1A Wide Range Is Not What You Think It Is
A $60K to $130K range on a job posting is not telling you what you think it is.
The instinct is to read it as "we're flexible, we'll pay you fairly within this range based on your experience." That's almost never what's happening. Wide ranges exist for three specific reasons, and only one of them is what most candidates assume.
Here's the actual breakdown, what each variant means in practice, and the heuristic that gets you closest to the realistic offer.
2Reason One: State Law Compliance
States with transparency laws (California, New York, Colorado, Washington, Illinois, Maryland, and others) require employers to post a "good faith" salary range. The legal language doesn't specify how narrow the range has to be.
Many companies respond by posting the broadest defensible range. A role that would actually pay between $95K and $125K gets posted as $75K to $145K because the wider band reduces compliance risk. The bottom anchors against future "we paid you below the posted minimum" claims. The top doesn't really commit them to anything because they can argue any specific candidate's offer is "good faith" within the range.
What the wide range means in this scenario: the realistic offer is in the bottom-third to middle of the posted range. The top end is legal padding, not a real ceiling for typical hires. For the state-by-state list, see Salary Transparency Laws In 2026.
3Reason Two: One Posting Covers Multiple Levels
Some companies post a single requisition that's intentionally open to candidates at multiple seniority levels (L3, L4, and L5, for example). The posted range covers the full span across all three levels, but any specific candidate gets offered at the level they're matched to during the interview process.
A range of $110K to $240K for "Software Engineer" probably covers L3 (around $110K-$140K), L4 ($140K-$180K), and L5 ($180K-$240K). You're not getting the high end unless you're being leveled at L5.
What the wide range means in this scenario: your offer reflects your level placement, not the full range. The team decides what level you fit during interviews, often without telling you explicitly until offer time.
The signal that this is happening: the JD lists qualifications across a wide span of years of experience ("5-15 years" or similar), and the role title doesn't specify a level (no "Senior" or "Staff" or specific level number).
4Reason Three: Anchor Manipulation
Some companies use wide ranges as a negotiation tactic. The low end attracts more applicants (more candidates, bigger pool, more leverage). The high end attracts strong candidates who think they have a shot at the top number.
Once a candidate is in the process, the company anchors offers toward the middle or bottom of the range, regardless of the candidate's qualifications. The real offers cluster in the bottom third of the posted band.
What the wide range means in this scenario: the company used the range as marketing. The actual offer band was always narrower than what they posted.
The signal that this is happening: the company is in a competitive hiring market for this role, the JD doesn't distinguish between levels, and similar roles at comparable companies post tighter ranges (within 25-30% spread).
5The 40% Rule (Of Thumb)
Read the spread
20-30% spread
Real one-level band. The posted range is roughly the actual range.
30-50% spread
Typical for senior or cross-level postings. Offer likely lands in middle.
50%+ spread
Anchoring structure. Offer almost always lands in bottom third.
A useful heuristic: real role bands at a single level are typically 20-30% wide. A range from $100K to $130K (30% spread) is a real one-level band. A range from $100K to $145K (45% spread) is either covering multiple levels or padding for one of the reasons above.
If you see a range with more than 40% spread between low and high, treat the upper portion of the range with skepticism. The realistic offer is probably in the bottom 60% of the range. This is guidance from observed posting patterns, not a formal study, but it tracks closely with how offers actually land.
6What This Means For You
During application: focus your expectations on the bottom third of the posted range. If the bottom third doesn't reach your floor, the role is probably below your range regardless of the upper number.
During the recruiter screen: ask explicitly which level the role is calibrated for. The script: "I noticed the range is fairly wide. Is this role calibrated for a specific level, or open to multiple? I want to make sure we're aligned on level expectations before we go further."
This question accomplishes two things: it surfaces multi-level postings (forcing the recruiter to clarify what level they're considering you for), and it filters out bad-faith wide ranges (legitimate companies will give a clearer answer).
