Sixteen hand-picked examples of AI search answers to pay questions, set beside Groundwork’s own numbers, built from Department of Labor wage filings and Bureau of Labor Statistics survey data, with the count behind each figure. Some AI answers were close. Some weren’t.
Hand-picked examples. Only a summary of each AI answer survives; the original prompt, the AI tool, the date and the full answer are unknown, so the AI figures here cannot be traced to a source answer.
Groundwork's target range is a range to ask for. With both sources it runs from the average of the two medians up to the average of the two 75th percentiles; with one source it runs from that source's median up to its 75th percentile. It is a different thing from a typical-pay range. Counts are labelled by what they count: BLS gives an estimate of the workers in an occupation, and the Department of Labor counts wage filings. Employer figures cover all of an employer’s work locations and the market figures cover the metro.
The question, in general terms: “What’s a typical Registered Nurse salary range in Denver, CO?”
Reported as asked twice in fresh chats on the same day: $65,500–$114,400 the first time, $70,000–$132,000 the second, and only the second answer cited a source. The tool and the date are unknown.
BLS survey median $101,130 (30,380 workers in the occupation (BLS employment estimate))
DOL filings — market median $93,600 (5 wage filings)
Two different answers to one question, as reported. With the tool and the day unknown, treat this as an account of one observation.
AI answer: summary only; the tool, date and exact wording are unknown.
The question, in general terms: “What’s a typical Software Engineer salary range in Austin, TX?”
Cited four numbers that measure different things: Indeed's average salary ($128K), Glassdoor's base-pay range ($96K–$137K) and Levels.fyi's median total compensation ($190K), next to its own $100K–$140K range.
BLS survey median $134,120 (31,960 workers in the occupation (BLS employment estimate))
DOL filings — market median $139,152 (7,626 wage filings)
An average salary, a base-pay range and a total-compensation median measure different things, and the answer left open which one its range follows. Groundwork's two sources are both wage figures (a BLS wage median and the base wage on employers' filings), each shown on its own.
AI answer: summary only; the tool, date and exact wording are unknown.
The question, in general terms: “What’s a typical Financial Analyst salary range in Charlotte, NC?”
Cited a BLS figure of its own ($117,200), set it aside as “broader” and landed on $80K–$90K, under both of Groundwork's medians (BLS $106,510, filings $140,000).
BLS survey median $106,510 (6,790 workers in the occupation (BLS employment estimate))
DOL filings — market median $140,000 (43 wage filings)
AI's $80,000–$90,000 sits $16,510 under the BLS median and $50,000 under the filings median (43 filings), and about $50,000 under the middle of the target range. The BLS median and the filings median are themselves $33,490 apart.
AI answer: summary only; the tool, date and exact wording are unknown.
The question, in general terms: “What’s a typical Physical Therapist salary range in Tampa, FL?”
Landed close to Groundwork's own BLS figure but well above its DOL-filing figure, with no indication the two sources might disagree.
BLS survey median $102,430 (2,350 workers in the occupation (BLS employment estimate))
DOL filings — market median $78,083 (19 wage filings, tightly clustered)
Groundwork's two sources are $24,347 apart here: the 19 filings come from employers hiring on work visas, and the BLS figure covers the occupation's employees in the metro. Both are shown, each with its count, so you can judge which to weight.
AI answer: summary only; the tool, date and exact wording are unknown.
The question, in general terms: “What’s a typical Software Engineer salary range in Seattle, WA at Microsoft?”
Led with Microsoft's own posted band ($102K–$202K), then narrowed to a $140K–$175K base “rule of thumb”. Microsoft's filing median, $172,413, falls inside that range, $2,587 under its upper end.
BLS survey median $167,280 (92,770 workers in the occupation (BLS employment estimate))
DOL filings — market median $172,515 (21,093 wage filings)
DOL filings — Microsoft, all work locations median $172,413 (6,330 wage filings)
The filings and AI's range agree here: Microsoft's median of $172,413 sits inside the $140,000–$175,000 base range, near the top. What the filings add is the count behind the figure: 6,330 of them.
AI answer: summary only; the tool, date and exact wording are unknown.
The question, in general terms: “What’s a typical Software Engineer salary range in Seattle, WA at Amazon?”
Gave a detailed level-by-level table (L4–L6: base, stock+bonus, total comp; median total comp ≈$263K) and settled on a “rule of thumb” of $170K–$180K base, also citing Amazon's own posted Seattle SDE listings ($143.7K–$227.4K base).
BLS survey median $167,280 (92,770 workers in the occupation (BLS employment estimate))
DOL filings — market median $172,515 (21,093 wage filings)
DOL filings — Amazon, all work locations median $166,000 (14,236 wage filings)
AI's $170,000–$180,000 base range lies inside Groundwork's target range ($169,898–$203,130). The filings behind Groundwork's Amazon figure number 14,236, a count that the answer left out.
AI answer: summary only; the tool, date and exact wording are unknown.
The question, in general terms: “What’s a typical Data Scientist salary range in San Jose, CA?”
Gave an experience-tiered table (entry $110–145K to senior $180–230K+) with no way to narrow to a specific employer.
BLS survey median $185,080 (6,060 workers in the occupation (BLS employment estimate))
DOL filings — market median $177,400 (2,902 wage filings)
DOL filings — Google, all work locations median $193,000 (597 wage filings)
Name your employer and the report lists that company's own filings next to the market figures: 597 of them for Google alone, nationwide. The target range itself comes from the market figures (BLS and the metro's filings), and the employer's filings sit beside it.
