A salary range in a remote job posting is the employer's good-faith estimate of what it expects to pay for the role, usually published because a state pay transparency law reaches remote jobs. It is not a promise, and it may describe only one location. On October 19, 2026, 33 of the 34 U.S.-remote marketing roles on our board listed pay, but six split it into location bands and two quoted on-target earnings instead of base salary.

Last verified October 19, 2026. The posting review covers the 34 U.S.-remote roles on the Remote Marketing Jobs board that day, read in full on each employer's application page or applicant tracking system feed. They are selected roles, mostly at software companies, so treat the counts as directional. Legal points summarize state agency guidance for six example states, linked below. It is not a complete list of state and local rules, and it is general information, not legal advice.

Why do remote job postings include a salary range?

Several states apply their posting rules to remote jobs that someone living in that state could do. An employer hiring anywhere in the U.S. usually cannot write those states out of a posting, so many publish a range on every U.S. role. Three postings in our sample say so in their own words. Credible lists its range "pursuant to state and local pay disclosure requirements." Horizon3 cites "various State's transparency regulations." Scorpion says it decided to post pay "in all our job postings, regardless of geographic location."

Here is how six state agencies describe the rule for remote roles, using the same three fields for each.

  • Colorado. Who is covered: employers with at least one employee in Colorado. Remote rule: a remote posting performable in Colorado is covered "even if it says Coloradans won't be considered." What to post: pay or a pay range and a general description of benefits. Source: Colorado Division of Labor Standards and Statistics, INFO #9A.
  • California. Who is covered: employers with 15 or more employees, at least one of them in California. Remote rule: the Labor Commissioner applies it if the position "may ever be filled in California, either in-person or remotely." What to post: a good-faith estimate of the salary or hourly wage range expected on hire; bonuses and benefits are not required. Source: California Labor Commissioner's Office FAQ.
  • Washington. Who is covered: employers with 15 or more employees (RCW 49.58.110). Remote rule: covers remote work a Washington-based employee could perform, and an employer "cannot avoid" it by saying it will not accept Washington applicants. What to post: a wage scale or salary range plus a general description of benefits and other compensation. Source: Washington L&I policy ES.E.2.
  • New York. Who is covered: businesses with four or more employees (overview). Remote rule: jobs performed at least partly in New York, or performed elsewhere but reporting to a supervisor, office or work site in New York, including remote positions. What to post: a minimum and maximum the employer believes "in good faith to be accurate," with a separate range for each location when pay differs. Source: New York Department of Labor FAQ.
  • Illinois. Who is covered: employers with 15 or more employees, for postings made or republished after January 1, 2025. Remote rule: an out-of-state remote posting is covered if the employer could reasonably foresee the work being done at least partly in Illinois or reporting to Illinois. What to post: the pay scale and a general description of benefits and other compensation. If pay differs inside and outside Illinois, the range should be the Illinois one. Source: Illinois Department of Labor FAQ.
  • Massachusetts. Who is covered: employers with 25 or more employees in the state, since October 29, 2025. Remote rule: positions whose primary place of work is Massachusetts, including remote workers whose primary place of work is there. What to post: the annual salary or hourly wage range the employer "reasonably and in good faith expects to pay." Source: Massachusetts Attorney General's Office.

The practical result is that a national remote posting often carries a range written to satisfy whichever covered state could apply. That range tells you what the employer expects to pay someone in a covered location. It does not always tell you what it will pay where you live.

What 34 remote marketing job posts show about pay

These counts come from the full text of each posting on October 19, 2026.

  • 33 of 34 list a pay figure. ActAI's Chief Marketing Officer posting is the exception.
  • 6 publish separate ranges by U.S. location. Affirm uses two state groups, Dropbox three zones, Instacart four state groups, LaunchDarkly three zones, Prefect three metro bands and Superhuman two zones.
  • Location bands move the floor. In those six postings, the bottom of the highest band sits 11% to 25% above the bottom of the lowest band. Superhuman's zones start at $143,000 and $129,000; Dropbox's start at $275,400 and $220,300.
  • 1 limits its range to named states. Redis gives $170,000 to $210,000 "per year in New York, California, Washington, Colorado, and Rhode Island" and does not state pay for other states.
  • 2 quote on-target earnings. Lyric lists $300,000 annual on-target earnings, with base cash set by experience plus variable pay. Brightwheel lists $171,000 to $244,000 on-target earnings.
  • 17 label the figure as base pay or base salary. The rest use words such as salary, target pay or compensation, or give no label.
  • Single ranges vary a lot in width. Among the 26 roles that post one U.S. range, the top sits a median of about 25% above the bottom. Iterable is narrowest at $175,000 to $188,000, about 7%. Jiga is widest at $100,000 to $175,000, or 75%.

