Why not use something like PayScale.com which crowdsources salary data so you know what the market is paying in real-time? It takes into account location, skills, and experience, for example, so it'll tell you the pay for your specific jobs.<p>Disclaimer: I work at PayScale but this scenario is a reason why we're building this service.
I quit reading when the suggestion of dependents (children) factoring into the equation was raised. I also believe salary data should be more transparent but feel that arbitrary assigning people skill levels isn't the right approach.