# Is 3% a good raise? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 3, 2008, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214 "2008-07-03T18:30:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LVgeogeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b19c9b/32.png) [@LVgeogeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVgeogeek)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214/21 "2008-07-03T20:39:29Z")
A 3% raise sucks, but then again it’s better than nothing at all. If you get a 3% raise along with a COL increase, that’s a little better. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214/22 "2008-07-03T20:42:52Z")
“Not getting fired” in this economy is a good raise. ---
**Author:** ![B.Serum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/b.serum/32/14266_2.png) [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214/23 "2008-07-03T20:47:20Z")
In this economy? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214/24 "2008-07-03T20:52:03Z")
[QUOTE=LVgeogeek] A 3% raise sucks, but then again it’s better than nothing at all. If you get a 3% raise along with a COL increase, that’s a little better. [/QUOTE] That. Where I am, the two are completely separate, but it’s the COLA that isn’t locked in. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214/25 "2008-07-03T21:48:44Z")
Federal employees have done slightly better than 3% in recent years, but they will probably get something like 3% next year. ---
**Author:** ![sugar\_and\_spice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e8c25b/32.png) [@sugar\_and\_spice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sugar_and_spice)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214/26 "2008-07-03T21:54:40Z")
It’s not great but I wouldn’t be insulted by it. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214/27 "2008-07-03T21:54:52Z")
[QUOTE=BrotherCadfael] Given the state of the economy this year, it’s probably about as good as you are going to get… [/QUOTE] I think if you work in a corporation, given the state of the economy, its fucking awesome. I know a lot of companies are delaying increases or not increasing at all this year - and a lot are planning on reducing headcount. And if you don’t like it - well, that’s one less person they’ll need to lay off and worry about severance. (And yes, corporations really do think like this - and yes, they know its short sighted because “the really good people leave.” And they feel its worthwhile to keep costs in line.) ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214/28 "2008-07-03T22:14:14Z")
No. ---
**Author:** ![Ca3799](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9f8e36/32.png) [@Ca3799](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ca3799)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214/29 "2008-07-03T23:28:34Z")
Our annual increases are on the order of 3,4,or 5%. I don’t know anyone who has gotten 5% lately. Mine was 3 or 3.5. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2008, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214/30 "2008-07-03T23:51:30Z")
Not really, no. For the most part, unless you are in a commission based job, work in a company like a law firm, hedge fund or investment bank with a heavy bonus structure (and are actually earning a bonus this year) or are in some company that happens to be experiencing explosive growth, 3% is pretty much all you generally get ever. DudleyGarrett - I’d be curious as to what kind of company/industry you work for. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214/31 "2008-07-04T00:05:55Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] Right now 3% is a bit low because the cost of living increase over the last year (in the USA) is **4.2%** , largely due to fuel and food costs. [/QUOTE] Depending on how and when you figure it. The union contract for my govt. job stipulated COL + 0.5% ( I think ) this year and I ended up with a staggering 3.8%. Given the current state of the Bay Area economy, I figure I probably lost a slight amount of ground :(. However things are bad all over ( or in most places, anyhow ). A good friend who works for a newspaper ( making ~ a third of what I do, which is a crime - I never realized before just how poorly paid that profession is ) got 2.5% I believe and at that it was one of the largest raises given at his paper. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214/32 "2008-07-04T00:20:00Z")
Younger workers get larger % raises because a larger % of their salaries is still fewer total dollars than a smaller % of more senior employees’ salaries. But once your salary rises above exploitation levels, they’ll give you indifferent raises if you’re lucky or play that game where your raise is supposedly tied to company performance, but the formula is purposefully oblique and it’s a lot like the sharecropper and the company store. I espically love the way the swells issue sunshine-filled exaltations of big contract wins all year long, then come raise time, all the bullshit bingo words turn into poor mouthing. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214/33 "2008-07-04T00:21:41Z")
It’s a bad raise when that is supposed to be COL _and_ your promotion increase! (yep, that happened to me. Yep, I made sure my manager knew that she and the company were cheap. And yep, I mentioned it to HR as I walked out the door to a better job!) I’d expect 3% more or less for a yearly salary adjustment, but calling it a raise is a joke unless it’s in addition to COL. ---
**Author:** ![SomeUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@SomeUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SomeUserName)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214/34 "2008-07-04T10:57:19Z")
As others said it is not great but not horrible either. Mine at work has ranged from three to four percent in the last five years or so maybe longer. This has been the norm for most of the employees from what I can gather. Last year I got 3.75% which was more than I expected. The part that really sucks is our health insurance goes up every year at about the same rate so I never see any increase in take home pay. ---
**Author:** ![WormTheRed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/bbe5ce/32.png) [@WormTheRed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WormTheRed)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214/35 "2008-07-04T11:00:32Z")
I get 15-20%. But then again, the inflation is 8-14% (last couple of years) here 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214/36 "2008-07-04T11:06:24Z")
[QUOTE=msmith537] DudleyGarrett - I’d be curious as to what kind of company/industry you work for. [/QUOTE] I design and build large data center computer networks, and I usually stick to non-technical consulting firms because they’re usually loaded with intelligent people who bill high and know where the money should go. I’m also a CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert - Routing and Switching) with 20 years of IT experience. People like me are hard to find and most companies know it. ---
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214/37 "2008-07-04T11:12:26Z")
As others have said, it depends on the industry and company. And in this economy, it appears that in many cases, instead of a raise, many people are (insert drumroll here) getting to keep their jobs. ☹ I work for the state. I think union and exempt classified (semi-protected) employees are getting 3% this year. I’m unclassified and expecting bupkus. GT ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214/38 "2008-07-04T11:46:54Z")
It sounds like exactly what everyone I know (including Mr. K’s raise last month) is getting. I’m supposed to get one any day now, and I anticipate that the 70 hour weeks for the past year will translate to a whopping 3% as well. To answer your question, no…it sucks. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214/39 "2008-07-04T12:48:14Z")
[QUOTE=An Arky] Younger workers get larger % raises because a larger % of their salaries is still fewer total dollars than a smaller % of more senior employees’ salaries. But once your salary rises above exploitation levels, they’ll give you indifferent raises if you’re lucky or play that game where your raise is supposedly tied to company performance, but the formula is purposefully oblique and it’s a lot like the sharecropper and the company store. [/QUOTE] Case in point here - I’ve been with the company just under 10 months, and got 12.5%. I was expecting about 5%. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2008, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214/40 "2008-07-04T15:08:40Z")
I got 3% this year, same as my boss. Not great, but we got our annual bonus on top of it, which was $3000. So I’m not complaining. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-3-a-good-raise/455214.md?page=3)