Jobseekers sometimes try to read between the lines of job listings to try to determine what the employer doesn’t want them to know. But when it comes to the ubiquitous phrase “competitive salary,” the ad usually means just what it says.

In fact, competitive salary usually means higher, not lower, pay, a JobLeads analysis of more than 21.5 million job postings found. This holds true across all industries and contract types, as well as most seniority levels. Jobs with these two words offer a median salary that is between $5,270 and $13,972 higher than standard postings. READ MORE