Salary Survey Extra: More data about salary satisfaction, Part 3

Posted on

April 15, 2021

by
‍

Salary Survey Extra is a series of dispatches that give added insight into the findings of our annual Salary Survey. These posts contain previously unpublished Salary Survey data.

What does the salary satisfaction picture look like for certified IT professionals outside the United States?

The prolific British storyteller Charles Dickens is perhaps best remembered for his serialized novel A Tale of Two Cities. This week's Salary Survey deep dive is essentially a tale of two columns. It's probably not as exciting as Dickens would have made it, and there are definitely fewer guillotinings, but the contrast does relate to being happy or unhappy with your professional lot in life, and there was a lot of that going around during the French Revolution.

In a previous Salary Survey Extra installment, we discussed whether U.S.-based certified IT professionals tend to enjoy a higher degree of salary satisfaction as the total amount of annual earnings climbs up toward and into the six-figure bracket. Yes, we know, of course they do. What's to complain about when you're making $120,000, or even $95,000, per year, as opposed to say, $40,000 or $35,000?

This time around, we've circled back to find out whether the same holds true, more or less, for certified IT professionals who live and work outside the United States. Are they also more likely to be satisfied with the total amount of their annual earnings as that amount gets progressively larger? (Hint: Yes.)

This is where our allusion to Dickens comes in. It's sort of a Salary Survey shorthand: If you look at the chart below, you'll see that there's not very much activity in the Completely Satisfied column at the bottom of the salary range. And, in a related development, you can look at the Not at All Satisfied column and see that it's almost completely wastin' away again in six-figure-ville. (Pardon our turn of your phrase, Mr. Buffet.)

What we've done below is cross reference salary and salary satisfaction. At the far right of the table from each listed salary range is the percentage of all survey respondents whose income falls within that range. The percentage figure under each salary satisfaction column is the number of individuals who a) are in that salary bracket, and b) expressed that level of salary satisfaction, as a percentage of all survey respondents in that salary bracket.

So, yeah, the executive summary, so to speak, is a tale of two columns. But there's a lot of other information to chew over if you'd like more of a meal.
‍

Salary (Down) / Level of Satisfaction (Across)	Completely Satisfied	Very Satisfied	Satisfied	Not Very Satisfied	Not at All Satisfied	Percentage of all respondents in this salary bracket
Less than $20,000	3 percent	6.7 percent	26.9 percent	39.6 percent	23.8 percent	11.8 percent
$20,000 to $22,499	2.6 percent	15.4 percent	46.2 percent	30.7 percent	5.1 percent	3.4 percent
$22,500 to $24,999	N/A	9.7 percent	32.2 percent	38.7 percent	19.4 percent	2.7 percent
$25,000 to $27,499	7.9 percent	8.8 percent	37.5 percent	33.3 percent	12.5 percent	2.1 percent
$27,500 to $29,999	15.4 percent	7.7 percent	46.2 percent	7.7 percent	23 percent	1.1 percent
$30,000 to $32,499	N/A	8.3 percent	29.2 percent	41.7 percent	20.8 percent	2.1 percent
$32,500 to $34,999	7.7 percent	N/A	38.5 percent	46.2 percent	7.7 percent	1.1 percent
$35,000 to $37,499	N/A	11.8 percent	35.3 percent	35.3 percent	17.6 percent	1.5 percent
$37,500 to $39,999	N/A	11.8 percent	41.1 percent	35.3 percent	11.8 percent	1.5 percent
$40,000 to $42,499	16.6 percent	4.2 percent	37.5 percent	37.5 percent	4.2 percent	2.1 percent
$42,500 to $44,999	4.3 percent	8.7 percent	43.5 percent	26.1 percent	17.4 percent	2 percent
$45,000 to $47,499	N/A	4.8 percent	38.1 percent	42.9 percent	14.3 percent	1.8 percent
$47,500 to $49,999	9.1 percent	4.5 percent	40.9 percent	31.8 percent	13.6 percent	1.9 percent
$50,000 to $52,499	8.7 percent	13.1 percent	30.4 percent	34.8 percent	13 percent	2 percent
$52,500 to $54,999	5.3 percent	5.3 percent	47.3 percent	31.6 percent	10.5 percent	1.7 percent

