Tables
Federal income tax brackets, FICA rates (Social Security 6.2% / Medicare 1.45%), and supplemental wage withholding (22% flat / 37% above $1M). Updated annually.
- State Department of Revenue Sources (50)
State income tax rates, brackets, standard deductions, and exemptions for all 50 states + DC. Updated annually as legislation changes.
- Census Bureau ACS
Median household income by city/state, demographic context for salary comparisons.
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U)
Cost of living adjustments and inflation context for /cost-of-living-calculator/ comparisons.
Calculation methodology
Take-home pay calculations
Federal tax (progressive brackets) → State tax (50 state rates + brackets) → FICA (Social Security 6.2% capped at $176,100 for 2026 / Medicare 1.45% + 0.9% additional Medicare above $200K single filer) → Pre-tax 401(k) and HSA deductions → Post-tax additions. Worked examples in /blog/take-home-pay-calculator/.
Bonus tax calculation
IRS supplemental wage rules: flat 22% federal withholding (37% above $1M annual). Aggregate vs percentage method. State rules vary. RSUs taxed as ordinary income at vesting, not grant.
Salary range distribution
Per-occupation salary distributions use BLS OEWS percentiles (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th). City-adjusted salaries multiply national medians by the local cost-of-living index where state OEWS data is unavailable.
Cost of living index
Composite of housing (40%), food (15%), transportation (10%), healthcare (8%), utilities (7%), miscellaneous (20%). Sourced from BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey + Census ACS housing data.
Editorial standards
- All calculator outputs are computed client-side. No server stores user inputs.
- Tax rates and brackets are updated within 30 days of IRS/state publication.
- Salary data is refreshed annually within 60 days of BLS OEWS release.
- Articles cite primary sources (BLS, IRS, peer-reviewed research) — not aggregator sites.
- Numerical claims include source URL + access date in article body or methodology footnote.
- When a calculator produces a result with significant uncertainty (e.g., commission with variable accelerators), we display a range and disclose assumptions.
Update cadence
| What | When |
|---|---|
| Federal tax brackets | Annual (IRS Rev. Proc. November–December for next year) |
| State tax brackets & rates | Annual + ad-hoc when legislation passes mid-year |
| FICA wage base limit | Annual (Social Security Administration October announcement) |
| BLS OEWS occupation wages | Annual (BLS publishes May survey results following spring) |
| CPI-U inflation | Monthly (BLS releases mid-month for prior month) |
| Article fact-checks | Quarterly review + within 14 days of major legislative change |
Corrections and feedback
If you spot an error, an outdated rate, or a methodology that does not match the cited source, please email [email protected]. We respond to factual corrections within 14 days. Significant corrections to articles are noted in the article's update history at the bottom of the post.
Who builds Salario
See /about/team/ for team backgrounds and credentials. Read /about/ for the broader project mission and privacy commitments.