| Term | Definition |
| Position Match | This refers to the technique of comparing positions among the different Counties and Cities based on responsibility, content and scope for the position. Reporting relationship and the number and type of direct reports are considered. Organizations also indicate the position match. A match in the range of 80-120% is considered reasonable for inclusion in the analysis. If an organization indicated a lower or higher percentage match (for example 50%) the data for that position is not included in the analysis. |
| Cases | This refers to the actual data received for each position match. For example, out of 12 participants for the position of Systems Analyst, there were 12 cases reported or, all participants responded with an appropriate match. For the position of Manager, Operations, out of 10 participants, there were 9 cases or, 9 participants responded with an appropriate match. The other 1 participant in the survey did not have an appropriate match or a similar position within their organization. |
| Job Rate | The maximum salary within the salary range. All survey data is shown using job rate only. |
| Mean | As a measure of central tendency, the mean is calculated by summing all salaries within a job classification and dividing by the number of cases. The mean is also the average. |
| Median | Another measure of central tendency. The median, is the exact middle of the range of ranked data points. For example, in a distribution of 11 salaries, the median is the 6th highest case. 5 cases fall below its value and 5 cases are above its value. The median is by definition equivalent to the 50th percentile. Percentiles are explained below. |