Research Reports

Featured Research

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, 2008

The 2008 IAI Salary Survey was conducted from August to November 2008. Members of the IA Institute, UXNet, IxDA and sigia-l were invited to participate. A total of 414 responses were collected. Respondents who did not enter a salary range were filtered out. You may download the expanded results . We removed city data from the results due to concerns about the privacy of individuals in places where a small, easily identifiable population of respondants live. A list of cities is available in the comments section and a narrower analysis by location is available by request.

Since respondents gave us a salary range instead of an exact salary figure, it is impossible to estimate a true average salary. In our analysis, we have estimated the mean for various data points by taking the midpoint of the salary range a person selected and then averaging that figure for various data points, eliminating the "Over $200,000" and "Under $20,000" groups, which do not have a midpoint. We present an average salary estimate for comparison purposes, but it is better to read the survey results in terms of a percentage that fell within a range rather than thinking in terms of a specific average salary.

DOWNLOAD THE SALARY SURVEY PDF

Some of the survey findings:

  • Of the 414 responses; 73.4%% were from USA, concentrating in the northeast and western states. Of the remaining geographic regions, 7.6% were from Australia/Pacific Rim, 6.2% from the United Kingdom, 4.7% from EU (non-UK) countries, 4.2% from Canada, 1.7% from South America (primarily Brazil), and 1.2 from Asia (including India but not the Middle East). This year we received no responses from Africa, the Middle East or Central America/Mexico/Caribbean
     
  • The largest earning group remains $100,000-109,999 USD, representing 11.7% of all respondents, followed by the $110,000-119,999 USD range at 8.0%. We noted an issue with the ranges used in this survey that should be reviewed carefully. Categories under $99,999 are in ranges of 5,000 and categories over $100,000 are in ranges of 10,000. For example, the $75,000-$79,999 USD and $80,000-$84,999 USD combined categories represent a $10K USD range comprising 15% of responses. To address potential misunderstanding, we created a normalized chart of responses based on ranges of 10,000 USD, which are shown on the following chart:

    salary_ranges.png
  • The inferred mean salary (not counting the Over $200K and Under $20K groups) was $96,800 USD, up $10,800 USD since last year. (Adding in the upper and lowest ranges, assuming a "midpoint" of $20K for the lowest range and $200K USD for the highest, the inferred average is a very slightly higher $97,400 USD).
     
  • Salary breakdown by geography is as follows:
    ExcludingIncluding
    RegionOuter RangesOuter Ranges
    US: West (Pacific and Mountain States)$112,476$113,294
    US: Northeast (includes D.C.)$100,529$102,406
    United Kingdom$100,400$104,231
    Australia and Pacific Rim$97,931$101,333
    US: South (Texas through Delaware)$88,068 $90,556
    US: Midwest (Eastern Plains and Midwest states)$86,860$86,860
    Canada$73,750$73,750
    EU (except the UK)$72,222$69,474
    Asia (except India)$67,500$67,500
    Non-EU Europe$62,500$62,500
    South America$40,833$41,071
    India$22,500$21,667
  • The top ten earning metropolitan areas are as follows:
    Including# of
    RegionOuter RangesRespondents
    SF Bay Area$128,20746
    New York, NY$110,17942
    Washington, DC$94,03826
    London, UK$112,62520
    Seattle, WA$91,25020
    Los Angeles, CA$124,73719
    Sydney, Australia$96,84219
    Chicago, IL$93,66715
    Philadelphia$100,96213
    Atlanta, GA$92,11513
  • The percent of female respondents edged ahead of males with with 50.8% female to 49.2% male, the reverse of last year but practically equal. The largest response category for both genders was $100,000-$109,999 USD. Like last year, we found more males in both the Under $20,000 (4 males vs 1 female) and Over $200,000 categories (5 males vs 1 female). Removing the upper and lower ranges, we found an average salary of $97,500 USD for females and $96,200 USD for males. Adding in the top and bottom ranges, again with the assumption of $20K for the bottom and $200K for the top, brings male and female salaries closer ($97,600 USD for females and $97,200 USD for males).
     
  • 52.6% of respondents are between the ages 31-40. 17.4% of respondents are between the ages of 26 and 30 and 14.5% are between the ages of 41 and 45.
     
