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 These posts contain previously unpublished Salary Survey data.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.

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