Free vs. Paid Salary Benchmarking Data for Small Business

§1Free vs. paid salary data: the short answer

Free salary sources can be a starting point for common roles, provided the duties, location, pay components, and sample fit the job. A paid survey is useful when it resolves a specific data gap or supports a recurring compensation process. Buying one does not establish that a salary range meets a state posting rule. Mercer lists MarketPricer at USD 300 per job and advertises 400,000 jobs across 140-plus countries; available countries and cuts vary by job. The earlier article cited 2025 buyer-reported annual spending of about $7,400 for Culpepper and $13,888 for MarketPay. Those historical deal figures are not current vendor prices, budget ceilings, or quotes for a small employer.

Compare the actual package offered to your organization. Payscale currently lists Core, Premier, and Elite plans, all requiring sales contact, with different data, survey-loading, and integration entitlements. A review-site category with few products cannot establish that small employers have no suitable option.

§2The four free sources, and where each one breaks down

BLS OEWS is an employer survey, with the May 2025 estimates drawn from a sample of about 1.1 million establishments across six panels over three years. The release covers about 830 occupations and approximately 530 metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. It was published on May 15, 2026, about a year after its reference date. BLS cautions against time-series comparisons because classifications, methods, and the pooled sample can affect comparability. The survey excludes self-employed workers, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, household workers, and unpaid family workers. That does not mean the bookkeeper occupation is absent: employee bookkeepers can be covered, while a self-employed contractor is outside the survey population.

Glassdoor provides reported salaries and modeled estimates. Inspect which figure is shown, its date, and the available sample for the particular title and location. A modeled estimate is not the same as an employer offer or an independently audited payroll record. Use it to cross-check other evidence; do not assume every title and city has enough data for a reliable range.

Levels.fyi accepts proof documents such as offer letters, tax documents, and pay stubs, and gives those submissions more weight than anonymous reports. Its current methodology also describes verified work emails, anomaly detection, and team review of flagged data. The platform now describes coverage beyond tech, including sales, finance, legal, and operations. Check the actual role, level, location, sample, and pay components before using a median; neither its tech origins nor a broad coverage claim establishes whether a particular small-business job is well represented. Those checks also matter when deciding how to use Lattice's built-in compensation management module alongside an external benchmark.

Robert Half provides another free reference for the professional fields it covers. Its current US guide covers 2027 starting salaries, using actual placement compensation, third-party job-posting data, and recruiter validation. It reports low, mid, and high starting-salary levels and allows location adjustments. Check that starting pay for a newly hired professional matches your decision; it is not necessarily the same measure as an incumbent salary or total compensation. The guide has been published since 1950 and covers seven professional fields, including finance and accounting, technology, and marketing and creative.

§3The paid surveys: what they actually cost

Mercer publishes a USD 300 single-job option, which can be worth pricing when only one benchmark is needed. Do not assume a 50% participant discount unless it applies to the purchase in question. Culpepper requires subscribers to submit current compensation data for matching jobs and licensed locations; that obligation does not establish free access or waived fees. Payscale lists current plan features but asks buyers to contact sales for prices. For an existing MarketPay agreement, confirm the product, licensed external surveys, users, and renewal terms rather than treating historical buyer averages as a current offer.

Request a current product quote and a written list of included surveys and data cuts. The earlier article cited an individual Salary.com customer complaint about promised data not being delivered; that allegation does not establish a provider-wide practice or the terms of every survey contract. Check current licensing terms directly. Compensation-management features, such as those discussed in our 15Five alternatives roundup, may use supplied or separately licensed benchmark data; confirm what the quoted package includes before paying for another source.

§4When free data stops being enough

Check whether free sources cover the duties, level, location, and compensation components closely enough for the decision. A niche role or a recurring equity analysis may justify additional data, but a remote workforce or a posting requirement does not automatically require a paid survey. State posting laws also have employer and job-coverage conditions. The earlier list included California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, and Washington; it should not be read as applying to every employer or every vacancy in those states. For example, Maine's posting requirement took effect July 29, 2026 for employers with 10 or more employees; Massachusetts uses 25 or more employees in the Commonwealth. New Jersey combines its 10-employee/20-calendar-week test with state connections, while New York, California, Illinois, and Washington have distinct headcount and location rules. Check the current agency guidance for the actual vacancy, including remote work and reporting relationships. A paid report cannot substitute for a good-faith range and the required benefits or other disclosures. See performance review software for small business for the separate review workflow.

§5A blended approach that works for most small teams

Start with an occupation and area match in BLS, and record the reference date. Cross-check available reported salaries, current advertised ranges, and relevant placement or survey data. If a material gap remains, compare a single-job report with the full cost and scope of a subscription; Mercer's published $300 option is one candidate, not a proven cheapest choice across the market. Keep the source, date, matching assumptions, and reasons for the range. That record can help explain the decision, but it is not an automatic legal defense. Once the range is set, our best HR software for small business roundup covers the separate payroll and HR-system decision.

§6Frequently Asked Questions

Is Glassdoor salary data accurate enough to set pay for a small business? Use it as one cross-check. Distinguish a reported salary, a modeled estimate, and an employer-posted range; inspect the job match, location, date, and sample. None should be treated as an audited offer for your vacancy. BLS provides employer-survey estimates with different coverage and limitations.

How far behind the current market is BLS wage data? Check the release you are using. For the May 2025 reference period, publication came on 15 May 2026: roughly twelve months later. Each estimate draws on three years of collection, covering six half-year panels. BLS cautions that this design and changes in classifications or methods limit comparisons over time; a fixed ten-month lag is not accurate for every release.

Does Levels.fyi work for benchmarking non-tech small business roles? It can, if the actual role and location have suitable comparable submissions. Its stated coverage extends past 100 roles and includes operations jobs, legal work, finance positions, and sales. Proof-backed entries receive greater weight, while anonymous data is screened separately. Inspect sample size, level, and base pay versus stock or bonus before using the result.

How can I price one paid survey benchmark without buying an annual subscription? A single job currently costs $300 through the Mercer tool. Its advertised coverage is broad, but available markets and data cuts vary by job. Check the match and checkout terms before purchase, and compare other applicable quotes. Ask whether any contributor rate applies to your order; compare alternatives before calling it the cheapest.

Which states require a salary range in job postings as of 2026? The list above identifies states with disclosure laws, each subject to its particular eligibility rules and exceptions. In Maine, the requirement began on 29 July 2026 and its posting threshold is a workforce of at least ten; the Massachusetts threshold is a workforce of 25 or more within that state. Other states use different headcount, work-location, reporting, and state-connection tests. Check each applicable agency's current guidance and local rules before posting; purchasing salary data does not itself satisfy the disclosure requirement.