  • In Job Titles, 30.4% of respondents indicated that the phrase "Information Architect" best represents their current position. Of these, 14.0% have some variation of "lead" or "chief" qualifying the "Information Architect" label. Other significant positions are User Experience Designer (26.3%), Interaction Designer (16.7%). Respondents were less likely to use the term "Usability" or "Usability Engineer" to describe their positions (2.6% versus 5.0% in 2008). Only 1.7% refer to themselves as Web Designer/Developer or Webmaster.
     
  • As for tasks performed, 93.0% perform some type of Strategic IA tasks (business models, high-level categorization, scenario development, life cycle assessment) while only 62.1% perform Tactical IA tasks (thesauri, metadata, controlled vocabularies, etc.). Overall, respondents 15.5% of respondents spend more than 50% of their time on Information Architecture tasks. Another significant task group is Interaction Design (IxD) representing 91.5% of respondents, up from 75.8% in 2007. Again, IxD appears to be a clear specialty with 22.6% of respondents spending more than 50% of their day on these tasks. Other commonly cited tasks include User Research (88.3%), Usability testing (84.1%) and Project Management (74.7%). Very few specific tasks make up more than 50% of anyone's working day. Only about half have Content Management or Content Generation tasks, representing less than a quarter of the working day.
  • For time spent on management tasks, the 2008 figures show that 74.7% have some Project Management duties, but only 5.2% spend more than half their day on these tasks, with 54.5% spending less than a fifth of their day on these tasks. 59.6% cited General Business Consulting responsibilities, but only 5.2% spend more than half their day on these tasks. 56.1% perform Staff Training duties, but only 0.3% do so more than 50% of the time. Most respondents with Staff Training duties spend less than 10% of their day on these tasks.
     
  • In terms of job seniority, 41% of respondents have spent less than a year in their current job, the same rate as last year. 36.6% have stayed on 1-3 years and 9.5% have spent over 5 years at the same job, compared with 17.5% in 2007.
     
  • Years of Information Architecture experience appears to be increasing with 16.9% having over 10 years experience, compared to 14.9% last year. The next largest experience group was those with 1-2 years experience at 11.9% of respondents. The smallest group was those with less than a year of experience at 5.0%.
     
  • Job perks typically included 11-15 vacation days and 7-9 public holidays. Top five benefits include health insurance (84.9% up from 83.1% in 2007), 401K or thier investment plan (72.6%, up from 66.4% in 2007), life insurance, (71.8%, up from 67.9% in 2007), and flexible schedules (70.2%). Fewer people are getting bonuses this year, 58.5% compared to 61.2% last year. In planning this year's survey, a few people mentioned that insurance benefits vary depending on country. US citizens typically get medical and some dependent care benefits through their employers, while Canadian and many European countries receive these benefits from their governments. Care should be taken in considering the underlying costs of such benefits to the consumer when comparing salaries in the USA versus other countries.
     

Below are the complete question-by-question results from the 2008 IAI Salary Survey:

Page: Survey
1. How old are you?
 Response
Percent		Response
Count
under 21 0.0%0
21-25
5.1%21
26-30
17.4%72
31-35
28.1%116
36-40
24.5%101
41-45
14.5%60
46-50
5.6%23
51-55
4.1%17
56-60
0.7%3
61-65 0.0%0
over 65 0.0%0
 answered question413
 
skipped question
1
2. What is Your Gender?
 Response
Percent		Response
Count
Female
50.8%210
Male
49.2%203
 answered question413
 
skipped question
1
3. What is your educational level?
 Response
Percent		Response
Count
No degree
1.2%5
High school
3.1%13
Junior college
4.1%17
Bachelor's
39.5%163
Master's
49.4%204
Doctorate
2.7%11
 answered question413
 
