Academic Analysis
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Recent hires vs. incumbents

A recently-hired employee’s median salary as a percentage of continuing employees’ median, each year. Below 100% means recent hires earn less than the typical incumbent (expected for faculty, where incumbents are more senior); a falling line hints at starting pay lagging.

Recent-hire median as % of incumbent median
Fiscal yearGeorgia TechUGAGeorgia StateKennesaw State
FY202565%60%60%64%
FY202466%56%65%72%
FY202362%62%66%74%
FY202271%51%61%75%
FY202170%63%54%66%
FY202066%56%64%64%
FY201966%55%63%47%
FY201864%53%63%64%
FY201764%58%61%64%
455158647177FY2017FY2018FY2019FY2020FY2021FY2022FY2023FY2024FY2025
Georgia TechUGAGeorgia StateKennesaw State

The salary data reports funds paidin a year, not the annual contract rate, so a person’s first year is usually partial (they started mid-year) — verified here: the median first-to-second-year change is +35–71% but second-to-third is only +2–3%. So a “recent hire” is measured in their secondyear (first full year), and only when it directly follows their first appearance; that first appearance must be 2016 or later (2015 is the censored baseline). Everyone who appeared earlier is an incumbent. A first-appearance proxy still can’t see people who left and returned.