These benchmarks cover salary increase budgets, total compensation structures, benefits costs, equity compensation, and pay transparency adoption across geographies and industries. Data is sourced from Mercer (1,400+ organizations), Payscale (5,700+ organizations), and WorldatWork (2,000+ organizations). Pay transparency has accelerated dramatically, with 49% of organizations targeting organization-wide or public transparency in 2026. [src1]
Data vintage: Based on Q3-Q4 2025 survey data and 2026 projections from Mercer, Payscale, and WorldatWork.
Key shift: Salary budgets stabilized at 3.5% globally for the third consecutive year, while equity compensation is being restructured as stock-based comp accounting tightens.
Definition: Total budgeted salary increase as percentage of payroll, including merit, promotions, equity adjustments, and market corrections.
| Geography | 2026 Projected | 2025 Actual | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 3.6% | 3.7% | Slight contraction |
| United Kingdom | 3.8% | 3.8% | Flat |
| Canada | 3.5% | 3.4% | Slight expansion |
| India | 8.8% | 9.0% | Contracting |
| Global Median | 3.5% | 3.5% | Stabilized |
Trend: Third consecutive year of stability after 2021-2023 inflationary spike. [src2]
Red flag threshold: Budget below 3.0% in competitive market risks above-average voluntary turnover.
Definition: Performance-based merit raise portion only, excluding promotions and market adjustments.
| Segment | Median | 25th Pct | 75th Pct |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Industries (US) | 3.1% | 2.5% | 3.8% |
| Technology | 3.3% | 2.8% | 4.0% |
| Healthcare | 3.0% | 2.4% | 3.5% |
| Financial Services | 3.2% | 2.6% | 3.9% |
Definition: Total annual employer-paid benefits including health, dental, vision, life, disability, retirement, and PTO.
| Segment | Median | 25th Pct | 75th Pct |
|---|---|---|---|
| All Industries | $14,500 | $10,200 | $22,000 |
| Technology | $16,800 | $12,000 | $25,000 |
| Financial Services | $17,200 | $12,500 | $26,000 |
| Retail | $10,500 | $7,200 | $15,000 |
Trend: Benefits costs rising 5-7% annually, outpacing salary increases. [src1]
Definition: Equity grants as basis points of total diluted shares for new hires at VC-backed tech companies.
| Role Level | Seed | Series A | Series B | Series C+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VP/Director | 50-150 bps | 25-75 bps | 10-40 bps | 5-20 bps |
| Senior Engineer | 20-60 bps | 10-30 bps | 5-15 bps | 2-8 bps |
| Mid-Level Engineer | 10-30 bps | 5-15 bps | 2-8 bps | 1-4 bps |
| C-Suite (non-founder) | 100-500 bps | 50-200 bps | 25-100 bps | 10-50 bps |
Trend: Equity grants compressed 15-20% from 2021 peaks. [src5]
Definition: Organizational adoption of salary transparency practices.
| Level | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| No transparency | 42% | 28% | 18% |
| Range in job postings | 30% | 39% | 33% |
| Organization-wide | 20% | 25% | 35% |
| Fully public | 8% | 8% | 14% |
Trend: 49% targeting org-wide or fully public transparency in 2026, up from 33% in 2025. [src1]
| Rule | Formula / Threshold | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Total Comp Competitiveness | Within +/-10% of market 50th percentile | Competitive retention; below 10th = flight risk |
| Salary as % Revenue | 20-35% services; 10-20% product/SaaS | Above range = inefficient; below = under-investing |
| Equity Burn Rate | <2-3% of pool annually | Above 3% = pool exhaustion risk |
| Benefits ROI | Turnover cost savings > benefits investment | Investment justified if retention improves |
| Segment | Definition | Typical Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Startup (<50) | Pre-Series B, under 50 employees | Higher equity offset below-market cash; informal bands; founder-set comp |
| Growth (50-500) | Series B through pre-IPO or mid-market | Formalizing bands; equity refresh programs; first comp analyst |
| Enterprise (500-5000) | Large private or small-to-mid public | Full comp team; formal bands; market data subscriptions; pay equity |
| Large Enterprise (5000+) | Large public or multinational | Global framework; multiple survey providers; comp committee governance |
| Metric | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 (Projected) | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Salary Budget (US) | 3.8% | 3.7% | 3.6% | Down 2.7% |
| Merit Increase (US) | 3.3% | 3.2% | 3.1% | Down 3% |
| Benefits Cost Growth | 6.5% | 6.0% | 5.5% | Decelerating |
| Pay Transparency Adoption | 58% | 72% | 82% | Up 14% |
| Promotion Rate | 8.5% | 8.3% | 8.1% | Slight decline |
Fetch when a user asks about salary benchmarks, needs to plan compensation budgets, is evaluating pay competitiveness, wants to understand equity norms for their stage, or is preparing for pay transparency compliance.