Average IT Job Salary: 10 Statistics, Trends, and Predictions

While many IT salaries, as well as budgets, have increased in the past few years due to growth in the industry, staffing information technology departments with talented individuals has emerged as the leading challenge in the industry.

In fact, 49% of IT departments face a shortage of skilled professionals. That percentage increases to 56% for mid-sized companies.

This is great news for IT professionals and people considering entering the field. As IT departments compete for talented new hires, increased budgets will equip them to offer competitive salaries.

We’ve collected the most important statistics, trends, and predictions that reveal the average IT job salary today, the highest-paying job titles in the industry, cities where IT professionals can make the most money, and what ITs can expect to be paid in each state. All salaries are in USD.

Let’s get started.

How we conducted our research

At Auvik, we studied data and salary reports from popular resources such as the pricing intelligence platform Salary.com, employment marketplace ZipRecruiter, and anonymous company review platform Glassdoor.

In addition, we examined search query data from Google Trends dating back to 2004 and industry threads on Reddit. To put this data in the context of broader IT trends, we reviewed findings from our IT Trends 2024: Industry Report.

What we discovered about the average IT job salary

Here are the three main takeaways, which include the average IT job salary in the US, the highest-paying jobs in the IT field, and record-breaking interest in IT job salaries, indicating more interest than ever in the industry among the American workforce.

1. In America, the average annual salary for IT professionals $109,707 (source)

According to ZipRecruiter data, most recently updated on April 19, 2024, the average monthly salary for an IT professional is $9,142, average weekly pay is $2,109, and the average hourly wage is $53.

Among top earners, the average annual salary is $135,000. That’s $11,291 monthly, $2,605 weekly, and $65 hourly.

The 75th percentile of workers in the IT field see an average of $116,500 annually, $9,708 monthly, $2,240 weekly, and $56 hourly. At the other end of the spectrum, the 25th percentile sees average annual earnings of $95,000, monthly earnings of $7,916, weekly earnings of $1,826, and hourly earnings of $46.There’s only a $10 hourly difference between the 25th percentile and 75th percentile, and only a $19 hourly difference between the 25th percentile and the top earners.

2. The IT job with the highest average salary in the US is Chief Information Technology Officer at $330,072 annually (source)

The IT jobs with the highest annual average salary are, of course, management jobs. Additionally, four of the highest paying IT jobs are auditors.

The top salary is Chief Information Technology Officer, at nearly a third of $1 million in annual base pay and $158.69 per hour, according to March 2024 data.

The second highest annual base salary is paid to the Top Division Information Technology Executive, at $292,315 annually and $140.54 per hour.

As for Information Technology Director, they earn an average of $98.09 per hour and their average annual base pay is $204,033.

Here are the other job titles rounding out the top 10, in order of highest base pay to the lowest:

• Information Technology Audit Manager – $146,793 annually and $70.57 hourly
• Information Technology Manager – $143,794 annually and $69.13 hourly
• Information Technology Auditor IV – $131,167 annually and $63.06 hourly
• Information Technology Supervisor – $122,297 annually and $58.80 hourly
• Information Technology Auditor III – $109,544 annually and $52.67 hourly
• Information Technology Auditor II – $87,805 annually and $42.21 hourly
• Information Technology Generalist – $83,320 annually and $40.06 hourly

Entry level IT job salaries

While it may be logical that average salaries for senior professionals are among the highest in the IT industry, let’s look at what professionals beginning their careers in IT can expect to earn based on national average. All of this information was collected from Glassdoor.

1. The most likely total pay for entry level IT jobs in the US ranges from $52K to $90K annually, based on the salary range between the 25th and 75th percentile.
2. The median annual total salary for an entry level IT job is $68K, and the average is nearly $51K.
3. Annual base pay for an entry level IT professional ranges from $39K to $66K.

Median additional pay for an entry level IT job is $17K, based on an estimated pay range of $13K to $24K. Additional pay may include commissions, cash bonuses, tips, and profit sharing.

3. Google queries for the search term “IT job salary” reached an all-time peak in the US in Feb 2024, indicating that more Americans than ever are interested in careers in the field (source)

Queries for the search term “IT job salary” reached 99% of its all-time peak in October 2023, and then beat that record in February 2024—and it seems to be on its way to beating the record again.

