About

About Salary Explained

Salary Explained is a free suite of salary tools for job seekers, employees, and employers — including a salary-to-hourly converter, hourly-to-annual calculator, job offer comparison tool, overtime calculator, and a salary lookup by role and state backed by Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Every result includes living wage and national median context so you understand what your pay actually means.

Why we built this

We built this because most salary calculators just give you a number without any context. Knowing your hourly rate is 4 means nothing without knowing that the living wage in your state is 2 or that the national median for your role is 8. We wanted one honest tool that explains your salary rather than just converting it.

Our principles

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Always free
Every tool on this site is free to use with no sign-up, no subscription, and no paywalled features.
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Privacy first
We don't collect personal data. Calculations happen in your browser. Files you upload never leave your device.
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Accuracy matters
Every formula and data point is researched and documented. We cite sources and update content when standards change.
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Works everywhere
Designed to work on any device — phone, tablet, or desktop — without installing anything.

How this site is supported

Salary Explained is free to use and always will be. The site is supported by advertising through Google AdSense. You may see ads displayed on the page — these are served by Google based on general browsing context and help cover the costs of building and maintaining the tool.

We don't accept paid placement, sponsored content, or affiliate arrangements that influence our tool outputs or recommendations. The tools produce results based purely on the inputs you provide — advertising relationships have no bearing on what the calculator shows you. See our Privacy Policy for full details on how advertising cookies work.

Accuracy and limitations

Salary data is sourced from Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) and MIT Living Wage Calculator data. State estimates use cost-of-living adjustment factors. All figures are estimates for general planning purposes — actual salaries vary by employer, experience, and local market conditions.

If you notice an error, outdated information, or have a suggestion for improving the tool, we'd love to hear from you. Use the contact form and we'll review it promptly.

Get in touch

Questions, feedback, corrections, or partnership inquiries — we read everything and respond to most messages. Use the contact form to reach us.