$55,000 to $57,499	N/A	24.1 percent	27.6 percent	34.5 percent	13.8 percent	2.6 percent
$57,500 to $59,999	N/A	18.2 percent	40.9 percent	22.7 percent	18.2 percent	1.9 percent
$60,000 to $62,499	3.8 percent	7.7 percent	34.6 percent	42.3 percent	11.6 percent	2.3 percent
$62,500 to $64,999	N/A	10 percent	25 percent	55 percent	10 percent	1.8 percent
$65,000 to $67,499	N/A	11.5 percent	46.2 percent	34.6 percent	7.7 percent	2.3 percent
$67,500 to $69,999	N/A	8.7 percent	56.6 percent	30.4 percent	4.3 percent	2 percent
$70,000 to $72,499	N/A	17.9 percent	42.9 percent	35.7 percent	3.5 percent	2.5 percent
$72,500 to $74,999	N/A	12.5 percent	45.8 percent	37.5 percent	4.2 percent	2.1 percent
$75,000 to $77,499	4.8 percent	4.8 percent	52.4 percent	33.3 percent	4.7 percent	1.8 percent
$77,500 to $79,999	7.7 percent	7.7 percent	46.2 percent	34.6 percent	3.8 percent	2.3 percent
$80,000 to $82,499	N/A	14.8 percent	63 percent	18.5 percent	3.7 percent	2.4 percent
$82,500 to $84,999	5.6 percent	11.1 percent	38.9 percent	38.9 percent	5.5 percent	1.6 percent
$85,000 to $87,499	N/A	4.8 percent	52.4 percent	38.1 percent	4.7 percent	1.8 percent
$87,500 to $89,999	5.9 percent	11.8 percent	35.3 percent	41.1 percent	5.9 percent	1.5 percent

$90,000 to $92,499	5.6 percent	33.3 percent	38.9 percent	22.2 percent	N/A	1.6 percent
$92,500 to $94,999	N/A	33.3 percent	38.9 percent	27.8 percent	N/A	1.6 percent
$95,000 to $97,499	21.3 percent	20.8 percent	37.5 percent	20.4 percent	N/A	2.1 percent
$97,500 to $99,999	5.3 percent	31.6 percent	47.3 percent	15.8 percent	N/A	1.7 percent
$100,000 to $104,999	10.3 percent	16.3 percent	40.8 percent	30.6 percent	2 percent	4.3 percent
$105,000 to $109,999	3.3 percent	22.6 percent	54.8 percent	16.1 percent	3.2 percent	2.7 percent
$110,000 to $114,999	7.1 percent	21.4 percent	57.1 percent	14.3 percent	N/A	2.5 percent
$115,000 to $119,999	15 percent	10 percent	70 percent	5 percent	N/A	1.8 percent
$120,000 to $124,999	17.8 percent	17 percent	52.2 percent	13 percent	N/A	2 percent
$125,000 to $129,999	17.6 percent	11.8 percent	41.2 percent	23.5 percent	5.9 percent	1.5 percent
$130,000 to $134,999	7.1 percent	35.7 percent	35.7 percent	21.5 percent	N/A	1.2 percent
$135,000 to $139,999	23.8 percent	15.4 percent	38.5 percent	22.3 percent	N/A	1.1 percent
$140,000 to $144,999	10 percent	40 percent	30 percent	20 percent	N/A	0.8 percent

$145,000 to $149,999	36.3 percent	18.2 percent	45.5 percent	N/A	N/A	1 percent
$150,000 to $154,999	N/A	35.7 percent	64.3 percent	N/A	N/A	1.2 percent
$155,000 to $159,999	22 percent	60 percent	18 percent	N/A	N/A	0.4 percent
$160,000 to $164,999	20.2 percent	N/A	79.8 percent	N/A	N/A	0.4 percent
$165,000 to $169,999	30 percent	28.6 percent	27.1 percent	14.3 percent	N/A	0.6 percent
$170,000 to $174,999	N/A	60 percent	40 percent	N/A	N/A	0.4 percent
$175,000 to $179,999	21 percent	60 percent	19 percent	N/A	N/A	0.4 percent
$180,000 to $184,999	N/A	43.6 percent	14.3 percent	42.1 percent	N/A	0.6 percent
$185,000 to $189,999	51.3 percent	N/A	25 percent	23.7 percent	N/A	0.3 percent
$190,000 to $194,999	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
$195,000 to $200,000	26.2 percent	N/A	48.8 percent	25 percent	N/A	0.4 percent
More than $200,000	23.5 percent	53.4 percent	23.1 percent	N/A	N/A	1.1 percent

2021 Survey Data

About the Author

Certification Magazine was launched in 1999 and remained in print until mid-2008. Publication was restarted on a quarterly basis in February 2014. Subscribe to CertMag here.

Posted to topic:

Jobs and Salary

Important Update: We have updated our Privacy Policy to comply with the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)