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Discover IA industry trends, software and education patterns among IAs, including our latest surveys:

2012 Salary Survey

UX Local Group Leaders SurveyPDF Icon

Salary Survey, 2005

This survey was conducted from April to July, 2005. Members of the
IA Institute, sigia-l,
and the ia-cms list were
invited to participate. A total of 474 responses were collected. Respondents
who did not enter a salary range were filtered out. You can download the
full
results, including open-ended responses (an Comma Delimited file) or the
analysis
by geographic region with estimated mean salary data. This Excel spreadsheet contains selected data showing
mean salaries for various data points, organized by geographic region. Since respondents gave us a
salary range instead of an exact salary figure, we have estimated the mean by taking the midpoint
of the salary range a person selected and then averaging that figure for various data points.









1. Survey Results
1. How old are you?
  Response Percent Response Total
    under 21
0% 0
    21-25
4.7% 22
    26-30
26.3% 123
    31-35
34.8% 163
    36-40
19% 89
    41-45
6.6% 31
    46-50
4.9% 23
    51-55
2.8% 13
    56-60
0.4% 2
    61-65
0.4% 2
    over 65
0% 0
Total Respondents   468
(skipped this question)   3
2. What is your educational level?
  Response Percent Response Total
    No degree
1.5% 7
    High school
3.6% 17
    Junior college
2.8% 13
    Bachelor's
43.3% 202
    Master's
46.3% 216
    Doctorate
2.6% 12
Total Respondents   467
(skipped this question)   4
3. What is your official job title? (Be flexible and consider one from our list before you resort to "Other." Closeness is worth more to us than absolute accuracy.
  Response Percent Response Total
    Information Architect
18.2% 85
    Chief/Lead/Senior Information Architect
16.5% 77
    Vice President of Information Architecture
0.9% 4
    Interaction Designer
6.7% 31
    Chief/Lead/Senior Interaction Designer
3.6% 17
    Vice President of Interaction Design
0.2% 1
    User Experience Designer
5.6% 26
    Chief/Lead/Senior User Experience Designer
7.5% 35
    Vice President of User Experience
0.9% 4
    Usability Engineer
4.3% 20
    Chief/Lead/Senior Usability Engineer
1.7% 8
    Vice President of Usability
0% 0
    Consultant
5.8% 27
    Chief/Lead/Senior Consultant
2.4% 11
    Principal/President/Director
2.8% 13
    Webmaster/Web Editor
1.7% 8
    Technical Writer
1.1% 5
    Human Factors Engineer
1.3% 6
    Web Designer/Developer
3.6% 17
    Web Coordinator
2.8% 13
    Other (please specify)
12.4% 58
Total Respondents   466
(skipped this question)   6
4. During 2005, what do you estimate you will earn, including salary and bonus? (in US Dollars)
  Response Percent Response Total
    under $20,000
4.3% 20
    $20,000-$24,999
1.9% 9
    $25,000-$29,999
1.3% 6
    $30,000-$34,999
2.8% 13
    $35,000-$39,999
1.9% 9
    $40,000-$44,999
3.2% 15
    $45,000-$49,999
2.3% 11
    $50,000-$54,999
3.2% 15
    $55,000-$59,999
3.4% 16
    $60,000-$64,999
4.3% 20
    $65,000-$69,999
6.2% 29
    $70,000-$74,999
8.1% 38
    $75,000-$79,999
6.2% 29
    $80,000-$84,999
6.6% 31
    $85,000-$89,999
7.5% 35
    $90,000-$94,999
5.5% 26
    $95,000-$99,999
6.4% 30
    $100,000-109,999
9.6% 45
    $110,000-119,999
6% 28
    $120,000-129,999
3.4% 16
    $130,000-139,999
2.3% 11
    $140,000-149,999
0.9% 4
    over $150,000
2.8% 13
Total Respondents   469
