Set the raise rates and see five years of both paths, compounded — then decide with the real gap in front of you.
After 5 years
—
| Stayer's salary in year 5 | — |
| Hopper's salary in year 5 | — |
| Total earned over 5 years — stayer | — |
| Total earned over 5 years — hopper | — |
Salary only — forfeited equity, benefit resets, and bad-hop risk are real and not in this math.
Why the gap compounds
A switch raise doesn't just pay once — it resets the base that every future percentage applies to. Two switches in five years means the stayer's modest raises compound on a smaller and smaller relative base, which is why year-5 salaries diverge more than the individual raise numbers suggest.
A worked example
$85,000 with 3.5% stay-raises versus 12% hops every 2 years: the stayer reaches ~$101k in year 5; the hopper ~$118k — a $17k/year gap — and the hopper banked roughly $35k more across the five years. Cut the hop raise to 8% and the gap nearly halves: the premium depends entirely on switching WELL, not just switching.
Using this without becoming a mercenary
The healthiest use of this math is as a negotiation mirror: run it, then show your manager the market gap via the raise negotiation calculator before shopping externally. Companies that match the hop math keep you; the ones that won't have answered your question. And before any actual resignation, check what you'd forfeit — the 401(k) match calculator and your equity vesting dates are the fine print of the hop premium.
Frequently asked questions
Do job hoppers really earn more?
On average, yes — external moves typically reprice people 10–20% at once, while annual internal raises run 3–5%. Compounded over five years, a switch-every-two-years path commonly ends 15–30% ahead in salary. The average hides variance: bad hops exist.
How often is it okay to switch jobs?
The stigma has faded but not vanished: one short stint reads as circumstance, three in a row reads as a pattern to many hiring managers. Every 2–3 years with a clear story each time captures most of the financial upside without the résumé tax.
What does the calculator leave out?
Unvested equity and retention bonuses you'd forfeit (check your vesting dates before resigning), benefit resets (new health deductibles, PTO accrual restarting), the risk of a bad culture fit, and last-in-first-out layoff exposure. Money math is the start of the decision, not the whole of it.
Can I get switch-sized raises without switching?
Sometimes — a competing offer converts loyalty into leverage, and internal moves to hot teams occasionally reprice like external ones. But the uncomfortable average is that companies budget bigger for hiring than retaining, and the calculator shows what that policy costs you.