It's hard to generalize without having the complete employee data that companies mostly keep private. Less salary could come with more vacations, a pension plan

It's hard to generalize without having the complete employee data that companies mostly keep private. Less salary could come with more vacations, a pension plan, better insurance coverage, or other perks. Even when job shopping, it can be hard to compare different compensation packages fairly. In the end though, it's all about negotiating (or lack thereof) your starting salary and knowing how much you're worth in the current market. I found it eye-opening when I discovered that your salary is based mostly on your starting salary and not how well you do in your job.