Read the numbers
Salary ranges
A pay interval is not a promise of an offer.
What does it mean?
A salary range is a lower and upper amount for a job or group of jobs. An employer’s own range is different from a market range built from survey data.
Why does it matter?
It helps you compare an offer with the employer’s pay structure and the wider market.
How can it affect my pay or career?
Ask whether a posted range is the full pay band or just the hiring range. CCS uses BLS 25th–75th percentiles as a reasonable market range, not an employer’s minimum and maximum.
Sources & dates
CCS content reviewed October 7, 2026. A review date is not a law’s effective date. Where a source has no single effective date, it is labeled as reference guidance. Open the official source for updates.
- BLS • OEWS wage definitions (opens in a new tab)
Reference: OEWS definitions; no single effective date
- Larimer County government • Compensation terms and definitions (opens in a new tab)
Reference: compensation definitions; no single effective date