What the US market actually pays, and who is in it.
Five pieces of published research on the United States: the tiers of AI talent and the metros they sit in, how to benchmark total compensation rather than base, state-by-state pay transparency law, real clinical supply behind the licensure numbers, and what a mapping project costs in 2026. Every figure is sourced and dated.
Five reports on the US talent market
Each one stands alone. Together they cover pay, law, supply and cost.
The US AI talent market, mapped
The tiers of AI talent, the metros they cluster in, and what each tier is genuinely paid in 2026.
US compensation benchmarking
Total pay rather than base, how equity is actually valued, and the gaps between metros that averages hide.
US pay transparency laws, state by state
Which states require a range, what has to be in it, and how each rule changes the way you post and negotiate.
US healthcare talent mapping
Licensure, compact states and credentialing — why clinical supply is never the number the job boards suggest.
Talent mapping cost in the US
2026 pricing by scope, with ranges rather than a single number, and what moves a quote up or down.
Three rules behind every figure here
Figures are dated, and the date is on the page
US pay transparency law changes by legislative session and compensation moves every quarter. Every number we publish carries the date it was checked, so you can tell at a glance whether it still applies.
Total pay, not base
Base salary is the least useful number in the US market. Our benchmarks report total package — base, bonus, equity and how that equity is actually valued at the company in question.
Metro, not national
A national average for a US engineering role spans a range wide enough to be useless. Everything here is broken out by metro, because that is the level at which people actually accept or decline.
Where to go from here
Talent mapping in the United States
The market page: metros, package structures and state-level rules.
Talent mapping by market
All eight markets we research, and what changes in each.
All insights
Every report, white paper, guide and article we publish.
Complete talent market guide 2026
The full reference in one page, start to finish.
Need this for your roles, not in general?
We benchmark specific functions in specific metros, on a fixed project fee. No commission, and the data is yours to keep.
Talk to the research team