Mercer SMB is a cross-industry compensation survey covering 9M+ U.S. employees. This guide walks through how to manually look up market data for a role using Mercer SMB.
Step 1: Navigate to Mercer
In the left nav, click Mercer under the Benchmarking section.
Step 2: Search for a job
Use the Search by Job Family dropdown at the top of the page. This is a single searchable dropdown - type a keyword (e.g. "Software Engineering") and select from the results. Once you select a job, the page displays the function and job family as a header, along with a results table.
Specialization: Mercer also shows a specialization dropdown (labeled All Specializations) after a specific job family is selected. If the selected job has multiple specializations, you can narrow the data to a specific one. If no specializations for the job family exist, it will be set to "All Specializations".
Step 3: Choose a level
The table shows all levels and each level name includes a description on hover so you can verify it matches your role's scope and responsibilities.
💡 Not sure which level fits? Use the Mercer SMB Level & Job Guide to map your internal titles to survey levels. Titles can differ significantly from company to company, so review the level descriptions in the guide to ensure you've selected the proper fit based on job scope and responsibilities.
Step 4: Apply filters
Use the filter sidebar to narrow the market data. Mercer has two filter categories:
Location - choose one:
Filter by Location Tier - US-based cost-of-living tiers (Tier 1 = highest-cost markets like SF/NYC, through Tier 4)
Filter by Location - specific metro areas
Company Type - choose one:
Filter by Sector
Filter by Revenue
Filter by Employee Count - ranges from <100 up to 2,500+
💡 A note on Company Type filters: Filtering by sector, revenue, or employee count can significantly reduce the sample size of your data. If your unfiltered results already show a modest number of data points, consider leaving Company Type unfiltered. Compensation for many roles tends to be comparable across sectors at similar company stages, and a larger sample will give you more statistically reliable percentiles.
Step 5: Read the market data
The results table shows percentile values for each level:
10th %
25th %
50th %
75th %
90th %
Next to each level, a sample size badge shows how many employees are in the dataset for that job + level combination (e.g. "2,500 Employees"). Higher sample sizes = more reliable data.
The page has expandable sections for different pay components:
Base Salary - fixed annual pay, excludes bonuses, benefits, and other compensation
Variable Target
Total Cash
LTI / Equity
Total Direct Compensation
Click each section to expand it and see the percentile table for that pay component.
You can also switch the currency using the dropdown (USD, CAD, GBP, EUR, AUD, and others).
Tips for accurate benchmarking
Match on job content, not title. Use the Level & Position Guide to match based on responsibilities and scope
Try different specializations. If your role has a niche focus, see if a specialization narrows the data to a better match. If not, "All Specializations" gives the broadest dataset
Compare across levels. If you're unsure whether a role is a developing professional or senior professional, look at data for both. The gap between levels helps calibrate your leveling
Watch sample sizes. Small samples mean percentile values are directional, not precise
Choose relevant filters. Pick the geography and company type that reflects who you compete with for talent