Glassdoor: Average US Salary Hits $65,470, But Real Wages Still Lag Inflation

Glassdoor's latest compensation report paints a mixed picture for American workers. The headline number — an average base salary of $65,470 — represents a 3.8% increase over April 2025 and the strongest nominal wage growth in 18 months. Beneath the surface, however, the story is more nuanced. When adjusted for cumulative inflation since January 2020, real purchasing power for the median worker remains 4.2% below pre-pandemic levels. The gap is most pronounced for workers earning between $40,000 and $70,000, who have seen their expenses rise faster than wages due to housing and childcare cost increases. The biggest winners in the current compensation environment are AI and machine learning specialists, where median salaries have jumped to $187,000 — a 22% increase in just two years. Data engineers ($142,000), cloud security architects ($168,000), and product managers with AI experience ($155,000) round out the highest-growth roles. Pay transparency laws, now active in 18 states plus New York City, are reshaping salary negotiations. Glassdoor's data shows that job postings with published salary ranges receive 44% more applications and fill 12 days faster on average. For job seekers, this transparency has shifted power dynamics: candidates in covered states report negotiating salaries 8-12% higher than initial offers, compared to 4-6% in non-covered states. The report also highlights a growing gap between total compensation and base salary. Equity, bonuses, and benefits now account for 28% of total compensation at large tech companies, up from 22% in 2022. Job seekers who focus exclusively on base salary may be leaving significant value on the table.