Report · Money and Finance

Most call a $20,000 salary extreme underpayment for their job

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In a Verasight survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted Aug. 20 to 25, 2025, most call a $20,000 salary extreme underpayment for their job; 43% selected extremely unfair underpayment.

The next-largest shares were 10% for very unfair underpayment and 8% for fair pay.

Topline

single choice

Topline distribution

Most call a $20,000 salary extreme underpayment for their job (43%).

If you were paid each of the following for your current job, would you consider that to be: - $20,000

  • Extremely unfair underpayment 43.3%
  • I am not employed 24.0%
  • Very unfair underpayment 9.6%
  • Fair pay 8.1%
  • Somewhat unfair underpayment 6.1%
  • Slightly unfair underpayment 5.7%
  • Somewhat unfair overpayment 1.0%
  • Slightly unfair overpayment 0.9%
  • Very unfair overpayment 0.7%
  • Extremely unfair overpayment 0.6%

2025 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.1%

ASA Omnibus Survey

View source

Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Field dates
2025-08-20 → 2025-08-25
Base (unweighted)
1,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.1%
Module
ASA Omnibus Survey

Source

Citation

ASA Omnibus Survey, fielded August 20-25, 2025, N=1,000 United States adults, +/- 3.1%.

https://reports.verasight.io/reports/asa-omnibus-survey#if-you-were-paid-each-of-the-following-for-your-current-job-would-you-consider-that-to-be-20-000

Verasight survey methodology

How Verasight conducts surveys.

This page describes the Verasight general survey contract, separate from how the Data Library packages it. Each wave's specific field dates, sample sizes, and module breakdown are listed in that wave's report.

Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
Reporting
Every wave is published as a standalone report at verasight.io/reports with full instrument and methodology.
Transparency
Verasight is a member of the American Association for Public Opinion Research Transparency Initiative.

Wave-specific methodology, full weighting variable lists, and verbatim instrument text live in each report at verasight.io/reports.