Which salary data can you cite in a negotiation?

Three kinds. The number in the offer. The range the employer printed. A figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook or its wage tables, named with the occupation and the date.

Checked example, from the handbook page for computer network architects: employment is projected to grow 12 percent from 2024 to 2034, and median pay was $130,390 in May 2024 (E5). Say that only if you are talking about that occupation. Do not stretch it to a neighboring title.

That AI productivity gains give skilled candidates leverage. That layoffs in headlines change what you should ask. That a specific percent raise is normal. None of those had a primary source on this page. They are cut.

A tool that hands you a script with a dollar figure you did not look up is inventing a claim. Decline the figure.

The wage table is context. The reason to move the offer is the work this role needs and the part of it you have already done. Bring the line from your resume that shows that part. If the line is missing, the honest move is to say what you would need to learn, not to inflate the past.

Run Job Match (5 tokens) so you know which requirements you can talk about. The salary tool does not replace the BLS table.