skipped question
1
4. Which of the following job titles best represents your current position? (PLEASE 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
Count
Principal/President/Owner
2.2%9
Information Architect
11.1%46
Information Architect - Junior
2.2%9
Information Architect - Chief/Lead/Senior
14.0%58
Information Architect - Manager
2.9%12
Information Architect - VP/Director
0.2%1
Interaction Designer
5.3%22
Interaction Designer - Junior
1.2%5
Interaction Designer - Chief/Lead/Senior
7.7%32
Interaction Designer - Manager
1.0%4
Interaction Designer - VP/Director
1.5%6
User Experience Planner/Designer/Architect
3.9%16
User Experience Planner/Designer/Architect - Junior
1.7%7
User Experience Planner/Designer/Architect - Chief/Lead/Senior
12.1%50
User Experience Planner/Designer/Architect - Manager
5.1%21
User Experience - VP/Director
3.4%14
Usability Engineer
1.0%4
Usability Engineer - Junior 0.0%0
Usability Engineer - Chief/Lead/Senior
0.2%1
Usability - Manager
1.2%5
Usability - VP/Director
0.2%1
Consultant
1.5%6
Consultant - Chief/Lead/Senior
3.4%14
Human Factors Engineer
1.5%6
Human Factors Engineer - Junior 0.0%0
Human Factors Engineer - Chief/Lead/Senior
0.7%3
Human Factors - Manager 0.0%0
Human Factors - VP/Director
0.2%1
Business Analyst
1.2%5
Content Manager
1.2%5
Creative Director
0.7%3
Interface/GUI Designer
1.7%7
Project Manager
1.9%8
Product Manager
0.7%3
Technical Writer
0.5%2
Technical/Knowledge Architect 0.0%0
Web Coordinator
1.0%4
Web Designer/Developer
1.7%7
Web Editor 0.0%0
Webmaster
0.2%1
Copywriter
0.2%1
view commentOther (please specify in the box below)
3.4%14
 answered question413
 
skipped question
1
5. During 2008, what do you estimate you will earn, including salary and bonus? (in US Dollars, before tax. Currency Converter)
 Response
Percent		Response
Count
under $20,000
1.2%5
$20,000-$24,999
1.0%4
$25,000-$29,999
0.7%3
$30,000-$34,999
0.5%2
$35,000-$39,999
0.5%2
$40,000-$44,999
1.0%4
$45,000-$49,999
1.9%8
$50,000-$54,999
2.9%12
$55,000-$59,999
1.9%8
$60,000-$64,999
4.9%20
$65,000-$69,999
3.6%15
$70,000-$74,999
4.1%17
$75,000-$79,999
7.5%31
$80,000-$84,999
7.5%31
$85,000-$89,999
6.8%28
$90,000-$94,999
5.8%24
$95,000-$99,999
6.1%25
$100,000-109,999
11.7%48
$110,000-119,999
8.0%33
$120,000-129,999
5.4%22
$130,000-139,999
5.4%22
$140,000-149,999
4.1%17
$150,000-199,999
5.8%24
$200,000-or over
1.5%6
 answered question411
 
skipped question
3
6. How large was your last salary increase?
 Response
Percent		Response
Count
not applicable
21.5%88
my salary decreased
3.4%14
1-5%
34.1%140
6-10%
18.8%77
11-15%
7.1%29
16-20%
5.4%22
21-25%
3.4%14
26-30%
2.4%10
31-35%
1.0%4
36-40%
0.7%3
41-45%
0.2%1
46-50%
0.7%3
51-55%
0.5%2
56-60%
0.2%1
over 60%
0.5%2
 answered question410
 
skipped question
4
7. How long ago was your last salary increase?
 Response
Percent		Response
Count
not applicable
21.8%90
0-3 months ago
17.0%70
3-6 months ago
21.1%87
6-9 months ago
18.9%78
9-12 months ago
11.4%47
1-2 years ago
8.0%33
2-3 years ago
0.7%3
3-4 years ago
0.5%2
over 4 years ago
0.5%2
 answered question412
 
skipped question
2
8. If you are a consultant, what is the average hourly rate you charged in 2008 (please convert amount to US Dollars)?
 Response
Count
view comment101
 answered question101
 
skipped question
313
9. On average, how many hours do you work each week?
 Response
Percent		Response
Count
Under 20 hours
0.2%1
20-30 hours
2.9%12
30-40 hours
25.7%106
40-50 hours
59.7%246
50-60 hours
9.5%39
over 60 hours
1.9%8
 answered question412
 