AI answer: summary only; the tool, date and exact wording are unknown.
The question, in general terms: “What’s a typical Graphic Designer salary range in Portland, OR?”
Landed at $44,000–$72,000, under both of Groundwork's medians (BLS $75,650, filings $119,000).
BLS survey median $75,650 (3,090 workers in the occupation (BLS employment estimate))
DOL filings — market median $119,000 (14 wage filings)
Groundwork's two sources are $43,350 apart here. They count different groups: the BLS survey covers the metro's employees (self-employed designers are outside it), and the filings are 14 wage filings from employers hiring on work visas. With 14 filings the filings median moves a lot from one filing to the next. Both are shown so you can see the gap before anchoring on one.
AI answer: summary only; the tool, date and exact wording are unknown.
The question, in general terms: “What’s a typical Accountant salary range in Chicago, IL?”
Cited a “BLS-based” $82,360 median ($72,280–$103,120 middle 50%), the same median as Groundwork's own BLS pull.
BLS survey median $82,360 (41,360 workers in the occupation (BLS employment estimate))
DOL filings — market median $97,400 (542 wage filings)
AI's BLS number matched Groundwork's BLS median. The 542 DOL wage filings in the metro have a higher median, $97,400, a source that the answer left out.
AI answer: summary only; the tool, date and exact wording are unknown.
The question, in general terms: “What’s a typical Civil Engineer salary range in Houston, TX?”
Cited an average “$98,000–$100,000/year” from BLS data dated May 2023.
BLS survey median $100,950 (12,140 workers in the occupation (BLS employment estimate))
DOL filings — market median $100,080 (357 wage filings)
AI's figure was close to Groundwork's BLS median ($100,950). Its BLS source was dated May 2023, and Groundwork's BLS figures are from May 2025, two survey years later. The date of the AI answer is unknown.
AI answer: summary only; the tool, date and exact wording are unknown.
The question, in general terms: “What’s a typical Mechanical Engineer salary range in Detroit, MI?”
One of the closer AI answers in this set: both of Groundwork's medians ($109,470 BLS, $110,000 filings) fall inside its range.
BLS survey median $109,470 (22,500 workers in the occupation (BLS employment estimate))
DOL filings — market median $110,000 (1,902 wage filings)
Some AI answers land close, and this is one of them.
AI answer: summary only; the tool, date and exact wording are unknown.
The question, in general terms: “What’s a typical Electrician salary range in Phoenix, AZ?”
Landed on Groundwork's own BLS pull, median $61,210.
BLS survey median $61,210 (17,240 workers in the occupation (BLS employment estimate))
A close match. Groundwork has one source here and says so: trades are rarely sponsored on work visas, so there are no wage filings to set beside the BLS figure.
AI answer: summary only; the tool, date and exact wording are unknown.
Some job titles span very different pay depending on what they mean. In these examples the AI answer gave one range. Groundwork shows the spread across actual filed job titles and lets you pick the one you meant.
The question, in general terms: “What’s a typical Consultant salary range in Boston, MA?”
Answered with one number, then noted in passing that Bain/BCG/L.E.K.-level consulting pays 50%+ more.
Spanning 8 real filed job titles for “Consultant”, each with its own target range.
8 real job titles containing “consultant” in Boston resolve to 8 different occupations, spanning $99,708 to $180,400, an $80,000+ real range. Of the 4 readings shown, AI's $115,000–$140,000 shares some pay with 3 and none of them holds the whole of it; Domain Consultant ($147,820–$180,400) lies wholly over it.
AI answer: summary only; the tool, date and exact wording are unknown.
The question, in general terms: “What’s a typical Project Manager salary range in Denver, CO?”
Answered confidently despite “Project Manager” spanning architecture, civil engineering, construction, and IT.
Spanning 8 real filed job titles for “Project Manager”, each with its own target range.
8 real “Project Manager” titles in Denver span $94,045 to $153,258. AI's own $80K floor sits below the bottom of all 8 ranges.
AI answer: summary only; the tool, date and exact wording are unknown.
The question, in general terms: “What’s a typical Restaurant Manager salary range in Las Vegas, NV?”
Answered directly from a blend of Indeed, Salary.com, and a broader BLS food-service-management category.
Spanning 4 real filed job titles for “Restaurant Manager”, each with its own target range.
All 4 real readings of “Restaurant Manager” in Las Vegas run from $44,710 to $160,320, more than 3.5x apart. Of the 4 readings shown, AI's $55,000–$70,000 shares some pay with 3 and none of them holds the whole of it; Restaurant Business Manager ($112,593–$160,320) lies wholly over it.
AI answer: summary only; the tool, date and exact wording are unknown.
The question, in general terms: “What’s a typical Truck Driver salary range in Dallas, TX?”
Answered directly, citing BLS heavy/tractor-trailer data alongside a broader, less-representative Indeed average.
Spanning 7 real filed job titles for “Truck Driver”, each with its own target range.
7 real “truck driver” titles in Dallas span $38,510 to $90,650, and the highest-paid reading is a truck driving instructor, a teaching job.
AI answer: summary only; the tool, date and exact wording are unknown.
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Get my benchmarkWage data: U.S. Department of Labor OFLC LCA Disclosure Data and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS. LCA filings reflect sponsored-worker wage offers, which skew toward mid-large employers and specific occupations — treat any estimate built from a small sample cautiously. Informational only; not legal, immigration, or financial advice.