<prompt> Human: HR sent me a job offer letter in an email for 42,000 annual salary for the position of a Data Manager. However, after some research I find the median for Data Manager in Indiana is 54,000. How should I approach this?1 Should I email back? Or should I call?2 If I do email or call back, what should I write?Any advice should help!Edit: Thank you everyone for their advice and comments, they were all very valuable and realistic input.The companys BenefitHealthcare - I am still reading through it, but they are average. Retirement 403b is 10 contribution 3 years vesting. Tuition reimbursement up to 1,600 per semester and 50 for the rest of the courses Really great since I am currently taking classes as wellPaid-Time Off - 4 weeks vacation 9 days holiday each year 5 weeks vacation its not bad at all.After reading everyones comments I guess 42k with all the benefits are very good. I am going to just ask for a 10 increase and see what happens. If they reject the counter offer, then I will take the job anyways because I get to work with Biostaticians, researchers, SAS, SQL, and I get to help people. I am really excited because I am going to be learning so much this year with my new job, school, and internships. Thank you everyone for their comments and support!  <response>: Checking median and mean salaries is usually not the best idea, because there are so many factors that go into salaries. Are you working for a median-or-better company? Do they have median-or-better retention rates? Do they have median-or-better benefits? etc., etc. Make sure you know what youre talking about when you go into salary negotiations. There is likely a very real reason for the lower salary, and it may be fairly obvious, but you have to figure it out. If no logical reason exists, then argue for a bump.1. I always call back to get a feel for how theyre feeling, then write when I want to be firm, or document my intentions. 2. When you call, simply say, I am extremely flattered by the offer, and appreciate your consideration, but I would like to discuss the salary before accepting, as it appears the salary is lower than other positions in the same field. Let them fill in the blanks, and be creative in discussing options to remedy the difference. 