The quoted salaries are 99% of the time excluding the employer paid portion of health insurance, which for an individual is typically at least 50% of the cost (~$2k to $6k depending on your age), but at a white collar tech firm, I would expect even more. For family coverage, the employers that pay well cover the other family members too so that can be added on as well, you might be looking at $20k+ in additional pre tax pay that isn’t mentioned when people state their nominal wages.

Plus HSA contributions, 401k matching, dependent care FSA contributions, etc. The US has tons of tax advantage pay options for the well heeled employers. If someone says they’re earning $250k, and doesn’t specify if it’s total comp or not, I assume the employer is kicking in an extra $50k for various benefits.