A 1-999 career intelligence metric built from real data economists trust. Below is everything you need to interpret your score, understand each tier, and know what moves the needle.
The Compera Score is not a judgment. It is a signal, the same kind of signal labor economists use to evaluate market positioning. A lower score tells you something the market already knows. A higher score tells you what leverage you actually have.
Score Tiers
At Risk
1-349 · Bottom ~20%
Multiple compounding pressures are present.
A score in this range means the data is sending a clear signal: your compensation, market demand, job security, or earnings growth (or several of these) are materially below where they should be. This is not a permanent condition, but it does require attention.
At Risk does not mean your career is over. It means the current combination of factors creates meaningful financial and professional risk that compounds over time if left unaddressed. Many people in this range are unaware of the gap, and awareness is the first step.
Common Scenarios
Below-median pay in a declining field
The market is contracting and you're being paid below the median within it.
→ Identify adjacent roles with higher demand that use transferable skills.
Long raise gap + high automation exposure
No recent compensation adjustment while your role faces structural displacement risk.
→ Prioritize a compensation conversation or evaluate a lateral move to a more resilient role.
Location multiplier drag
Your market's wage norms are pulling down your effective compensation position.
→ Model what your score would look like in a higher-wage metro or in a remote role with national pay.
Vulnerable
350-499 · Bottom third
One or two significant risk factors are present.
Your position has meaningful weaknesses but is not in acute distress. The Vulnerable tier typically means one factor is pulling hard against you (often a pay gap, a softening job market, or an overdue raise) while the other factors remain reasonable.
The Vulnerable range is where many people sit after a few years without renegotiating compensation. Market conditions shift; your nominal pay stays flat; your real purchasing power falls. The score captures this drift before it becomes a crisis.
Common Scenarios
Pay is below median but demand is healthy
You are underpriced for a role the market still wants. You have leverage.
→ Build the negotiation case now. Benchmark your ask using BLS OEWS data for your specific SOC code.
Demand is weak in your geography
Your role is healthy nationally but soft in your local market.
→ Evaluate remote opportunities or adjacent markets. Your skills may price higher elsewhere.
Earnings growth has stalled
Your historical raise velocity is below what the model expects for your career stage.
→ Quantify your contributions and request a review. Even a modest raise meaningfully improves trajectory score.
Average
500-649 · Middle 40%
Broadly at market, with room to improve.
An Average score means you are near the median across the four factors. Your compensation is roughly in line with BLS data for your role, the job market for your occupation is stable, and your structural position is neither unusually strong nor unusually exposed.
Average is not a bad place to be, but it means you're tracking the market, not leading it. The median is not a destination. Professionals who stay at Average for multiple years tend to lose ground in real terms as higher-performers capture disproportionate compensation gains.
Common Scenarios
At market pay, healthy demand, moderate resilience
The model sees a solid but undifferentiated position.
→ Identify one factor to move (typically pay or trajectory) to break into Competitive.
Certifications not reflected
Professional credentials can add 4-11 points to your score and justify a compensation ask.
→ Enter any relevant certifications in the enrichment fields and recalculate.
Industry not specified
The model may be using a national industry average that under-values your actual market.
→ Specify your industry. Finance, technology, and pharma carry significant multipliers.
Competitive
650-749 · Top 40%
Well-positioned with active advantages.
A Competitive score means you are above the median on the factors that matter most. Your compensation is reasonably aligned with the market, demand for your role is healthy, and your resilience indicators are above average. You have leverage.
Competitive is a strong position for negotiation. Employers know that replacing people in this range is expensive, and you can use that. The gap between Competitive and Strong is often bridged by a single well-timed compensation negotiation or a strategic role change.
Common Scenarios
Above-median pay in a growing field
You are well-compensated and the market is moving in your direction.
→ Maintain your advantage by staying visible in the market. Update your score every 6 months.
Strong demand but approaching raise gap
The trajectory factor may decline if compensation isn't refreshed soon.
→ Proactively request a review before the raise gap widens. Competitive scores create the leverage to do this.
High resilience in a stable industry
Structural factors are carrying your score. Pay may be the next lever.
→ Benchmark your comp against BLS OEWS data. You may be underpriced relative to your security profile.
Strong
750-849 · Top 20%
Significant market advantages across multiple dimensions.
A Strong score reflects multiple reinforcing advantages: compensation well above market rate, robust job market demand, high job security, or strong earnings growth. You are in a position of meaningful career market strength.
People with Strong scores are often unaware of how much leverage they actually have. The market is actively competing for people with your profile. This is the right time to negotiate, evaluate competing offers, or set terms rather than accept them.
Common Scenarios
Top-quartile pay in high-demand occupation
Both compensation and demand signals are working in your favor.
→ Use this position to negotiate proactively, or establish a target salary for your next move.
High resilience score with below-median pay
Your structural position is very strong but your compensation hasn't caught up.
→ This is a clear negotiation signal. Your role is hard to automate or offshore, and demand supports it.
All four factors above average
No single weakness is dragging the composite score.
→ Focus on sustaining this. Monitor trajectory, the most common way Strong scores erode.
Exceptional
850-999 · Top 5%
Top-tier career market strength across all dimensions.
An Exceptional score represents the upper echelon of career market positioning. Compensation is materially above market rate, demand for your occupation is structurally elevated, job security factors are high, and your earnings growth is on a strong upward path.
Exceptional scores are uncommon. They typically reflect a combination of: a high-demand, hard-to-automate occupation; compensation well above the market rate for your role and location; and a recent raise or strong earnings growth signal. If you are in this range, you are the profile employers compete for. Use that intentionally.
Common Scenarios
Structurally resilient role with premium comp
You are well-paid in a field that is growing and hard to displace.
→ Set terms. You have the leverage to dictate conditions in offer negotiations.
High-demand specialty in premium market
Geography and occupation are both working in your favor.
→ Evaluate whether your employer's comp trajectory matches the market, as even Exceptional scores can erode.
Recent raise + certification boost
Trajectory and credentials are amplifying your underlying position.
→ Sustain the momentum. Stay current on credentials and log your next raise date.
The Four Factors
Each factor is independently scored and piecewise rescaled before combining into the composite 1-999 score.
Data Sources
BLS
Bureau of Labor Statistics
·OEWS 2025: occupation × geography median wages
·Occupational Outlook Handbook: 10-year projections