---
title: "What Is a Good Salary in United States? — Geo-Parity"
description: "Median wage in United States ≈ $5,087/mo; top 10% above $13,795/mo, minimum $1,257/mo. Full local wage ladder from World Bank data."
canonical: "https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/united-states/"
json: "https://geo-parity.com/api/wage-bands.json?country=US"
generator: geo-parity markdown twin
---
Local Salaries · United States

# What is a good salary in 🇺🇸 United States (New York)?

The median is about **$5,087/month**; top-10% earners clear **$13,795/month**.

## The local wage ladder

| Band | Monthly | Annual | Local currency |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Survival floorsingle-person essentials | $2,410 | $28,920 | — |
| Statutory minimumILOSTAT statutory monthly minimum wage, 2026 (USD). | $1,257 | $15,084 | — |
| Median (p50)typical earner | $5,087 | $61,044 | — |
| Comfortable (p75)upper-middle | $8,600 | $103,200 | — |
| Top 10% (p90)high earner | $13,795 | $165,540 | — |
| Top 1% (p99)elite | $31,115 | $373,380 | — |

Modelled from World Bank GNI $88,810 (2025) and Gini 41.8. Check where you stand in the [interactive benchmarker](https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/?country=US).

## Countries with similar median pay

- [🇮🇸 Iceland](https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/iceland/) — median $5,037/mo
- [🇩🇰 Denmark](https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/denmark/) — median $4,980/mo
- [🇧🇪 Belgium](https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/belgium/) — median $4,746/mo
- [🇮🇪 Ireland](https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/ireland/) — median $5,642/mo

See also: [what everyday life costs in United States](https://geo-parity.com/expenses/?tab=prices)

## Frequently asked questions

- **What is a good salary in United States?**: The median wage is about $5,087/month ($61,044/year). A "comfortable" p75 salary is around $8,600/month, and you'd be a top-10% earner above $13,795/month.
- **What is a top 10% salary in United States?**: Roughly $13,795/month ($165,540/year) puts you in the top 10%; the top 1% starts near $31,115/month.
- **What is the minimum wage in United States?**: About $1,257/month. ILOSTAT statutory monthly minimum wage, 2026 (USD).
- **How are these United States salary figures calculated?**: A log-normal wage model calibrated from World Bank GNI per capita ($88,810, 2025) and the Gini index (41.8). Estimates for benchmarking, not payroll data.

Log-normal model from World Bank data — estimates for benchmarking, not payroll data. Agents: GET /api/wage-bands.json?country=US.

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Source: Geo-Parity — https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/united-states/ · JSON: https://geo-parity.com/api/wage-bands.json?country=US