Salary Check: Here’s How Much You Really Should Be Earning in Philly
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Staffing firm Robert Half recently released a deluge of information on salaries. That means, if you have no idea what you should earn or why you even earn what you earn, the new salary guides might be a good place to start.
And the guides work for employers, too. If you’re a hiring manager, a key part of attracting the best people is paying them well. As the pay transparency debate heats up, with pay secrecy increasingly labeled a negative, it might do you some good to really know how much your competitors pay.
Robert Half’s compensation data, which is used by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, is based on placements made by the company’s recruiting and staffing professionals across the U.S. and an analysis of demand for the role, the supply of talent and other market conditions. The guides feature average starting pay for jobs in the following industries: tech, accounting and finance, law, administration, and the creative group.
This year’s research also organizes the starting compensation data by percentile and is even adjusted by market. For Philadelphia, salaries are 15 percent higher than the national average, compared to Austin’s 8 percent increase or New York’s 40 percent increase above the national average.
According to the information, here’s what workers are paid to start in Philly:
Tech
| TITLE | 50th Percentile STARTING SALARY |
|---|---|
| Chief Information Officer (CIO) | $267,806 |
| Chief Technology Officer (CTO) | $201,250 |
| Director of Technology | $162,150 |
| Cloud Computing Analyst | $106,375 |
| Mobile Applications Developer | $162,150 |
| IT Auditor | $126,212 |
| Big Data Engineer | $172,500 |
| Data Scientist | $136,850 |
| Data Analyst/Report Writer | $110,400 |
| Web Developer | $112,700 |
| Front-End Web Developer | $83,662 |
| Software Engineer | $139,150 |
| Cable Technician | $46,575 |
The Creative Group
| Title | 50th Percentile STARTING SALARIES |
|---|---|
| Creative Director | $119,600 |
| Art Director | $95,737 |
| Graphic Designer | $62,100 |
| Illustrator/ Infographics Designer | $60,950 |
| Photographer | $57,500 |
| User Experience (UX) Designer | $106,950 |
| Video Producer | $84,812 |
| Video Editor | $71,875 |
| Copy Writer | $76,475 |
| Ad Agency- Account Manager | $71,587 |
| Marketing Director | $117,875 |
| Social Media Manager | $67,850 |
| Vice President of Public Relations | $131,675 |
| PR Manager | $91,425 |
| PR/ Communications Specialist | $64,687 |
Legal
| TITLE | 50th Percentile STARTING SALARIES |
|---|---|
| First-Year Associate | $78,200 |
| Lawyer- Law Firm (4-9 years’ exp.) | $116,437 |
| Lawyer- Law Firm (2-3 years’ exp.) | $101,775 |
| General Counsel- Corporate | $192,050 |
| In-house Counsel | $125,350 |
| Paralegal Manager | $97,750 |
| Midlevel Paralegal | $69,000 |
| Case Clerk | $49,450 |
| Compliance Director | $135,700 |
| Compliance Analyst (1-3 years’ exp.) | $80,500 |
| Contract Administration (4-6 years’ exp.) | $76,475 |
| Litigation Support/ eDiscovery Manager (3-6 years’ exp.) | $100,050 |
Accounting and Finance
| TITLE | 50th Percentile STARTING SALARIES |
|---|---|
| Chief Financial Officer | $221,375 |
| Controller | $132,250 |
| Senior Financial Analyst | $92,000 |
| Financial Analyst (1-3 Years) | $74,750 |
| Business Intelligence Analyst (1-3 Years) | $81,650 |
| Tax Accountant (1 to 3 years) | $79,350 |
| Senior Budget Analyst | $92,000 |
| Forensic Accountant | $103,500 |
| Assistant Credit Manager | $66,700 |
| Compliance Analyst | $92,000 |
| Medical Billing Manager | $69,000 |
Administration
| TITLE | 50th Percentile STARTING SALARIES |
|---|---|
| Senior Executive Assistant | $69,000 |
| Executive Assistant | $59,800 |
| Sales Assistant | $40,250 |
| Facilities Manager | $70,150 |
| Proofreader | $51,750 |
| Senior Data Entry Specialist | $35,937 |
| Receptionist | $32,200 |
| Customer Service Manager | $50,600 |
| Call Center Manager | $57,500 |
| HR Benefits Specialist | $51,750 |
| Medical Insurance Authorization Clerk | $40,250 |
For a look at hundreds of other positions and salaries across all percentiles and other markets, find the full reports here.
