[brk]

76K is most likely for someone with more experience (just guessing you lack overall experience based on the question, don't take it the wrong way).

To keep this brief, I would counter with something like "I've looked at other positions and really feel that I am worth at least 60K. If you can agree to that, along with a performance review and potential merit increase in 6 (or 8 or 12) months based on my performance relative to other members of the team I think we can have a mutually beneficial agreement"

You can massage the words a bit, but you get the point.

However, you need to figure out what YOU are worth, not what the job typically pays, and also determine if the potential employer has a realistic set of expectations or if they were just looking for a cheap hire.

If you're fresh out of school this is probably a decent (but not great) offer. Keep in mind too that the initial experience may be more valuable than the salary...

[imns]

Thanks for the response. I've actually got more than they required experience and my skill set is just what they are looking for. I feel I am worth at least 70K per year, but this is a tough job market and this is essentially the only position currently available in my town.

[lsb]

Do you actually want to stay in your town? It sounds like that's hurting your job prospects, with only one job offer there.

[jjm]

What town?