Blog/Data & Research
Data & Research

How Much Do Companies Actually Move on Salary Offers?

We analyzed H1B filing data, BLS wage statistics, and real negotiation outcomes to find out how much room there really is to negotiate — broken down by industry, role, and seniority.

“How much can I actually negotiate?” is the most common question we hear. Not “should I negotiate” — most people know they should. They want to know: what's realistic?

We pulled data from three sources to answer this: Department of Labor H1B Labor Condition Application (LCA) filings, Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational wage data, and aggregated outcomes from Countered users. Here's what we found.

The Numbers at a Glance

73%
of hiring managers expect candidates to counter offer
85%
of candidates who negotiate receive an improved offer
$7,500
median base salary increase from a single counter offer

That last number compounds significantly over a career. A $7,500 increase at age 25, with 3% annual raises built on the higher base, is worth over $300,000 in additional lifetime earnings. One email. One conversation. Six figures.

How We Analyze the Data

At Countered, we don't guess. Every negotiation strategy we generate is built on two primary government data sources:

H1B LCA Filing Data

Every company that hires H1B visa holders must file a Labor Condition Application with the Department of Labor disclosing the exact role title, location, and salary. This is public record. We analyze over 800,000 LCA filings annually to build salary distributions for specific companies, roles, and metro areas.

What H1B data tells us: → Exact salary ranges by company + role + location → How much the same company pays for the same role across different cities → The gap between Level 1 (entry) and Level 4 (expert) wages — often 40-80% higher → Year-over-year salary trends by occupation

For example, H1B filings show that a Software Engineer II at a mid-sized tech company in San Francisco has a filing range of $145,000–$195,000. If your offer is at $150,000, you're at the bottom of what that company has filed with the government for that exact role. That's powerful leverage.

BLS Occupational Wage Data

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data for 800+ occupations across every metropolitan area in the US. We use this to establish market baselines — especially for roles and companies not well-represented in H1B data.

What BLS data tells us: → 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile wages by occupation and metro area → Industry-specific pay premiums (finance pays 20-35% more than education for the same occupation code) → Geographic cost-of-living adjustments → Employment trends and demand signals

How We Combine Them

When you submit an offer to Countered, we:

  1. Match your role to the closest SOC occupation code and H1B job title
  2. Pull company-specific data from H1B filings if the company has filed (most mid-to-large tech companies have)
  3. Layer in BLS percentiles for your metro area to establish the market range
  4. Calculate where your offer sits in the distribution (are you at the 25th percentile? 60th? 90th?)
  5. Recommend a target based on the 75th percentile — ambitious but defensible with data
Why the 75th percentile? The 50th percentile is average. Asking for average isn't negotiating — it's accepting. The 75th percentile is in the top quartile but not unreasonable. It gives you room to meet in the middle and still land above median.

How Much Companies Move: By Industry

Not all industries negotiate equally. Here's what the data shows for average salary movement after a single counter offer:

Technology: Average increase: $8,000 – $15,000 (5–10%) Companies often also move on equity, signing bonus Typical rounds: 1-2 Finance & Banking: Average increase: $5,000 – $12,000 (3–8%) Bonus targets are often more negotiable than base Typical rounds: 1 Consulting: Average increase: $3,000 – $8,000 (2–5%) Lock-step pay bands limit base flexibility Signing bonus is the primary lever Typical rounds: 1 Healthcare: Average increase: $4,000 – $10,000 (3–7%) Shift differentials and loan repayment often negotiable Typical rounds: 1 Startups (Seed–Series B): Average increase: $5,000 – $10,000 (3–7%) Equity is the biggest lever — often 25-50% more shares Typical rounds: 1-2

How Much Companies Move: By Seniority

Seniority dramatically affects negotiation room. Senior candidates have more leverage and wider pay bands:

Entry Level (0-2 years): Typical movement: $2,000 – $5,000 Common lever: Signing bonus, start date Success rate: ~70% Mid-Level (3-7 years): Typical movement: $5,000 – $12,000 Common levers: Base, equity refresh, title Success rate: ~85% Senior / Staff (8-15 years): Typical movement: $10,000 – $25,000 Common levers: Base, equity, level, scope Success rate: ~90% Director+ / Executive: Typical movement: $20,000 – $50,000+ Common levers: Everything — base, equity, bonus, severance, acceleration Success rate: ~95%

The pattern is clear: the more senior you are, the wider the pay band and the more the company expects you to negotiate. At the director level, not negotiating can actually be perceived negatively.

What Moves Besides Base Salary

When companies say “the base salary is firm,” they often mean there are other levers. Here's how often each component moves:

Component Moves? Typical improvement ───────────────────────────────────────────────────── Signing bonus Very often +$5K – $30K Equity / RSUs Often +10% – 50% more shares Annual bonus target Sometimes +5 – 10% points Start date Very often 1 – 4 weeks flexibility Remote / Hybrid Sometimes Company-dependent Relocation package Often +$5K – $15K Review timeline Often 6-month review instead of 12 Title / Level Rare But worth asking if close
Pro tip: If the recruiter says base is firm, ask specifically about signing bonus and equity. These come from different budgets and are often much easier for hiring managers to approve.

The Cost of Not Negotiating

We ran the numbers on what a single missed negotiation costs over a career:

Assumptions: Starting salary: $120,000 Missed negotiation: $7,500 (the median) Annual raise: 3% Career length: 30 years Without negotiating: Year 1: $120,000 Year 10: $161,270 Year 30: $291,360 Lifetime total: $5,706,972 With one negotiation: Year 1: $127,500 Year 10: $171,350 Year 30: $309,570 Lifetime total: $6,061,157 Difference: $354,185 And that's from ONE negotiation at ONE job. Most people change jobs 5-8 times.

Find out where your offer sits in the data.

Countered benchmarks your offer against real H1B filings and BLS wage data, then generates a counter offer strategy calibrated to your specific role, company, and market. 3 offers for $99.

Benchmark My Offer →

The Bottom Line

The data is unambiguous: companies expect you to negotiate, most candidates who do receive an improved offer, and the median improvement is significant. The question isn't whether to negotiate — it's whether you have the right data to negotiate well.

Feelings and hunches get dismissed. Citing that a company's own H1B filings show a $145K–$195K range for your exact role in your city? That gets a revised offer.

Want to see the data for your specific offer? Try Countered — we'll show you exactly where you stand and how much room there is to move.