Why does growth slow down?

Compensation in most fields follows a logistic curve. Early-career raises are large because skill compounds quickly; late-career raises shrink because most growth comes from scope expansion, not skill acquisition.

Are these numbers guaranteed?

No — they're a baseline. Top performers, hot job markets, and stock-heavy comp can outpace this curve by 2–3x. Layoffs, career breaks and industry decline can flatten it. Use the projection as a planning tool, not a promise.

Career Path Salary Projection

Enter your starting salary and see realistic year-by-year projections through senior and lead levels.

RoleStarting salary (USD/yr)

Year	Level	Conservative	Expected	Ambitious
Y0	Junior	$75,000	$75,000	$75,000
Y1	Junior	$80,250	$84,000	$88,500
Y2	Junior	$85,868	$94,080	$104,430
Y3	Junior	$91,878	$105,370	$123,227
Y4	Mid	$95,553	$113,799	$139,247
Y5	Mid	$99,375	$122,903	$157,349
Y6	Mid	$103,351	$132,735	$177,804
Y7	Mid	$107,485	$143,354	$200,919
Y8	Senior	$109,634	$150,522	$219,002
Y9	Senior	$111,827	$158,048	$238,712
Y10	Lead	$112,945	$164,370	$257,809

Frequently Asked Questions

We use empirical year-over-year growth rates from BLS, Levels.fyi and PayScale: roughly 12% for junior→mid (year 0–3), 8% for mid→senior (year 4–7), and 5% for senior→lead+ (year 8–10). The curve is a smoothed compound function, not a linear extrapolation.