This search term has been trending upward in the US since 2007, with a notable spike beginning the first week of 2022 that has taken the keyword to new heights over the past two years.

Between January and April 2022, search volume skyrocketed from 43% of its peak to 85%. This means interest in the search term nearly doubled in just four months, after relatively little change for six years, from the beginning of 2015 to the end of 2021.

This significant increase in search volume occurred during the outbreak of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, after more than a year and a half stay-at-home orders, concerns over being in public spaces, and a rise in remote work.

The spike also coincided with the New Year, when it’s common for people to consider new paths for their future.

Since many IT jobs can be performed remotely, it’s reasonable to interpret this statistical anomaly as Americans seeking a high-paying and flexible career—whether switching from a previous career path or joining the professional world for the first time.

Average IT job salary in all 50 states

Here are the average salaries for IT professionals in all 50 states, ordered from the highest salary to the lowest. In cases where the only available information was more specific and not the IT field in general, this has been indicated.

All salary data is from ZipRecruiter and was up to date at the time of publication.

1. Alaska – $122,139 annually, $59 hourly
2. Oregon – $122,326 annually, $59 hourly
3. Massachusetts – $121,131 annually, $58 hourly
4. Hawaii – $119,289 annually, $57 hourly
5. Washington – $118,504 annually, $57 hourly
6. Nevada – $115,483 annually, $56 hourly
7. South Dakota – $115,122 annually, $55 hourly
8. Colorado – $114,744 annually, $55 hourly
9. Connecticut – $113,006 annually, $54 hourly
10. New York – $110,639 annually, $53 hourly
11. Virginia – $106,591 annually, $51 hourly
12. Illinois – $106,191 annually, $51 hourly
13. Maryland – $104,683 annually, $50 hourly
14. Kansas – $103,960 annually, $50 hourly
15. California – $102,291 annually, $49 hourly
16. Missouri – $101,715 annually, $49 hourly
17. New Jersey – $101,398 annually, $49 hourly
18. Pennsylvania – $101,358 annually, $49 hourly
19. South Carolina – $100,805 annually, $48 hourly
20. Wisconsin – $100,483 annually, $48 hourly
21. Maine – $99,974 annually, hourly
22. Oklahoma – $99,271 annually, $48 hourly
23. Minnesota – $97,128 annually, $47 hourly
24. Texas – $97,093 annually, $47 hourly
25. Indiana – $95,803 annually, $46 hourly
26. Michigan – $95,009 annually, $46 hourly
27. Ohio – $94,389 annually, $45 hourly
28. Iowa – $92,903 annually, $45 hourly
29. Alabama – $91,254 annually, $44 hourly
30. Arkansas – $90,613 annually, $44 hourly
31. Utah – $90,214 annually, $43 hourly
32. Tennessee – $90,114 annually, $43 hourly
33. Georgia – $85,011 annually, $41 hourly
34. Louisiana – $84,802 annually, $41 hourly
35. Vermont – $81,449 annually, $39 hourly (IT specialist)
36. Florida – $75,235 annually, $36 hourly
37. Rhode Island – $74,433 annually, $36 hourly (entry level IT specialist)
38. North Dakota – $48,678 annually, $23 hourly
39. Delaware – $44,291 annually, $21 hourly
40. Mississippi – $42,297 annually, $20 hourly
41. Idaho – $42,196 annually, $20 hourly
42. Nebraska – $42,084 annually, $20 hourly
43. Wyoming – $41,806 annually, $20 hourly
44. New Mexico – $41,547 annually, $20 hourly
45. New Hampshire – $41,446 annually, $20 hourly
46. North Carolina – $40,362 annually, $19 hourly
47. Montana – $39,974 annually, $19 hourly
48. Kentucky – $38,924 annually, $19 hourly
49. Arizona – $35,570 annually, $19 hourly
50. West Virginia – $32,955 annually, $16 hourly 

Cost of living

While cost of living seems to have a direct affect on the average IT job salary for the state, there are exceptions.

Here are the 10 states with the highest cost of living and their percent of the US average:

1. Hawaii – 180.3%
2. Massachusetts – 146.5%
3. California – 138.5%
4. New York – 125.9%
5. Alaska – 125.2%
6. Maryland – 116.5%
7. Washington – 116%
8. Vermont – 115.3%
9. Oregon – 114.7%
10. New Hampshire – 144.1%

While Alaska, Hawaii, Oregon, Massachusetts, Washington, and New York are among the top 10 states for both IT salary and cost of living, there is significant variation in the top 10 rankings. Additionally, California is ranked 15th for IT pay, Maryland is ranked 13th, Vermont is ranked 35th, and New Hampshire is ranked 45th in IT pay despite being in the 10 states with the highest cost of living.

