A personal question, how much do you make, but not really.

Ok, now that I have your attention. 
I'm not asking how many dollars, pounds, shillings, or skittles you make per year. The title was click-bait, sorry. 

The UAW discussion got me thinking about my own personal situation. So I'll ask the hive. On average, how much of a raise have you received (looking for %, not $) per year over the last X years?  

Over the last 8 years my salary has gone up 27.69% in total. That means the simplest equation is my pay has gone up about 3.5% per year if you take 28 and divide that by 8. But since there's some compounding going on, it's more like 2.7%.
That's pretty crappy since it doesn't even keep pace with inflation.  Couple that with the dwindling health bennies, it's pretty bleak.
The company I work for is in the automotive industry, but not directly, and not a supplier, at least not the division I work for.

If you want to play along, I'd love to know what type of increases you get each year and, since your playing along maybe tell us how long you've been with the company, or are you self-employed (that would be VERY interesting), or any other pertinent info.  

I'd rather this not end up being an offshoot of the UAW discussion, but it does put the 10% a year into perspective after we possibly gather real-world data from you all.  

Here's mine since starting at my current company in 2014:

2014 - Hired - 0% change from previous employer (escaped a horrible VP)

2015 no change, no bonus

2016 no change, 5% annual bonus added

2017 negotiated 23% raise, 5% annual bonus

2018 no change, 5% annual bonus

2019 no change, 5% annual bonus

2020 no change, 5% annual bonus

2021 no change, 5% annual bonus

2022 negotiatied 20% raise, 5% annual bonus

2023 negotiated 13% raise, 10% annual bonus

Total salary increase since starting at this company: 49%

In 2017, I had a heart to heart with my then new manager and we put together a strategy to justify my raise with the C-suite. I was noticeably underpaid for the position I had been filling, and he and I both felt that needed to change before I decided to leave the company. 

My 2022 and 2023 raises and 2023 bonus increase were part of a structured plan to keep me from accepting a competitive job offer in 2022. 

My company started merit increases in 2023 (max 5% , I believe), but because of my raise I was not eligible. I will be in 2024. Currently I consider my pay very fair in the market, taking work/life balance and unlimited PTO into account. I'm currently looking at other positions for growth within this company; I have an awesome manager and director who both recognize my value and contributions.

I will most likely stay for another year or two before looking to reduce my commute and/or relocate further north the DFW metroplex - I currently live in Frisco and commute to Dallas 4 days a week. 

Wife works in a non union warehouse. She has qualified for the highest raise level the last two years, which is 2.5%, so she's effectively making less than when she started.

The caveat to that is that last fall they gave surprise 5% raises to everyone to almost make up for last year's 8.5% inflation. The secondary caveat is that Amazon is opening a warehouse and starting at $3 more an hour than the average employee, so her company is planning that adjustment before they lose all their workers. This would be about 17.5% of a raise if they go through with it. 

When I still worked, I never saw raises, period. 10 years with the same construction company, made the same when I left as when I started. Retail only saw raises on promotion, and were in the 1-2% ballpark. Kitchens never paid a raise even with exponentially more responsibility tacked on. 

Two years with this employer, I've received 15% in increases since I started, and have another coming next month. 
The two jobs before this , trades were given market adjustment increases on top of the 2.5% - 3% increases everybody else got. They were 5% and 7%. 

I worked almost 25 years at one job but got frustrated there, left and have had two jobs since. In general I've seen starting wages for my trade increase a minimum of 15% in the last couple years. 
 

EDIT: One of those jobs was a union shop. The company approached the union and said, we'd like to give the millwrights a 5% increase on top of the contract this year.  The union's response? No, that's not enough, we need more... 

In the eight years I've been in this position I've had 0%,2%,2%,$1000 bonus, 0%,0%,0%,0%.  The last four zeros are years without a contract. We're hoping to get 1.5-2% per year. 

