Ashby Pay Research
Posted Range IndexNo. 11 · October 2026
Posted Range Index · Q3 2026Data to 30 September 2026
Posted midpoints pull further ahead of survey medians in tech
Technology employers are posting ranges centered almost six percent above what the survey shows they pay. Life sciences postings remain close to survey medians
1Postings collected and matched
We collected 108,000 unique postings with a pay range from technology and life sciences employers in the four states this quarter. Of those, 88,400 matched a survey job family and level with enough confidence to compare against survey medians.1
| State | Postings | Matched | Match rate | Median width |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 48,200 | 39,500 | 82% | 46% |
| New York | 31,600 | 25,900 | 82% | 44% |
| Washington | 18,400 | 15,300 | 83% | 41% |
| Colorado | 9,800 | 7,700 | 79% | 38% |
| Four states | 108,000 | 88,400 | 82% | 44% |
Source: employer career sites and public job postings in Colorado, California, New York and Washington, Ashby Pay Research job family matching
2Posted midpoints against survey medians
The gap between posted midpoints and survey medians widened for the eighth quarter in a row. Technology families moved most, from 3.9 percent above median a year ago to 5.8 percent now. Life sciences families rose from 1.0 to 1.9 percent.2
Source: employer career sites and public job postings in Colorado, California, New York and Washington, Ashby Pay Research job family matching
| Job family | Sector | Matched | Above median | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software engineering | Tech | 21,400 | 6.1% | +0.5 pts |
| Data science | Tech | 6,200 | 5.6% | +0.3 pts |
| Product management | Tech | 5,100 | 5.0% | +0.4 pts |
| Clinical development | Life sciences | 4,300 | 2.6% | +0.2 pts |
| Manufacturing quality | Life sciences | 3,900 | 1.8% | +0.3 pts |
| Regulatory affairs | Life sciences | 2,700 | 0.9% | +0.1 pts |
Source: employer career sites and public job postings in Colorado, California, New York and Washington, Ashby Pay Research job family matching
3How wide the ranges are
Range width, measured as the gap between posted minimum and maximum as a share of the midpoint, rises steadily with level. Director postings carry ranges nearly twice as wide as entry level postings, which limits how much a single posting says about the pay of a senior hire.
Source: employer career sites and public job postings in Colorado, California, New York and Washington, Ashby Pay Research job family matching
4Against our Pay Survey
5What to watch next quarter
Whether the technology gap keeps widening into the annual planning cycle, how participants revise ranges after year end merit budgets are set, and how postings covered by the Illinois and Massachusetts laws compare once we add them to the index in the first quarter of 2027.
How this index is built
- Postings are deduplicated across sites and reposts, and only postings that state both a minimum and a maximum are counted
- Each posting is matched to a survey job family and level from its title, duties and requirements, and low confidence matches are excluded
- Survey medians are base pay for the same family, level and state from the most recent survey cycle, aged to the posting quarter
Approved for subscribersMarcus ElleryDirector of Survey Research · 8 October 2026
1 Unique postings are counted once per employer, title and location in the quarter, however many times they were reposted.
2 Technology families cover software, data and product roles. Life sciences families cover clinical, regulatory and manufacturing roles.