This skill should be used when the user asks about "salary ranges", "equity grants", "compensation benchmarks", "how much to pay", "competitive offer", "market rate", "startup compensation", "equity percentages", "option grants", or mentions specific compensation questions like "what should I pay a senior engineer" or "how much equity for a VP".
This skill provides salary and equity benchmark data for startup hiring. Data is segmented by company stage, role level, and location tier to help CEOs make competitive offers.
| Level | 25th %ile |
|---|
| 50th %ile |
|---|
| 75th %ile |
|---|
| Junior IC | $70K | $85K | $100K |
| Mid IC | $90K | $110K | $130K |
| Senior IC | $120K | $145K | $170K |
| Staff IC | $150K | $175K | $200K |
| Manager | $130K | $155K | $180K |
| Director | $160K | $190K | $220K |
| VP | $180K | $220K | $260K |
| Level | 25th %ile | 50th %ile | 75th %ile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior IC | $80K | $95K | $115K |
| Mid IC | $100K | $125K | $150K |
| Senior IC | $140K | $165K | $190K |
| Staff IC | $170K | $200K | $230K |
| Manager | $150K | $175K | $200K |
| Director | $180K | $215K | $250K |
| VP | $220K | $270K | $320K |
| Level | 25th %ile | 50th %ile | 75th %ile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior IC | $90K | $105K | $125K |
| Mid IC | $115K | $140K | $165K |
| Senior IC | $155K | $185K | $215K |
| Staff IC | $190K | $225K | $260K |
| Manager | $165K | $195K | $225K |
| Director | $200K | $240K | $280K |
| VP | $260K | $310K | $360K |
| Level | 25th %ile | 50th %ile | 75th %ile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior IC | $100K | $120K | $140K |
| Mid IC | $130K | $155K | $180K |
| Senior IC | $170K | $200K | $235K |
| Staff IC | $210K | $250K | $290K |
| Manager | $180K | $215K | $250K |
| Director | $225K | $270K | $315K |
| VP | $300K | $360K | $420K |
| Tier | Description | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | SF, NYC, Seattle | 1.0x (baseline) |
| Tier 2 | LA, Boston, Austin, Denver, DC | 0.90x |
| Tier 3 | Remote / Other locations | 0.80-0.85x |
Application: Multiply base salary by location multiplier.
Equity shown as percentage of fully-diluted company ownership.
| Level | 25th %ile | 50th %ile | 75th %ile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior IC | 0.02% | 0.05% | 0.10% |
| Mid IC | 0.05% | 0.10% | 0.20% |
| Senior IC | 0.10% | 0.25% | 0.50% |
| Staff IC | 0.25% | 0.50% | 0.75% |
| Manager | 0.15% | 0.30% | 0.50% |
| Director | 0.40% | 0.75% | 1.00% |
| VP | 0.75% | 1.25% | 2.00% |
| Level | 25th %ile | 50th %ile | 75th %ile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior IC | 0.01% | 0.025% | 0.05% |
| Mid IC | 0.025% | 0.05% | 0.10% |
| Senior IC | 0.05% | 0.15% | 0.30% |
| Staff IC | 0.15% | 0.30% | 0.50% |
| Manager | 0.10% | 0.20% | 0.35% |
| Director | 0.25% | 0.50% | 0.75% |
| VP | 0.50% | 1.00% | 1.50% |
| Level | 25th %ile | 50th %ile | 75th %ile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior IC | 0.005% | 0.015% | 0.03% |
| Mid IC | 0.015% | 0.03% | 0.06% |
| Senior IC | 0.03% | 0.08% | 0.15% |
| Staff IC | 0.08% | 0.15% | 0.25% |
| Manager | 0.05% | 0.10% | 0.20% |
| Director | 0.15% | 0.30% | 0.50% |
| VP | 0.30% | 0.60% | 1.00% |
| Level | 25th %ile | 50th %ile | 75th %ile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior IC | 0.002% | 0.005% | 0.01% |
| Mid IC | 0.005% | 0.015% | 0.03% |
| Senior IC | 0.015% | 0.04% | 0.08% |
| Staff IC | 0.04% | 0.08% | 0.15% |
| Manager | 0.025% | 0.05% | 0.10% |
| Director | 0.08% | 0.15% | 0.30% |
| VP | 0.15% | 0.35% | 0.60% |
Annual equity refreshes to retain talent:
| Stage | Typical Annual Refresh |
|---|---|
| Seed | 25-50% of original grant |
| Series A | 20-40% of original grant |
| Series B | 15-30% of original grant |
| Series C+ | 10-25% of original grant |
Cash vs. Equity Tradeoffs:
Competitive Positioning:
For detailed role-specific guidance, see:
references/engineering-compensation.md - Engineering role breakdownsreferences/sales-compensation.md - Sales comp structuresreferences/executive-compensation.md - C-level and VP packages