(skipped this question)   5
5. How large was your last salary increase?
  Response Percent Response Total
    not applicable
22.1% 103
    my salary decreased
2.1% 10
    1-5%
40.9% 191
    6-10%
18.4% 86
    11-15%
5.6% 26
    16-20%
4.5% 21
    21-25%
1.5% 7
    26-30%
1.3% 6
    31-35%
1.1% 5
    36-40%
0% 0
    41-45%
0.4% 2
    46-50%
0.9% 4
    51-55%
0.2% 1
    56-60%
0.6% 3
    61-65%
0.2% 1
    66-70%
0% 0
    71-75%
0% 0
    76-80%
0% 0
    81-85%
0% 0
    86-90%
0% 0
    91-95%
0% 0
    96-100%
0.2% 1
    over 100%
0% 0
Total Respondents   467
(skipped this question)   6
6. How long ago was your last salary increase?
  Response Percent Response Total
    not applicable
22.9% 107
    0-3 months ago
30.1% 141
    3-6 months ago
16.2% 76
    6-9 months ago
7.3% 34
    9-12 months ago
11.8% 55
    1-2 years ago
7.7% 36
    2-3 years ago
2.1% 10
    3-4 years ago
1.3% 6
    over 4 years ago
0.6% 3
Total Respondents   468
(skipped this question)   5
7. On average, how many hours do you work each week?
  Response Percent Response Total
    under 20 hours
0.6% 3
    20-30 hours
2.8% 13
    30-40 hours
21.2% 99
    40-50 hours
61.2% 285
    50-60 hours
11.2% 52
    over 60 hours
3% 14
Total Respondents   466
(skipped this question)   7
8. What percentage of your time do you spend on these tasks:
Under 10% 10-20% 20-30% 30-40% 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% 90-100% Response Average
Tactical IA (metadata, controlled vocabularies, etc.)
54% (239) 19% (86) 12% (54) 7% (30) 2% (11) 2% (8) 1% (5) 1% (6) 0% (2) 0% (2) 2.07
Strategic IA (business models, high-level categorization)
15% (66) 22% (98) 22% (97) 16% (69) 11% (47) 5% (24) 5% (21) 2% (10) 2% (10) 0% (2) 3.48
Usability testing
47% (205) 31% (133) 12% (54) 5% (22) 3% (11) 1% (4) 0% (2) 0% (1) 0% (1) 1% (3) 1.97
Other user research
35% (142) 33% (136) 15% (63) 10% (40) 3% (14) 1% (3) 1% (5) 1% (5) 0% (1) 0% (1) 2.30
Content generation
60% (231) 18% (68) 10% (38) 3% (13) 3% (10) 2% (9) 2% (7) 1% (2) 1% (5) 1% (3) 2.01
Content management
51% (198) 20% (77) 11% (44) 6% (23) 3% (13) 2% (9) 2% (7) 1% (4) 2% (8) 1% (3) 2.27
Graphic design
61% (237) 17% (67) 8% (33) 4% (16) 4% (14) 2% (7) 1% (4) 2% (6) 1% (3) 1% (2) 1.98
Database design
84% (295) 8% (27) 4% (14) 1% (3) 1% (5) 1% (2) 0% (0) 1% (2) 0% (1) 0% (1) 1.36
IT integration
68% (241) 16% (56) 8% (29) 4% (14) 1% (4) 1% (3) 1% (4) 0% (1) 0% (0) 1% (2) 1.67
Project management
27% (107) 34% (135) 20% (80) 6% (23) 5% (20) 3% (13) 1% (6) 1% (4) 2% (7) 1% (6) 2.70
General business consulting
39% (142) 30% (110) 13% (46) 7% (26) 3% (11) 3% (12) 2% (7) 1% (5) 2% (6) 1% (2) 2.44
General IT consulting
69% (233) 18% (60) 5% (18) 4% (12) 1% (3) 1% (5) 0% (1) 1% (2) 0% (1) 1% (3) 1.66
Non-IA related administration/project management
54% (201) 24% (91) 12% (44) 3% (12) 3% (13) 0% (1) 2% (6) 1% (5) 0% (1) 0% (1) 1.96
Travel
75% (277) 18% (67) 4% (16) 1% (2) 1% (3) 0% (1) 0% (0) 0% (1) 0% (0) 0% (1) 1.38
Other
57% (129) 11% (25) 9% (21) 9% (20) 5% (12) 3% (7) 2% (4) 1% (2) 1% (2) 2% (4) 2.33
Total Respondents   467
(skipped this question)   4
9. If you answered "Other" in the previous question, please let us know what kind of activity you perform.
   Total Respondents  
135
(skipped this question)   338
10. How long is your annual paid vacation?
  Response Percent Response Total
    not applicable
16.3% 75
    under 6 days
1.1% 5
    6-10 days
11.1% 51
    11-15 days
