Starting salaries for media buyers and planners have bounced back, reaching levels equal to or above where they were at the top of the dot-com boom.

Those salary increases have yet to reach the upper echelons of media experience, writes Media Life (via MediaBuyerPlanner). According to a Media Life salary poll conducted last month, entry-level media folks are earning more than ever while more-experienced buyers and planners are seeing salary levels at or below pre-bust levels.

For example, in 2000, a typical East Coast entry-level planner made $29,750, while a West Coast starting salary was typically $26,000. Planners today now start at $30,000 to $34,000 on each coast, and a starting salary in the $25,000-$29,000 range is considered poor in those regions.

Though salaries are on the rise, a Media Life poll last month showed that the numbers of buyers and planners who are unsatisfied with current levels of pay are also on the rise.