• Company 1, F500, 2012-2015
  • 2012-2014, got raises that were more or less in line with COL. F500 company. Decent pension, but not the most exciting geographic location. 
• Company 2, 2015-2017. Mid-market midwest bank. 38% pay bump.
  • 2015-2017, got raises that were slightly below inflation, but bonuses that were pretty awesome for someone not in sales.
• Company 3, 2017-2018. Retail startup, 16% pay bump
  • Didn't stay long enough for merit/bonus.
• Company 4, 2018-2023, 29% pay bump. 
  • 2019 - Exceeds Expectations rating, 2% raise.
  • 2020 - Exceeds expectations, no raise, merit was halted across the company. C-suite were all getting their bonuses though. 
  • 2021 - Needs improvement, no raise. I disagreed with the rating, vehemently. We had a very high performing group, and HR required a bell curve. Manager and I didn't get along, I got the short end of the stick. No biggie, I learned a lot from that manager and am grateful for the experience.
  • 2022 - Meets expectations, no raise. Supposedly delayed, would have come around July 2023, but...
  • May 2023 - Laid off. They did try to hire me back at a 4% paybump. I already had offers that were 15%, 27%, and 33% better though. 
• 2023 - New job, 33% pay bump. 

There were a LOT of executive missteps in that 2020-2023 period for my 4th company. It will be written up in MBA courses. COO and CEO get ousted, each with a golden parachute that I could retire on 20 times over. And it was amazing how little effort people put in when they're not being fairly compensated, at least when the executive compensation is public knowledge. Oh, and they berkeleyed the stock price. So much for putting faith in the company you work for.

If companies want loyalty, then they have to pay for it one way or another. If not, I'll find a job elsewhere. I'd rather work for, buy from, and support companies that treat their employees well. It is why I shop at Costco and not Walmart. 

One thing to note here is that not all equal salaries are equal. Between the cost of insurance, 401k match, bonus structures, vacation, and in-office requirements, the "other" income and costs between the offers I had varied by $15k. 

I don't have the details but mine have generally kept up with inflation, sometimes a little better, sometimes a little worse. The big raises that stand out were something like a 5~8% raise at my last job after the first year, and a 10% raise at my first full-time job although that was after a good few years of not keeping up with inflation. Also got something like a $2.5k bonus/award one year at the first full-time job after single-handedly developing their website on a tight schedule.

My situation is weird, because I work for a small privately owned company that I am heavily emotionally invested in as a founder (but not an owner). As such, I was willing to go a while without raises for a while, but eventually decided this was unacceptable. My salary now is basically equal to starting salary adjusted for inflation, but I get more time off and schedule flexibility.

2017 - company started (33% pay increase over previous brewing gig)
2018 - 0%
2019 - 0%
2020 - 0% *and* furloughed for most of the year due to Covid lockdowns
2021 - 0%

2022 - this is where it got weird. I negotiated a "bonus" to be paid out at the end of the year that amounted to a ~15% raise to what my salary would have been adjusted for inflation, because the owner agreed I deserved a raise, but wanted to kick the can down the road.

2023 - 19% official raise, but really a 3.3% raise over 2022. This was literally just plugging my original salary into an inflation adjustment calculator.

I also work fewer hours/week now than when we started the brewing company. I will continue to insist on raises equal to inflation.

That salary adjustment is also a major factor in me not looking for new jobs anymore.

Roughly 60% since I started 11 years ago (4.3% avg).  That includes some role changes.  I'm not trying to climb the ladder though.  There are those who have done worse and quite a few who have done better.

2014 - -5% left the dealer world for the office world.

2015- 11% increase

2016 - 9% increase

2017-  13% increase

2018-2020- 2% total.

2021 - -10% left the office world 

2022- 0%

2023 - 26% ***

***Now since 2021 almost a third of my pay is bonus per month based off of GP of the shop. I am not counting that because that is always in flux. Hourly pay I took a pretty decent cut but got a big bump with the bonus checks. All in, I'm bringing home about what I did since 2017 with no real increase. 

A few hours ago, after reading all the UAW strike demands on the thread, I did some Inflation Calculations on a website.

