What is a good salary increase in 2026?

Context decides, but the market benchmarks are clear. Employer salary budgets average 3.4–3.6% for 2026, and the median individual merit raise for a solid performer is about 3.0–3.5% — so 5–8% is a genuinely good raise and 10%+ signals a promotion-level or market-correction move. Top performers in the surveys land 8–12%. If your raise trails the budget average with no explanation, that is a negotiation signal, not a verdict.

How much should I ask for when negotiating a job offer in 2026?

Anchor near the top of the posted range with market data behind you. Collect five to ten posted ranges for your exact title and metro, find the median, and aim your ask at the upper end of the employer’s own stated band. Job-switchers historically command the biggest jumps, so if your research supports it, asking above the posted midpoint is reasonable — the range is their stated ceiling, not a suggestion.

Should I still negotiate if the job posting lists a salary range?

Yes — the range is the starting map, not the final price. The posted range tells you the employer’s budget; your job is to land near its top by documenting your market value and impact. Negotiate the non-base lines too — sign-on bonus, equity, PTO, and remote flexibility often move when base will not. Never treat the bottom of the range as the offer.

Do salary history bans apply in my state in 2026?

Quite possibly — and the map keeps growing. Private-employer salary-history bans are in force in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Washington DC, with several major cities covered by their own ordinances. Check your state’s current law before your first interview — if you are covered, the question is off-limits.

When is the best time to ask for a raise in 2026?

Right after a documented win, or during the formal review cycle — never during a freeze. The strongest timing is after you have delivered measurable impact your manager can defend to their own boss, or at your scheduled performance review when budgets are actually open. Avoid asking during layoffs, hiring freezes, or your manager’s worst week. In 2026’s precision-pay market, a raise request backed by fresh results and market data beats one backed by tenure.

Career

Salary Negotiation 2026: Your Complete Pay-Raise Playbook

Salary negotiation in 2026 happens in the most transparent hiring market in US history — fourteen states plus DC force posted pay ranges, and employer raise budgets are public knowledge. The catch: budgets plateaued at 3.4–3.6%, so the money goes to whoever negotiates smartest. The new rules, the numbers, and the research methods that win:

MKD Editorial Team October 19, 2026 6 min read Figures checked 19 Oct 2026

Flat fintech illustration in deep teal and gold: an open document with an abstract bar chart of pay ranges, a gold magnifying glass over one bar, teal city skylines behind, a rising trend line and gold coins, on a pale cream background, no text. — 2026 is the most transparent hiring market in US history — here is how to use that.

Key takeaways

Transparency is law in 14 states + DC: postings must show pay ranges — read them first, because they cap the conversation.
2026 raise budgets plateaued at 3.4–3.6% — the pool is fixed, so merit and market adjustments win, not cost-of-living pleas.
Stack four research sources — BLS wage data, Levels.fyi, Glassdoor, and posted ranges beat any single salary site.
Evaluate total compensation, not base: bonuses, equity, 401(k) match, and health premiums can top 30% of base.
Walk away when below-market offers won’t move — wide posted ranges and dodged questions are the red flags.

The 2026 transparency map: your biggest new lever

Fourteen states plus Washington DC now require pay ranges in job postings, and three more require disclosure on request (Loio’s 2026 state tracker). The headline names are California, Colorado, New York, and Washington — and the map keeps growing: Virginia (July 1, 2026) and Maine (July 29, 2026) joined this summer; Connecticut follows October 1, 2026 (PayScale’s June 2026 lowdown). California expanded its law on January 1, 2026 to cover bonuses and stock in the pay-scale definition (GovDocs).

The posted range is now public market data — read it before your first call. Its top is the employer’s stated ceiling; aim near it. And salary-history bans now cover private employers in roughly two dozen states plus DC, so old paychecks anchor fewer offers than ever.

What employers actually budgeted for raises in 2026

The surveys agree: 2026 US salary-increase budgets cluster at 3.4–3.6% — WTW 3.4%, WorldatWork 3.6%, Mercer 3.5%, Conference Board 3.4%, flat against 2025 actuals (WebProNews); the merit-only slice is about 3.2%.

