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 means little on its own — it only becomes meaningful when you can see it next to the living wage in your state or the national median for your role. 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 ask for accounts or personal details — calculations happen right in your browser.
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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

This site is free to use. We may earn commissions from disclosed affiliate or referral links, and we may display advertising through Google AdSense when advertising is enabled. Commercial relationships do not change calculator formulas or results. See our Privacy Policy for information about third-party services and cookies.

The site may also include partner links, and we could earn a referral fee at no extra cost to you. Advertisers and affiliate partners never 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.

Publisher and accountability

Ryan Chow operates this site under the Rytell Tools brand. Ryan is the Phoenix-based founder of Rytell Digital Studio. Rytell Tools is the publishing brand for the calculators and guides on this site.

Our tools document calculation assumptions, and our guides link to reference sources. Results are estimates for planning and education. Any named contributor or professional reviewer receives a separate credit describing their role. You can check the linked sources and contact the publisher with questions about the method or a correction.

Send corrections, source questions, or privacy requests to rytellbiz@gmail.com or use the contact form. Include the page URL and the calculation or statement you want us to check.