Salary Check: Here’s How Much You Really Should Be Earning in Philly
New salary guides for 2019 show what Philly employees should earn and how much employers should pay to recruit and retain competitive talent.
iStock | Ismailciydem
Whether you’re getting ready to accept a new job offer or preparing to go to the negotiating table with your longtime boss, knowing your value in the labor market is a must, and a good place to start is by looking at a salary guide. Lucky for us, professional staffing firm Robert Half recently released its annual salary guides, which offer tons of data about how much employees should be making and how much employers should be paying in various industries. In other words, since so many Philadelphians report feeling underpaid, here’s how you can check whether you’re really being shortchanged.
The guides include information on more than 460 positions across the accounting and finance, legal, technology, creative and administrative fields. Compensation statistics are based on real job placements in these fields along with analysis of the most current data surrounding the demand for such roles, talent availability, and market conditions.
These guides also feature salary comparisons by city, taking into consideration factors like cost of living. In Philadelphia, employees make 15 percent more than the national average, and we’ve done the math.
Below is a random sample of job titles across five industries and the midpoint starting salary for each role in Philadelphia. The midpoint starting salary reflects candidates in the 50th percentile, those with average experience and the necessary skills to get the job done. For a full list of starting salaries for each percentile and additional positions, find the complete salary guides here.
Accounting and Finance
Job Title | Midpoint Starting Salary
| Chief Financial Officer (CFO) | $ 226,262.00 |
| Controller | $ 122,187.00 |
| General Accountant (1-3 years) | $ 71,300.00 |
| Financial Analyst (1-3 years) | $ 77,050.00 |
| Senior Financial Analyst | $ 94,875.00 |
| Tax Accountant (1-3 years) | $ 81,650.00 |
| Senior Budget Analyst | $ 93,727.00 |
| Forensic Accountant | $ 105,800.00 |
| Portfolio Manager | $ 134,262.00 |
| Financial Project Manager | $ 140,587.00 |
| Medical Bill Manager | $ 71,587.00 |
| Compliance Analyst | $ 88,500.00 |
| Assistant Credit Manager | $ 67,562.00 |
| Business Systems Analyst (1-3 years) | $ 82,512.00 |
Creative and Marketing
Job Title | Midpoint Starting Salary
| Creative Director | $ 119,600.00 |
| Art Director | $ 95,737.00 |
| Graphic Designer | $ 62,100.00 |
| Content Strategist | $ 83,950.00 |
| Digital Marketing Manager | $ 92,000.00 |
| Photographer | $ 57,500.00 |
| Multimedia Designer | $ 77,912.00 |
| Chief Marketing Officer | $ 172,500.00 |
| Copywriter | $ 76,475.00 |
| Video Editor | $ 71,875.00 |
| Ad Agency Account Manager | $ 71,587.00 |
| Social Media Manager | $ 67,850.00 |
| PR/ Communications Specialist | $ 64,687.00 |
| PR Manager | $ 91,425.00 |
| VP of Public Relations | $ 131,675.00 |
Administrative
Job Title | Midpoint Starting Salary
| Senior Executive Assistant | $ 70,437.00 |
| Executive Assistant | $ 61,237.00 |
| Office Manager | $ 51,175.00 |
| Data Entry Specialist | $ 32,487.00 |
| Receptionist | $ 32,775.00 |
| Customer Service Representative | $ 35,362.00 |
| Customer Service Manager | $ 52,037.00 |
| Proofreader | $ 52,037.00 |
| HR Recruiting Specialist/Coordinator | $ 48,875.00 |
| Insurance Verification Clerk | $ 38,525.00 |
| Medical Front Desk Coordinator | $ 34,787.00 |
| Patient Registration/Intake Clerk | $ 35,075.00 |
Legal
Job Title | Midpoint Starting Salary
| First Year Associate | $ 78,200.00 |
| Lawyer (2-3 years) | $ 116,437.00 |
| Lawyer (4-9 years) | $ 101,775.00 |
| General Counsel | $ 192,050.00 |
| In House Counsel | $ 103,500.00 |
| Paralegal | $ 57,500.00 |
| Paralegal Manager | $ 97,750.00 |
| Case Clerk | $ 49,450.00 |
| Compliance Director | $ 135,700.00 |
| Patent Agent | $ 87,400.00 |
| File Clerk | $ 49,737.00 |
| Legal Secretary | $ 46,000.00 |
| Contract Manager | $ 85,100.00 |
Technology
Job Title | Midpoint Starting Salary
| Chief Information Officer | $ 236,037.00 |
| Chief Technology Officer | $ 207,862.00 |
| Director of Technology | $ 165,025.00 |
| Systems Analyst | $ 106,662.00 |
| Project Manager | $ 128,225.00 |
| Cloud Computing Analyst | $ 108,675.00 |
| Mobile Applications Developer | $ 165,025.00 |
| Database Developer | $ 135,700.00 |
| Quality Assurance Associate | $ 85,387.00 |
| Web Designer | $ 101,487.00 |
| Telecommunications Specialist | $ 82,225.00 |
| IT Auditor | $ 127,650.00 |
| Data Security Analyst | $ 144,037.00 |
| Software Developer | $ 135,125.00 |
| Help Desk Tech | $ 44,562.00 |
Rachel Spurlock is an intern at Philadelphia Magazine.