skipped question
2
10. What percentage of your time do you spend on these tasks:
  None < 10% 10-
20%		 20-
30%		30-
40%		40-
50%		50-
60%		60-
70%		70-
80%		80-
90%		90-
100%		Rating
Average		Response
Count
Tactical IA (thesauri,
metadata, controlled vocabularies, etc.)		37.9% (145)36.6% (140)14.6% (56)5.0% (19)1.6% (6)0.8% (3)1.0% (4)1.6% (6)0.5% (2)0.3% (1)0.3% (1)2.17383
Strategic IA (business models, high-level categorization, scenario development, life cycle assessment)7.0% (28)20.9% (83)27.1% (108)15.6% (62)11.3% (45)6.3% (25)4.5% (18)3.0% (12)2.0% (8)1.8% (7)0.5% (2)3.84398
Usability testing15.9% (62)45.8% (178)20.1% (78)9.3% (36)2.6% (10)1.3% (5)2.3% (9)1.3% (5)1.0% (4)0.3% (1)0.3% (1)2.66389
Other user research11.7% (44)37.8% (142)30.3% (114)10.1% (38)4.0% (15)2.9% (11)1.3% (5)1.3% (5)0.5% (2)0.0% (0)0.0% (0)2.81376
Content generation46.0% (161)30.3% (106)13.1% (46)6.0% (21)2.3% (8)1.1% (4)0.6% (2)0.3% (1)0.3% (1)0.0% (0)0.0% (0)1.97350
Content management49.6% (176)23.9% (85)12.1% (43)7.0% (25)2.8% (10)2.0% (7)0.8% (3)0.8% (3)0.3% (1)0.3% (1)0.3% (1)2.09355
Interaction design8.6% (33)9.4% (36)15.8% (61)17.4% (67)14.3% (55)11.9% (46)7.3% (28)5.7% (22)3.9% (15)4.7% (18)1.0% (4)4.77385
Graphic design52.5% (187)26.7% (95)7.6% (27)4.8% (17)3.7% (13)2.2% (8)0.8% (3)0.3% (1)0.6% (2)0.8% (3)0.0% (0)2.01356
Database design82.2% (287)12.3% (43)4.0% (14)0.6% (2)0.3% (1)0.3% (1)0.0% (0)0.0% (0)0.0% (0)0.3% (1)0.0% (0)1.27349
IT integration/programming77.0% (268)11.8% (41)4.9% (17)2.6% (9)1.4% (5)0.6% (2)0.3% (1)0.0% (0)1.1% (4)0.3% (1)0.0% (0)1.51348
Project management25.3% (93)32.2% (118)22.1% (81)9.5% (35)3.8% (14)1.9% (7)1.4% (5)1.4% (5)1.1% (4)0.8% (3)0.5% (2)2.69367
General business consulting40.4% (144)27.2% (97)14.9% (53)6.7% (24)3.7% (13)3.1% (11)0.8% (3)0.3% (1)1.4% (5)0.8% (3)0.6% (2)2.39356
General IT consulting67.1% (226)22.6% (76)4.2% (14)2.4% (8)1.8% (6)0.3% (1)0.9% (3)0.0% (0)0.3% (1)0.0% (0)0.6% (2)1.60337
Non-IA related administration/project management39.0% (139)34.0% (121)17.4% (62)5.1% (18)1.4% (5)0.8% (3)0.6% (2)0.3% (1)0.3% (1)0.0% (0)1.1% (4)2.13356
Staff training43.9% (158)35.3% (127)13.9% (50)3.9% (14)1.9% (7)0.8% (3)0.0% (0)0.3% (1)0.0% (0)0.0% (0)0.0% (0)1.89360
Travel40.3% (140)47.0% (163)9.8% (34)1.7% (6)0.9% (3)0.3% (1)0.0% (0)0.0% (0)0.0% (0)0.0% (0)0.0% (0)1.77347
Other74.5% (146)6.6% (13)8.7% (17)4.6% (9)0.0% (0)3.6% (7)0.0% (0)1.0% (2)0.5% (1)0.0% (0)0.5% (1)1.72196
 answered question407
 
skipped question
7
11. If you answered "Other" in the previous question, please let us know what kind of activity you perform.
 Response
Count
view comment49
 answered question49
 
skipped question
365
12. How long is your annual paid vacation?
 Response
Percent		Response
Count
not applicable
9.3%38
under 6 days
0.7%3
6-10 days
11.5%47
11-15 days
32.7%133
16-20 days
23.8%97
21-25 days
15.5%63
over 25 days
6.4%26
 answered question407
 
skipped question
7
13. How many public holidays do you get in addition to your paid vacation? (Also called "bank holidays")
 Response
Percent		Response
Count
0 days
6.9%28
1-3 days
2.0%8
4-6 days
24.0%97
7-9 days
37.0%150
9-11 days
22.2%90
11-13 days
5.2%21
13-15 days
1.7%7
over 15 days
1.0%4
 answered question405
 
