I suspect you're right that the median is low-ish, but if you're able to convince any of the major banks or bank-IT firms in the US that you're reasonably able

I suspect you're right that the median is low-ish, but if you're able to convince any of the major banks or bank-IT firms in the US that you're reasonably able to solve their problems with COBOL, there's no shortage of jobs in the $150-200k range -- which is insanely high for engineering jobs on the east coast.