Turns out that although I make over 20% more than I did 10 years ago, when I was close to topping out in my profession,  its only  a little more than equal value, because of inflation.   

In reply to jharry3 :

Pretty much what I found out too.  I mean, I'm 51, been working since I was 16. I've changed jobs and careers to increase my pay with what I consider to be good success. The family of 5 can survive on just my salary if we need to, but it would be TIGHT. My wife runs a small business to ease the burden. 
All that being said, I ask my wife if we can handle it before I spend more than $20, and we don't buy much meat because it's too expensive. Now THAT said, the job better get off their wallet or I'll be walking. I work too hard for them to have to sweat over buying new valve stem caps for the car.

I was OK with the slight loss in pay year one because there is no stress, no mess and I'm appreciated. Plus they are willing to work around racing and vacations like no other employer. Being able to set the job down, and go home without a second thought until 8am tomorrow is a very liberating feeling. I've always strived to be better, learn more and take on more responsibilities to climb the ladder. Now? I'm trying to make it to 55-ish so I can find some silly part time gig to cover insurance and enjoy life more.

I've been with the same company since the beginning of 2001, so details are a bit fuzzy.    Some years better than others although there was one year in particular around 2003 where I thought about leaving, got a big offer to stay and at the end of the year, there was a policy change to eliminate bonuses and everyone got larger than normal raises - I did really well that year - something like 17%. 

Company policy has continued to not do bonuses, but I am paid straight time for billable hours over 40 and is lined as a "bonus" at the end of the year.  Some years that can add up to quite a bit.  Most raises have been in the low single percentage points although I was given a 7% raise as an incentive to take my current on-site assignment some 350 miles from home.  As a result, I've spent a little over a month at home - total - since Oct 2022.  But 45 billable hours per week plus expenses has resulted in some pretty large paychecks - some more than I made in an entire year back in my part-time retail days. 

At 53 I consider myself "done" with chasing higher salaries.  Nor am I terribly concerned with getting large raises. A COL raise would be nice, but I already make enough to live comfortably.   What I hope for right now is relative stability for the next 7 years and retirement. 

2015- 0%
2016- 0%
2017- 0%
(left for a year, then returned, negotiating a 30% bump)

2018- 30% When I got rehired and renegotiated. 
2019- 0%
2020- 0%
2021- 5%
2022- 5%

Its not fair to call 2018 a raise. I had to quit, go work for someone else, then renovate my rehire. 
 

However in fairness, I have also received bonuses which amount to approximately 5% each year. 
 

I'm content with where I work. There are other companies that are much worse, and a few that are better. 
 

The construction industry doesn't fit in a neat little box. We do projects that may be in the pipeline 3 years before we start, then take 2 years to complete. It's just not as simple as "annual raises should be X percent", or "should do better than inflation".  If my expectation was an increase every year, I might as well not come to work.
 

Im not complaining. I make 67% more than the national average income, 150% more than the national average construction worker, 15% more than the GA average construction manager, and 5% more than the national average for construction management, so I have no complaints. Plus, I live in an inexpensive area. 
 

I don't measure myself my annual percentage increases. 

I'm a fed and have been a fed for 24 years.  The actual raise amounts are all publicly available.   I will say that the last 13 years of child support payments kept me from feeling particularly well off and now that they have ended, things still feel tighter than I'm entirely happy with.

In reply to SV reX :

Wife and I measure our success with how are we looking for retirement at 55 and are we enjoying ourselves now. Those are the metrics we use and it keeps us sane and happy. She took a 32% pay cut to go to a smaller school district. What she gained was her life back. Her stress is nill compared to 2 years ago, she's happy and she has energy because she isn't working 12-14 hours a day and weekends. 

1973-hired at 6.25 /hr

2018-retired at 78.00/hr.

I think that amounts to 1248% over 45 years or 27% / year average.  With a few exceptions, my raises were only 2%-6%, so I suppose compounding was rather important over the years.

No bonus many years, insignificant (under $1k) bonuses most years. Got a $12K bonus 1 year and a $7k bonus another.

