Foreign IT pros in USA get paid more than Americans
theregister.co.uk
theregister.co.uk
If the local talent pool were that good (and hence worth the $$$), they wouldn't need to look outside it.
Flip the question around in your head; how do salaries for ex-pat Americans compare to the locals in foreign countries? I bet that an American working in Beijing/Dubai/Hong Kong makes more on average than the local equivalent does. Why? Because they aren't really equivalent.
I have a friend working for Microsoft in Seattle, and he was willing to sacrifice living in his home country for the chance to work with some of the top people in our profession (he worked with Anders Hejlsberg on C# as a SDET).
I doubt that is "giving a shit"...
Also, he was the top talent in my class (graduated on time, which is HUGE here in Uruguay, and rose to the top very fast) - no wonder he should be paid more than your average US developer.
OTOH, I wouldn't expect myself to be paid above the average US programmer, but then again, I haven't had the drive to emigrate.
Not the most fortunate choice of words, but I get your point now (remember I'm not a native English speaker :) ).
Thanks!