But that is the pool, not your raise: median merit for a solid performer is ~3.0–3.5%, top performers land 8–12%, and zero is on the table for below-expectations ratings (SalaryCheck). Employers are shifting from “peanut butter” across-the-board bumps to precision pay — WTW notes budgets are now targeted at high-impact talent, not spread thin (SHRM, September 2026). Translation: in 2026, raises go to documented impact, not tenure. Industry data sketches roughly 3–5% for entry-level, 5–8% mid-level, and 7–12% senior individual contributors (9cv9’s 2026 guide — blog estimates, not survey data).

How to research your market rate in 2026

Four sources beat one:

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — the federal baseline: wage estimates for ~830 occupations by state and metro (Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Levels.fyi — verified crowdsourced pay, level-by-level, exposing what the same title pays across companies (Levels.fyi).
Glassdoor salaries — company-specific pay reports plus how often raises actually materialize (Glassdoor Salaries).
Posted pay ranges — competing ads now publish them: collect five to ten for your title and metro, and the median is your anchor.

Sanity-check first: is 100k a good salary for you? And convert with our $70k-to-hourly breakdown.

Flat fintech illustration in deep teal and gold: a complete teal and gold pie chart surrounded by small icons — a briefcase, a coin stack, an upward zigzag arrow, a calendar, and a heart — on a pale cream background, no text. — Total compensation is a pie, not a paycheck: base, bonus, equity, and benefits all count.

Evaluate the total package, not just the base

Base is often under three-quarters of an offer’s worth. Price every line:

Bonus and variable pay — get the target percentage and three years of actual payouts, not the brochure number.
Equity and RSUs — check vesting and refresh grants — a four-year grant with no refreshes shrinks.
401(k) match — a 6% match on $100k is $6,000 a year free; a 3% match is half that.
Health premiums and PTO — $400/month cheaper premiums = $4,800 a year; five extra PTO days ≈ 2% of working time.

Compare offers as totals: a lower base with a rich bonus and match often beats a bare higher base.

When to walk away

2026’s transparency makes walk-away points easier to set. Walk when:

The offer is below market and nothing moves — research says $95k, they won’t pass $80k on base, bonus, or equity: the gap is structural.
The posted range was bait — a $60k–$180k band signals gaming the law, not a real range.
Questions get dodged — evasiveness about bonuses, vesting, or reviews predicts post-sign pay talks.

Walking away with data is how the next offer gets better — and with public ranges, the next employer knows you did your homework.

Bottom line

2026 rewards preparation over performance: read the posted ranges, stack four data sources, anchor on the market median plus your documented impact, and price the whole package. For word-for-word room scripts, see our companion guide on how to negotiate salary in an interview.

Negotiated a number? See the take-home version

Run your number through the paycheck guide before signing.

Try the paycheck calculator guide

Sources & further reading

WebProNews — Paychecks Plateau: 2026 Salary Budgets2026: WTW 3.4%, WorldatWork 3.6%, Mercer 3.5%, Conference Board 3.4% — curl 200, 19 Oct 2026.
Blue Whale Compensation — Pay and Merit Increases for 20262026 projected 3.5% vs 2025 planned 3.9%/actual 3.5%; merit median 3.0% — curl 200, 19 Oct 2026.
SalaryCheck — Average Merit Increase in 2026Individuals 0% to 8–12%, median 3.0–3.5% — curl 200, 19 Oct 2026.
SHRM — Peanut Butter Raise Trend Losing Its SpreadMerit-based shift; WTW 2026 actual 3.5%, 2027 projected 3.4% — curl 200, 19 Oct 2026.
Loio — Pay Transparency Laws by State: 2026 Tracker14 states + DC proactive disclosure — curl 200, 19 Oct 2026.
PayScale — June 2026 Pay Transparency LowdownVA (Jul 1, 2026), ME (Jul 29, 2026), CT (Oct 1, 2026) — curl 200, 19 Oct 2026.
GovDocs — Pay Transparency LawsCA SB 642 (Jan 1, 2026); salary-history-ban states — curl 200, 19 Oct 2026.
BLS — Occupational Employment and Wage StatisticsWage data for ~830 occupations — curl 403 (bot protection); verified via text fetch, 19 Oct 2026.
Levels.fyi — Verified Compensation DataLevel-by-level pay data — curl 200, 19 Oct 2026.
Glassdoor — SalariesCompany pay reports — curl 200, 19 Oct 2026.
9cv9 — How to Ask for a Salary Increase (2026)By-seniority raises are blog estimates, not survey data — curl 200, 19 Oct 2026.