32.4% 149
    16-20 days
20.2% 93
    21-25 days
12.8% 59
    over 25 days
6.1% 28
Total Respondents   460
(skipped this question)   13
11. How many paid holidays do you have per year?
  Response Percent Response Total
    0 days
13.9% 63
    1-3 days
3.1% 14
    4-6 days
21.1% 96
    7-9 days
23.1% 105
    9-11 days
19.4% 88
    11-13 days
5.5% 25
    13-15 days
3.7% 17
    over 15 days
10.1% 46
Total Respondents   454
(skipped this question)   19
12. Does your job provide any of the following benefits? (check all that apply)
  Response Percent Response Total
  Comp Time
18.4% 77
  Flex Time
48.8% 204
  Bonus
54.3% 227
  Profit Sharing
22.2% 93
  Disability Insurance
58.4% 244
  Health Insurance
79.9% 334
  Life Insurance
63.4% 265
  Flexible Medical Spending
56.5% 236
  Stock Options Plan
23.9% 100
  Stock Purchase Plan
25.8% 108
  401K or Other Investment Plan
68.7% 287
  Pension Plan
23.4% 98
  Professional Training on the Job
47.1% 197
  Professional Development
53.6% 224
  Tuition Reimbursement
46.7% 195
  Child Care
9.8% 41
  Union Membership
2.4% 10
  Overtime Pay
3.3% 14
    Other (please specify)
9.1% 38
Total Respondents   418
(skipped this question)   54
13. How long have you worked at your present job?
  Response Percent Response Total
    under 3 months
11.2% 52
    3-6 months
9.7% 45
    6-9 months
4.8% 22
    9-12 months
8.9% 41
    1-2 years
23.1% 107
    2-3 years
13.4% 62
    3-4 years
11.2% 52
    4-5 years
8.2% 38
    over 5 years
9.5% 44
Total Respondents   463
(skipped this question)   10
14. How long have you worked as an information architect? (combine time worked at your current and past positions)
  Response Percent Response Total
    under 1 year
3.9% 18
    1-2 years
8% 37
    2-3 years
10.8% 50
    3-4 years
9.1% 42
    4-5 years
16.2% 75
    5-6 years
20.5% 95
    6-7 years
8.6% 40
    7-8 years
6.2% 29
    8-9 years
5% 23
    9-10 years
6% 28
    over 10 years
5.8% 27
Total Respondents   464
(skipped this question)   9
15. How many people does your company employ?
  Response Percent Response Total
    Self-employed
10.2% 47
    2-5 employees
3.7% 17
    6-10 employees
4.1% 19
    11-25 employees
6.9% 32
    26-50 employees
4.3% 20
    51-300 employees
20.6% 95
    301-750 employees
7.1% 33
    751-3000 employees
10% 46
    over 3000 employees
33.1% 153
Total Respondents   462
(skipped this question)   11
16. Where do you physically work?
  Response Percent Response Total
    At home
7.1% 33
    Shared offices with other freelancers
0.4% 2
    Own office
5.4% 25
    Employer's offices
78.2% 363
    Borrowed space on client's premises
6.7% 31
    Other (please specify)
2.2% 10
Total Respondents   464
(skipped this question)   9
17. Where do you work geographically? If you travel a lot, where is your base of operations?
  Response Percent Response Total
    Africa
0% 0
    Asia (except India)
1.7% 8
    India
0.2% 1
    Australia and Pacific Rim
5.4% 25
    Canada
2.8% 13
    Central America, Mexico, Caribbean
0.9% 4
    EU (except the UK)
7.3% 34
    United Kingdom
3.9% 18
    Non-EU Europe
0.9% 4
    Middle East
0% 0
    South America
3% 14
    US: Northeast
33.9% 157
    US: Northwest
13.2% 61
    US: Midwest
8.6% 40
    US: Great Plains
0.4% 2
    US: Southeast
8% 37
    US: South
0.6% 3
    US: Southwest
9.1% 42
    US: Alaska & Hawaii
0% 0
Total Respondents   463
(skipped this question)   10

This page was last modified on March 9, 2006 05:07 PM.