skipped question
9
14. Does your job provide any of the following benefits? (check all that apply)
 Response
Percent		Response
Count
Bonus Pay
58.5%224
Overtime Pay
6.0%23
Compensatory Time
21.1%81
Flexible Schedule
70.2%269
Health/Medical Insurance
84.9%325
Disability Insurance
63.4%243
Life Insurance
71.8%275
Flexible Medical Spending (e.g. Medical FSA)
60.3%231
Flexible Dependent Care Spending (e.g. Dependent FSA)
39.7%152
Domestic Partner Benefits
40.5%155
Stock Options Plan
23.8%91
Stock Purchase Plan
23.0%88
401K or Other Investment Plan
72.6%278
Pension Plan
20.6%79
Profit Sharing
13.3%51
Professional Training on the Job
49.6%190
Professional Dues Reimbursement
29.5%113
Tuition Reimbursement
46.5%178
Union Membership
2.1%8
Dependent Care/Child Care/Babysitting
6.0%23
Health Club/Gym Membership
26.1%100
Transportation/Commuting Reimbursement
29.2%112
view commentOther (please specify)
7.6%29
 answered question383
 
skipped question
31
15. How long have you worked at your present job?
 Response
Percent		Response
Count
under 3 months
9.8%40
3-6 months
12.4%51
6-9 months
8.8%36
9-12 months
10.0%41
1-2 years
21.7%89
2-3 years
14.9%61
3-4 years
7.6%31
4-5 years
5.4%22
over 5 years
9.5%39
 answered question410
 
skipped question
4
16. How long have you worked as an information architect? (combine time worked at your current and past positions)
 Response
Percent		Response
Count
under 1 year
5.0%20
1-2 years
9.5%38
2-3 years
11.9%48
3-4 years
9.5%38
4-5 years
8.7%35
5-6 years
6.2%25
6-7 years
8.7%35
7-8 years
7.7%31
8-9 years
6.2%25
9-10 years
9.7%39
over 10 years
16.9%68
 answered question402
 
skipped question
12
17. How many people does your company employ?
 Response
Percent		Response
Count
Self-employed
5.5%22
2-5 employees
1.5%6
6-10 employees
4.8%19
11-25 employees
5.0%20
26-50 employees
11.0%44
51-300 employees
20.3%81
301-750 employees
10.0%40
751-3000 employees
10.3%41
over 3000 employees
31.8%127
 answered question400
 
skipped question
14
18. Where do you physically work?
 Never1-25%26-50%51-75%76-99%100%Rating
Average		Response
Count
At home10.8% (40)77.3% (286)4.9% (18)2.2% (8)4.1% (15)0.8% (3)2.14370
Own office83.9% (193)3.0% (7)2.2% (5)2.6% (6)6.1% (14)2.2% (5)1.50230
Employer/Company offices5.2% (19)4.9% (18)4.6% (17)11.5% (42)57.1% (209)16.7% (61)4.60366
Client office/premises41.5% (107)41.9% (108)8.9% (23)3.1% (8)4.3% (11)0.4% (1)1.88258
Shared office/coworking with others84.0% (179)6.6% (14)2.8% (6)1.4% (3)3.3% (7)1.9% (4)1.39213
Other (airport, car, train, cafe)54.3% (121)43.0% (96)1.8% (4)0.4% (1)0.4% (1)0.0% (0)1.50223
 answered question411
 
skipped question
3
19. Where do you work geographically? If you travel a lot, where is your base of operations? (U.S. regions are based on U.S. Census regions with the addition of Alaska & Hawaii as a separate category)
 Response
Percent		Response
Count
Africa 0.0%0
Asia (except India)
0.5%2
India
0.7%3
Australia and Pacific Rim
7.6%31
Canada
4.2%17
Central America, Mexico, Caribbean 0.0%0
EU (except the UK)
4.7%19
United Kingdom
6.2%25
Non-EU Europe
1.0%4
Middle East 0.0%0
South America
1.7%7
US: Northeast (includes D.C.)
25.9%105
US: South (Texas through Delaware)
11.1%45
US: Midwest (Eastern Plains and Midwest states)
10.3%42
US: West (Pacific and Mountain States)
25.9%105
US: Alaska & Hawaii
0.2%1
 answered question406
 
skipped question
8
20. Are you located in or near a major metropolitan area? (Note: we know this is subjective, but give it your best shot)
 Response
Percent		Response
Count
Yes
94.2%389
No
5.8%24
 answered question413
 
skipped question
1
21. If "yes" to the previous question, what is the name of this city?
 Response
Count
view comment381
 answered question381
 
skipped question
33

This page was last modified on January 2, 2009 01:59 PM.