Retired from the same company I started with but I left and came back a few times.

Seeing the numbers here backs up my comment in the other thread, the middle class (define that as wide as you want, up to say $500K-$1M/year) really hasn't seen large increase to match productivity, or even inflation.  We're all being asked to do more with less.

When I started as an engineer in 2007, I was making $50K.  After a year or two in the job bought a house for $180K, and a car for $25K.  Those were my only debts, and I ate a lot of spaghetti, ramen, and pb&j, I wasn't going out to eat every night or living it up at bars.  With just those two expenses, there wasn't a lot left over every month after taxes, insurance, etc. 

After working there for a few more years, I left because the salary and bonus increases were not keeping pace with inflation, let alone putting me ahead.  I think, 15+ years later, the starting salary for that job is ~$70K.  Buying the same house and car I had back then are over double the cost.  The numbers just don't add up.  I am very grateful to have landed at a company that offers raises above just the inflation rate. 

I think that someone working *most* full time jobs should be able to afford the basics (food, shelter, transportation).  Yes that includes the guy shooting bolts on an auto assembly line.  Yes that includes the manager at Dominos.  You can vary your definition of shelter (a studio apartment?  a trailer? a townhouse? a single family home in a suburb?), or transportation (a bus pass? a beater? a new civic?), but the basic principles of "most jobs should allow most people to survive and live" shouldn't be a political or controversial statement.  In many parts of the country, that isn't the case.  The salary at a lot of jobs is not enough to survive (especially after the past few years of high inflation), so the jobs are going un-filled.  A family member with a graduate degree was offered $39,000 a year to do genetics lab research in northern virginia.  That company can berkeley off if they think that's a realistic wage.  And they can't find candidates.  It is starting to affect their bottom line.  They still haven't tried offering more money. 

21 years at the same company average has been 8.2% but I have had six promotions and was burned out when I took the job so I took a lower position then I qualified for by about one rung. Not sure how that all adds up. 

I make about 440% more then when I started here. Non inflation adjusted. I have 2.7% as my rolling inflation average over the last 20 years that I tacked in my budget sheet so that works out to 300% from where I started. 

In 2018 I was working for O'Reilly as a commercial manager dealing almost single handedly with a pretty large store and 6 delivery trucks for my area. I was offered less than a 1% raise. After destroying profit increase goals for something like the 5th year in a row. I called it quits and slid over to a cushy dealership parts job that was about a 50% increase. Which with how little I was getting paid, still wasn't great. 2 years after that in 2020 I jumped ship to do parts as a union guy on the waterfront. As a parts person I wasn't making journeyman wage but it was still about a 50% wage increase over the dealership. In '21 my crew renegotiated our contract and kicked me to journeyman wage which was about a 40% wage increase. That contract length was pretty short because of some terminal issues so we renegotiated just a few months ago for a 12% over two years. The crew next door just received a 35% increase over the next 3 years which I imagine we'll mimic when our contract expires in 2 years. It's nuts how much we get payed to do very little. That's not even to mention benefits which are 100% company paid. I think containerized shipping is going to get pretty expensive over the next few years.

From 2018-O'reilly until now it's something like 400% increase?

Started off at my company in 2017, quickly made it to production leadership position.  Transition to an office position at the end of 2021.

2017-2019:  standard cost of living increases and raises based on promotions, yearly bonus of 2-4%. 

2020: no bonus, 3% COL increase

2021:  5% bonus, small salary increase

2022:  5% bonus, small salary increase

2023:  small promotion, 4% COL increase, bonus TBD

Single income, wife stays at home with our kids.  We're doing alright.

bludroptop said:

I don't understand why people think they should get a raise for not quitting.  

Because inflation.

25.8% increase over 8 years, or 3.225% year over year. 

I would consider us solidly middle class in a town/city that many consider a "dream town" (where you either struggle while young or move when old), but with significantly less debt than most of our peers, and better savings/retirement, but with less earning potential overall in our current jobs/careers.