Data story · auto-updated from BLS OEWS · 2026
The raise nobody asks for: what the top 25% already earn
Most workers benchmark against the median salary. But federal payroll data shows the 75th percentile — pay that a quarter of the workforce already receives — runs $34K per year higher across major professions. The single largest gap we measured: Customer Success Managers in New York, where P75 pay exceeds the median by $95,600/year (44%).
The 20 largest pay gaps (2026)
Every figure is from BLS OEWS employer payroll records — click through to the source page.
| Job · City | Median (P50) | Top 25% (P75) | Gap / year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer Success Manager · New York | $215,150 | $310,750 | +$95,600 |
| Chief Information Security Officer · San Francisco | $320,316 | $402,811 | +$82,495 |
| Chief Information Security Officer · Seattle | $310,977 | $391,067 | +$80,090 |
| Chief Information Security Officer · Washington DC | $304,330 | $382,708 | +$78,378 |
| Chief Information Security Officer · Boston | $284,431 | $357,684 | +$73,253 |
| Chief Information Security Officer · Denver | $276,368 | $347,545 | +$71,177 |
| Chief Information Security Officer · New York | $271,627 | $341,583 | +$69,956 |
| Actuary · San Francisco | $189,793 | $258,779 | +$68,986 |
| Actuary · Washington DC | $181,676 | $247,712 | +$66,036 |
| Actuary · Seattle | $180,437 | $246,022 | +$65,585 |
| Technical Product Manager · San Francisco | $254,052 | $319,481 | +$65,429 |
| Customer Success Manager · Los Angeles | $132,330 | $197,620 | +$65,290 |
| Chief Information Security Officer · Austin | $253,467 | $318,746 | +$65,279 |
| Chief Information Security Officer · Los Angeles | $248,482 | $312,477 | +$63,995 |
| Technical Product Manager · Seattle | $247,907 | $311,754 | +$63,847 |
| Product Manager · Seattle | $247,751 | $311,558 | +$63,807 |
| Product Manager · San Francisco | $244,797 | $307,843 | +$63,046 |
| Technical Product Manager · Washington DC | $242,185 | $304,558 | +$62,373 |
| Chief Information Security Officer · Chicago | $242,035 | $304,369 | +$62,334 |
| Product Designer · Los Angeles | $106,550 | $168,500 | +$61,950 |
Biggest gap per profession
Why this matters
P75 is not aspirational — it's pay that already exists in the market, documented in mandatory employer payroll filings. HR teams benchmark against it; most candidates don't. Workers who negotiate from the median leave the gap above on the table. Check your own position with the Am I Underpaid tool or see how to negotiate with this data.
Cite this analysis
Journalists and researchers: all figures are from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS employer payroll data (2026 release), analysed by Official Salary. Free to cite with attribution and a link. Need a custom cut of the data (specific metro, profession, or time series)? Email the data team — same-day turnaround.
Source: “The P50→P75 Pay Gap (2026)”, Official Salary analysis of BLS OEWS data. https://officialsalary.com/reports/p75-pay-gap-2026Methodology: gaps computed from per-metro BLS OEWS percentile wage data where available, modeled from national percentiles × metro premium otherwise. Updated daily. Full methodology →