10 US cities with the highest average IT job salary

These are the US cities with the highest annual salaries for IT professionals as of April 2024, based on ZipRecruiter data:

1. Maple Valley, Washington – $138,531 annually, $66.60 hourly
2. Grass Valley, California – $136,685 annually, $65.71 hourly
3. Justin, Texas – $136,633 annually, $65.69 hourly
4. Berkeley, California – $135,024 annually, $64.92 annually
5. Bainbridge Island, Washington – $134,407 annually, $64.62 hourly
6. Burien, Washington – $132,310 annually, $63.61 hourly
7. Saint Helens, Oregon – $132,149 annually, $63.53 hourly
8. Ambler, Alaska – $132,139 annually, $63.53 hourly
9. Mount Vernon, Washington – $131,744 annually, $63.34 hourly
10. Milton, Vermont – $121,686 annually, $63.31 hourly

The state of budgets and staffing in IT today and tomorrow

Budget remains a top obstacle for 47% of IT departments. However, as we mentioned earlier in this article, our survey of over 2,000 IT professionals revealed that staffing has become the biggest challenge in 2024.

According to projections from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, staffing challenges are likely to increase over the coming decade. For computer and IT occupations, the job market is projected to see an average growth of 377,500 openings each year from 2022 to 2032. This is faster than the average job growth for other fields.

This will include project managers, software engineers, information systems specialists, systems engineers, IT support help desk professionals, software developers, systems administrators, systems analysts, telecommunications specialists, cybersecurity analysts, and other computer science professionals.

Filling these positions with qualified, highly skilled workers will require offering competitive salaries.

Meanwhile, budgets are increasing. Results from our survey indicate 86% of IT departments increased their budgets in 2024, with only 4% of respondents reporting decreases. Interestingly, nearly 75% of respondents reported a budget increase of 10% or more. The utilities and energy industries are seeing the biggest budget increases, with 44% of respondents in those industries projecting a 30% to 50% budget increase in 2024.

What today’s average IT job salary shows us about the market, career opportunities, and the industry moving forward

Examining the average IT job salary on a national and state level reveals several valuable takeaways:

• Information Technology Auditor positions are among the highest-paid IT jobs outside of the C-suite.
• There’s no strict regional indicator of where an IT professional can earn the highest salary. The top-paying states are spread across the West Coast, East Coast, and Middle America.
• Remoteness seems to be a factor in IT pay, likely due to increased cost of living, as Alaska and Hawaii are both in the top 5 states for IT salaries.
• The correlation between cost of living in a state and the average IT job salary is less than may be expected.
• Cities with the highest-paying IT salaries may not necessarily be in the states that pay the most. California ranks 15th on the list of highest average IT job salaries, but two cities, Grass Valley and Berkeley, rank in the top five. Likewise, Texas is ranked 24th, but Justin, Texas, pays the third highest IT salaries of any city in the US.

When it comes to getting paid what you’re worth, quick review of Reddit shows informal but important insights from seasoned IT professionals:

1. On-site, hands-on work is believed to be the lowest-paid work in IT.
2. To maximize your salary for your years of experience, niche down your skill set by specializing and earning certifications.

Having a bachelor’s degree likely will help, as the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that an IT professional in a position with a requisite bachelor’s degree can expect a median salary of $39,000 more than professionals in roles that require only an associates degree or certifications.

How Auvik can help

For companies to offer competitive salaries to today’s limited talent pool, it’s important to optimize processes and resources. This will improve efficiency, maximize profits, and allow companies to set higher base pay for their IT professionals.

One of the best ways to streamline processes is to centralize technology solutions. Survey results show that 44% of IT professionals are working with 10 or more network-related tools. Among government IT departments, that same percentage are working with 20 or more.

This highlights the reality of tool sprawl, where tasks are spread across numerous solutions at the expense of efficiency.

Auvik network management is designed to reduce the number of tools IT departments need and allow them to centralize efforts for a more streamlined, efficient team.