Pay transparency: the cost of not posting the range
Five US states require it. The other forty-five increasingly punish you for skipping it. Why hiding the salary band is now a recruiting handicap, not a negotiating tool.
There is a recruiting team somewhere right now arguing about whether to post the salary range on a new job. The argument is over. The data has been clear for two years: postings with a range get 60-100% more applications and the applicants are better matched to the role.
The legal floor
In the US: California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Washington, and the District of Columbia all require some form of range disclosure. The penalties have teeth.
The recruiting cost
Before pay transparency laws, candidates self-screened blindly. Now candidates can compare your range to the next posting in 30 seconds. If you don't post, they assume the worst. The "let's discuss when we get there" line reads as evasive in 2026, even when it isn't.
How to write a useful range
- A real range, not $50K-$500K. A 25-30% spread reads as honest.
- State the geography it applies to. "$120-150K, Bay Area / NYC; +/- 10% for other US locations" beats "varies by location."
- Note what's in scope: base, on-target equity, bonus structure. If the candidate has to ask, you've lost points.
