No data unfortunately, just anecdotal evidence as well. Perhaps it's the income tax rates is respective state, but when somebody has had a previous exit (YHOO, GOOG, FB, YouTube, WhatsApp, etc.), their portfolio (and whatever they diversified into) produces enough income to cover the everyday expenses, which puts diminishing value on the salary dollar.

You're right about the taxes, as I've noticed early stage startups eschewing 83(b) elections and moving towards stock grants in general, which devalues equity significantly.

> On top of that, if you have 401k matching based on salary percentage contributed, you'll net a larger 401k, which is even more money.

Most of the time with average engineering salaries the problems center around exceeding the maximum contribution limit, but I agree that's a consideration. I've never seen early stage (post-A or post-B) offer generous matching, but they certainly can.