A Job Posting Without a Pay Range Is a Weaker Posting

Two postings sit side by side on the same job board. One lists a pay range. The other says “competitive compensation.”

A candidate with three tabs open and an hour to spare does not need a theory about which one to open first.

For years, withholding pay was a negotiating tactic. It is turning into a compliance exposure and a recruiting handicap at the same time. This post covers the law, the evidence on whether ranges help, and how to write one you can defend. It is general information, not legal advice, so confirm specifics for your own roles with employment counsel.

How common is pay in job postings now?

Indeed’s Hiring Lab tracks it. In its October 2024 analysis, 57.8% of U.S. postings on Indeed included some salary information in September 2024, up from 52.2% a year earlier. The same piece found New York at 97.7%, with its law in force, against 66.5% for the District of Columbia, whose law had only taken effect that June.

Three limits matter. The data is two years old, and I could not retrieve Indeed’s live tracker, so the current share may differ. It covers all Indeed postings, and the article does not report construction or real estate on their own. And Hiring Lab noted that growth slowed in 2024. The direction is still clear: in places with a law, a posting without pay is becoming the exception.

Which states and cities require pay ranges?

A growing list. The table pulls dates and employer-size thresholds from law-firm and compliance-vendor summaries, not from the statutes themselves, so treat it as a map and not as a legal opinion.

The list does not stop there. Paycor’s summary also lists Hawaii and the District of Columbia. A July 2026 Jackson Lewis update lists three more with dates now past: Virginia on July 1, 2026 (all employers), Maine on July 29, 2026 (employers with at least 10 employees), and Connecticut on October 1, 2026 (all employers). I checked only that July article for those three, so confirm none was delayed. Some cities add their own rules, and I have not verified any city ordinance for this post.

What about Texas?

Texas does not require salary ranges or wage information in job postings, according to a January 2026 update. That is the full extent of the good news.

Colorado’s law reaches positions that could be performed in Colorado, including remote work arrangements, regardless of where the employer is based. A Houston property management company hiring a remote leasing analyst, or a Dallas general contractor hiring an estimator who could work from Denver, should ask counsel whether it is covered. Multi-state firms usually find it simpler to post a range everywhere than to run two sets of postings.

Do pay ranges change how many people apply?

The best evidence is survey-based, so read the sources carefully.

Indeed’s own numbers point the same way. An Indeed survey cited in its 2022 special report found 75% of respondents were more likely to apply if the salary range was listed, though the report gives no sample size for it. The same report quotes Indeed’s chief people officer saying the fill rate for jobs on Indeed Hire improved by 40% when salary information was included. That is a vendor’s claim about its own product, so weigh it accordingly.

None of this is a controlled experiment. People who say they would apply are not people who applied, and employers who chose to list pay may differ from those who did not. What the surveys do show is consistent: candidates say a missing range costs a posting attention and trust. Trust is also what’s at stake when AI enters the hiring process.

Do pay ranges change what you have to pay?

Possibly, and employers should know it going in. An NBER working paper on state posting laws found the share of postings with salary information rose by 30 percentage points, and that wages rose by 1.3% to 3.6% across three datasets. It found no effect on pay dispersion, employment, the number of postings, or skill and education requirements.

In plain terms: laws that publish ranges did not make employers post fewer jobs, but they did push posted pay up a little. That is a working paper, not a final published result, and the figures come from the states and datasets the authors chose. It does suggest that your competitors’ ranges are now your market data, and yours is theirs.

How do you set an honest range?

The standard in Colorado, as summarized by SixFifty, is a range from the lowest to the highest compensation the employer actually believes it will offer, with open-ended figures like “up to” not allowed. Treat that as the bar even where your state is looser. It is also just good practice.

A range you would not honor is a promise you have already broken.

Use this checklist before a posting goes live:

1. Price the role first. Settle the floor and ceiling with the hiring manager and finance before the posting is drafted, not after the first interview.
2. Check it against your current people. If the range tops out below what you already pay a comparable employee, fix the range or the payroll before a candidate notices.
3. Use real numbers. The bottom is the lowest figure you would really offer. The top is the highest you would really pay. Skip “competitive” and “up to.”
4. Keep it narrow enough to mean something. A range that spans most of the market tells a candidate nothing and invites distrust.
5. State the pay basis. Hourly, salary, per diem, overtime, commission, or bonus. For commission-based real estate roles, ask counsel how your state treats them.
6. Say what moves someone up the range. Licenses, certifications, years in the trade, and scope of responsibility are all fair answers.
7. List the rest of the package. Benefits, a truck, tools, a phone, per diem, and travel pay belong in the posting too.
8. Decide what happens above the ceiling. If your best candidate wants more, you need a rule before the call, not during it.
9. Review on a schedule. A range written two years ago is not a market range today.
10. Check each jurisdiction. Thresholds, remote roles, and internal postings are treated differently from state to state.

What this means for a construction or real estate employer

Pay is rarely the only reason someone takes or leaves a job. But it is often the first thing a candidate checks. Those who see a range can screen themselves in, and those who do not may simply move on without telling you.

A range also forces a useful conversation internally. If your hiring manager cannot name a floor and ceiling for a project engineer, a building engineer, or an estimator, you do not yet have a job to post.

The question to ask is simple. If the candidate you most want to hire is looking at your posting next to one with a number, what is yours telling them?

If you’re pricing a role and want a check on the range before it goes public, we’re happy to compare notes.