During negotiation: don't anchor on the middle of the range. Anchor on a number you've validated from market data, then frame the negotiation around evidence rather than the company's posted range. For the script-by-gap-size, see How To Negotiate Salary After A Lowball Offer.
7When The Wide Range Is Actually Honest
Legitimate wide-range scenarios
Senior IC roles where comp varies 50%+ by level
A Principal Engineer offer can range from $280K to $550K depending on actual level and team. Honest companies post wide ranges because they don't know which level you'll fit until they evaluate you.
Equity-heavy roles at startups
Total comp depends heavily on equity grant size. The base posted as a wide range might reflect honest flexibility on cash because the equity component will adjust to compensate.
Sales roles with variable comp
OTE ranges that include base plus commission have wider spreads because performance drives the high end. A $90K-$220K range might mean $90K base + $0K commission to $110K base + $110K commission.
Some wide ranges genuinely reflect role flexibility, not padding or compliance theater. Three legitimate scenarios:
8The Heuristic
Assume the realistic offer is the bottom third of the posted range, not the midpoint.
This single assumption is right more often than any other heuristic about posted ranges. Companies anchor offers toward the bottom of their bands, and posted ranges typically pad upward beyond the real band. Combining those two effects, the realistic expected offer for a typical candidate sits in the lower portion of what's posted.
If you're a strong candidate with leverage (competing offer, scarce skills, senior level), you can push toward the middle. The top third is rarely a realistic target unless you're being leveled into a specific senior tier the company didn't disclose in the posting.
For the broader read on identifying when a role is below market overall, see How To Tell If A Job Is Underpaying Before You Apply. For the deeper unpacking of vague comp language, see What Competitive Salary Actually Means.
Pull the actual market range for any role and location. Use it to calibrate against the company's posted band.
Open Salary Range CalculatorWritten by
Jesse Johnson
Founder, ShouldApply
Founder of ShouldApply. I write about job search strategy, hiring, and how to spend your time on opportunities that actually fit. Full bio →
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Frequently Asked Questions
Three main reasons. State law compliance: transparency states require a "good faith" range, and companies post the widest defensible range to reduce risk. One posting covering multiple levels: a range of $110K-$240K for "Software Engineer" likely spans L3, L4, and L5, and your offer reflects your level, not the full range. Anchor manipulation: the low end attracts applicants, the high end attracts strong candidates, and offers cluster in the bottom third. Real one-level bands are typically 20-30% wide. Anything wider is one of the three explanations.
The bottom of the range is usually accurate. Companies don't typically pay below their posted minimum because that creates legal exposure in transparency states. The top of the range is much less reliable. Real offers cluster in the bottom-third to middle of posted bands, especially when the spread exceeds 40%. The most useful number on the posting is the bottom, not the top, and your expectations should anchor there.
Bottom third for typical candidates. Middle for candidates with strong leverage (competing offer, scarce skills, clear seniority match). Top third only for senior IC roles being explicitly leveled at the top tier. The single best heuristic: assume the realistic offer is the bottom third of the posted range, not the midpoint. Adjust upward only if you have specific leverage signals.
It usually means the posting covers multiple levels or pads for compliance. Real one-level bands are typically 20-30% wide. A 40%+ spread tells you either the role title is ambiguous about level (the team decides during interviews), or the company is satisfying a transparency-law requirement without committing to a real number. Either way, anchor your expectations to the bottom 60% of the posted range, not the midpoint.
In the recruiter screen: "I noticed the range is fairly wide. Is this role calibrated for a specific level, or open to multiple? I want to make sure we're aligned on level expectations before we go further." Legitimate companies with multi-level postings will tell you which levels are in scope. Companies using the wide range as anchoring theater will give a vague answer, which is its own signal.
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Companion language for when companies hide the range entirely.
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State-by-state list of which laws drive wide-range padding behavior.
How To Negotiate Salary After A Lowball Offer
How negotiation skill determines top-third vs bottom-third placement.
The top of the range is rarely what you get.
The middle is the real anchor. Run any posted range against market data before you spend an application slot or anchor your negotiation.
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