How to read a salary range in a remote job posting

1. Find the range that applies to your address

Instacart says "the base pay range for a successful candidate is dependent on their permanent work location." Its bands run from $202,000 to $213,000 in "all other states" up to $242,000 to $255,500 in California, New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. If you live in Texas, the California band is not your number. When a posting gives one range but says pay depends on location, as Iterable, Optro and Pacaso do, ask where your location falls in it. Whether your state is eligible at all is a separate question, covered in our remote marketing location restrictions guide.

2. Check what the number includes

Base salary, on-target earnings and total compensation are different numbers. Hello Heart says its $250,000 to $270,000 range reflects "the annual salary only and does not include bonus, equity, or benefits." Lyric's $300,000 includes variable pay that depends on performance. The states differ too: California's pay scale leaves out bonuses and benefits, while Illinois asks for a general description of bonuses, stock options and other incentives alongside the range. If a posting does not label its figure, ask before you compare it with another role. Our guide to equity in a marketing job offer covers the parts that sit outside salary.

3. Look for where the employer actually hires

Four postings say where new hires tend to land:

  • Affirm. "Employees new to Affirm typically come in at the start of the pay range."
  • Morning Consult. The range is $172,900 to $290,800, and "In most cases, we target the midpoint," which it states as $231,900 (posting).
  • Scorpion. $110,000 is labeled entry-level and $135,000 highly experienced, and "Hiring at the maximum of the range would not be typical."
  • Optro. The range "reflects our current budget for this hire," while broader internal grades leave room for later raises.

None of the employers that described their practice pointed to the top. Our reading is to plan around the lower half to the midpoint unless the employer says otherwise, and to treat the maximum as the case for an unusually strong match.

4. Treat a very wide range as a question

A wide range can span more than one level or location. Morning Consult's spans $117,900 and Jiga's spans $75,000. The Illinois Department of Labor says "A pay range that is extremely broad may raise questions" about compliance, and New York rejects open-ended phrasing such as "$17 an hour and up." For you, a wide range is a reason to ask which level the hiring manager has in mind. Our years of experience guide shows how postings signal level in other ways.

What if the salary range is missing or does not fit?

A missing range is not automatically a violation. Colorado's rule does not reach an employer with no Colorado employees at the time of the hiring decision. New York's FAQ describes a remote role whose supervisor works from home in New York, at a company based elsewhere, that does not need a New York range. Thresholds of 4, 15 or 25 employees also leave smaller employers out in some states.

Ask anyway. California gives applicants the right to a position's pay scale "upon reasonable request." Massachusetts gives applicants to covered employers a right to the range when they apply. A short message works:

Hi [name], thanks for the conversation about [role]. Before the next round, could you share the salary range for this role at my location, [city, state], and confirm whether it is base salary or on-target earnings? I want to make sure we're aligned on scope and level.

If the range that applies to you sits below your minimum, you learned that early, which is the point of the law. Once an offer arrives, use our marketing salary negotiation guide to respond. Our remote marketing jobs board shows salary only when the posting states it, along with the date we last verified each role.

Frequently asked questions

Is the salary range in a job posting negotiable?

Often, within limits. A posted range is the employer's good-faith estimate at the time of posting, not a fixed offer. In our October 19, 2026 sample, Affirm said new hires typically start at the bottom of its range, Morning Consult said it usually targets the midpoint, and Scorpion said hiring at the maximum is not typical.

Do pay transparency laws apply to remote jobs?

In several states, yes. Agency guidance in Colorado, California, Washington, New York, Illinois and Massachusetts applies posting rules to at least some remote roles, subject to employer-size thresholds. Colorado and Washington say an employer cannot avoid the rule by stating it will not hire residents of that state.

Why does a remote job posting list different salary ranges by location?

Many employers pay differently by geography and publish one band per zone or state group. New York's Department of Labor says a posting covering several locations with different pay needs a range for each. In our October 19, 2026 sample, 6 of 34 remote marketing roles published separate U.S. bands.

Does the posted salary range include bonus and equity?

Usually not when the posting labels it base salary. Hello Heart says its range excludes bonus, equity and benefits. California's pay scale definition leaves out bonuses and benefits, while Illinois asks for a general description of them. Lyric and Brightwheel quote on-target earnings, which include variable pay.

What should I do if a remote job has no salary range?

Ask the recruiter for the range at your location and whether it is base or on-target earnings before later interview rounds. California applicants can request a position's pay scale, and Massachusetts applicants to covered employers have a right to the range. A missing range alone does not prove a violation.

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