The Pay Map

By Lisa McLaughlin

Your job's location may have more of an impact on your earnings than the kind of work you do, according to a new survey from Mercer Human Resource Consulting. Its annual metropolitan benchmark compensation survey looks at salaries in about 150 metropolitan areas in the U.S. Salaries in bigger cities, not surprisingly, are usually higher. In Indianapolis, Ind., an executive secretary is deemed competitively paid at a base salary of $39,800, while someone doing the same job in San Francisco would make $52,600. But cities reward different professions. In Seattle, an executive secretary on average makes 4.5% more than an intermediate accountant ($44,500 vs. $42,600), but in Tampa, Fla., he or she would make 11% less than that accountant ($40,900 vs. $45,400). --By Lisa McLaughlin