If you want to effectively negotiate your salary then it’s very important to have a clear idea of what other people are making. However, according to new data, there is an emerging trend in tech. Public tech companies are paying better than private companies. The size of the company does matter too. The data from Comparably shows that professionals working for large companies are raking in more per year compared to those who are working in smaller firms.
So, how do the numbers compare in reality? The Comparably data shows that on average, a senior developer at a small private firm earns $73,000 a year while a person doing the same job at a public tech company takes home $130,000 a year. There are a few jobs too that are eclipsing others in terms of the pay. For example, if you are working as an architect or as a senior product manager, you are likely to earn more regardless of the size of the firm.
The Comparably data shows that on average, an architect working at a private company earns $132,625 a year while a public company pays $155,000 for the same service per year. In case you are planning to venture into data science then you should move fast. Data scientists are starting to get the recognition they deserve. A data scientist working for a public company has an average salary of $126, 000 per year while a private company pays $119,000.
Senior developers and lead engineers are raking in good figures too. A lead engineer in a public company takes home nearly $150,000 a year. A private company pays about $130,000 for the same job. Some of the other jobs that will earn you above $100,000 a year include sales managers, senior product managers, UI/UX designers, and sales reps.
Earnings are also different based on the location of the company. The Comparably data compared salaries offered by tech companies in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The data shows that public companies in San Francisco pay more across all job categories compared to public companies in New York and Los Angeles. For example, an architect in San Francisco will take in $180,000 a year compared to $155,000 in Los Angeles.
The gender pay gap is also very evident in the data. This is a nationwide problem so it’s not a surprise to see female employees making less compared to male employees doing the same job. On average, a male senior developer earns $144,000 a year while a female doing the same job takes home $134,000 a year. This gap is especially bigger for sales managers. A male sales manager, for example, earns on average $151,000 while a female doing the same job earns $115,000 per year.
This data was collected from over 100,000 Americans working for large and medium-sized public or private tech companies. Although public companies appear to pay better, it should be noted that sometimes private tech companies offer equity as compensation.
