What Do Technology Jobs Pay?
Do Technology Jobs Pay Well?
Tech companies often pay high wages to employees. Some roles are better compensated than others, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) notes that the median annual salary is for all computer and information technology (IT) occupations combined. This is more than twice the median salary for U.S. jobs as a whole.
Why Are Tech Jobs So Well Paid?
Tech companies know that engineers, developers, and other types of employees can easily take their talents elsewhere if they don't provide large salaries and generous benefits packages. They're able to offer so much pay because there's a lot of money in the tech industry as a whole.
Technology products and services can become hugely profitable very quickly, and wealthy investors even pour capital into promising companies at the start-up stage because they believe that the payoffs can be very large. For example, Amazon's stock opened at when it went public in 1997, but it reached a high of more than $186 per share in July of 2021.
Best Paying Jobs in Technology
We've listed the 10 most lucrative technology jobs here. Click through each BLS link to learn which employers pay the most to each type of employee.
1. Computer and Information Systems Managers
These lead teams of technologists. They make budgets, plan projects, monitor employee performance, and coordinate activities with other managers to make sure their teams function smoothly.
Most computer and information managers have a technology background, including years of work experience and a bachelor's or master's degree in computer science or a related major. Some managers also earn MBAs to add management training to their tech skills. Many schools even offer online MBAs with concentrations in information systems designed for tech professionals who want to enter leadership roles. This course has often paid off: Tech companies like Amazon have been among the top recruiters of MBA graduates in recent years.
2. Computer and Information Research Scientists
draw on their extensive education to research new possibilities for computer software and hardware applications. They may work in government, business, or academia, with corporations paying them the highest wages by far.
These professionals usually need at least a master's degree in computer science or a related discipline, and some have PhDs in their specialty.
3. Computer Network Architects
Modern enterprises rely on computer networks for almost all functions, and network architects build and maintain those networks. must be familiar with a variety of hardware and software to create, monitor, and secure both wired and cloud-based networks.
About 83% of job postings for network architects in the past year called for a bachelor's degree, according to the analytics company, . Many network specialists graduate from network administration degree programs, though this is also a possible career for cybersecurity students 鈥� security is a concern at every point in a network, so there's plenty of crossover between network architecture and cybersecurity.
4. Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers
This is a that handle tasks at every stage of the software development life cycle. When the BLS breaks the group into individual roles, software developers earn the highest pay at a median yearly salary of . Developers are also growing at a very rapid in the 2022-2032 period.
Each job typically requires a bachelor's degree in a computer-related field. The related role of software engineer calls for a bachelor's degree in software engineering.
5. Information Security Analysts
As discussed, security is crucial at all layers of technology in every industry. Because of this, the BLS projects cybersecurity careers to be the fastest growing technology jobs through 2032.
According to Lightcast, more than 80% of job ads asked for a bachelor's degree in the last 12 months. Very few required a master's degree in cybersecurity. Interestingly, 11% of employers were satisfied with candidates who had only a high school diploma as long as they held cybersecurity certifications attesting to their skills.
6. Database Administrators and Architects
The goal of is to securely store an employer's sensitive data. Architects are database designers, whereas administrators make sure the databases function smoothly and that authorized users can easily retrieve the data they need.
Database experts typically need a bachelor's degree to start down this career path. Lightcast reports that in the last 12 months, slightly more database architect job posts called for a bachelor's degree than did administrator job posts (87% compared to 81%).
7. Computer Systems Analysts
most often work for consulting firms hired to improve computer operations for a client. They find problem areas and suggest improvements to networks, hardware, software, and databases.
As with most tech jobs, a bachelor's degree is the most common starting point for this career. They need to be able to suggest a wide range of solutions, so a generalist major like computer science is a good bet. Clearsight notes that employers frequently ask for knowledge of SQL, SAP, and Microsoft Excel when posting for these jobs, along with soft skills such as communication and problem-solving.
8. Computer Programmers
write the computer code that makes software and apps run. They must be adept in a variety of programming languages, such as SQL, Java, and Python, which they often learn during an associate or bachelor's degree in computer programming.
This occupation has taken a hit from the practice of offshoring by U.S. employers. Other countries have developed a technical workforce that's willing to work for less money than programmers in the U.S., so companies send these jobs overseas. Though some high-paying tech jobs are growing slowly, computer programming is the only field that's expected to shrink in this decade.
9. Network and Computer Systems Administrators
ensure that their employers' technology works well. They help colleagues troubleshoot problems, onboard new employees with the necessary technology and permissions, and install new hardware and software as needed.
According to Lightcast, about 71% of administrator job ads have asked for bachelor's-qualified candidates in the last year, but another 28% mentioned either an associate degree or high school diploma. Candidates can strengthen their applications by first earning a professional certification in a particular process or software product.
10. Web Developers and Digital Designers
create and maintain websites, while designers try to make them appealing and navigable. These jobs are most lucrative at software publishing companies, which pay their web specialists median yearly salaries of 鈥� nearly twice the occupations' median pay on the whole.
Most developer and designer jobs require a bachelor's degree in web development or web design. As with other tech jobs, it's possible to secure work with less education and the necessary certifications, but this is relatively uncommon in this field.
What Is a Good Salary in Tech?
"Good" is subjective, but you can use the median annual salaries for each job above to compare your own pay and expectations for each occupation. Anything higher than the yearly median means that you're earning more than at least 50% of people in the same career.
What Are the Highest Paying Tech Companies?
Research by financial news provider 24/7 Wall St. indicates that are the best-paying tech companies. All three feature average salaries of $120,000 or higher, with average yearly bonuses of $12,000 and up. Next in line are LinkedIn, Microsoft, and Amazon. Four of these six companies are headquartered in California's Silicon Valley, with Microsoft and Amazon based in the Seattle area.
What Are the Highest Paying Tech Industries?
Each of the top-paying tech companies originally specialized in a narrow area, such as social media (Meta and LinkedIn) or hardware and software (Apple and Microsoft). However, each has expanded into other business ventures as they've grown, including cloud computing services (Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft) and content streaming platforms (Alphabet and Amazon).
What Are the Highest Paying States for Tech Jobs?
California and Washington appear in the top 10 highest-paying states for most tech jobs on the BLS list, and often in the top five. Tech employees also tend to earn well in Washington, DC, New York, and Massachusetts.
These states have some of the scores in the nation, with only Washington outside the top 10 costliest. However, even Washington's tech jobs are mainly clustered in the Seattle area, which has a high cost of living index. California has the highest number of tech employees overall, clustered mainly around the San Francisco Bay Area.
How to Advance Your Tech Career
for technology managers, so mastering a new skill is a potential way to meet your employer's needs. You can do this by pursuing a specialty certification attesting to your competence, with options ranging from networks and databases to specific software platforms and cloud computing functions. Having a certification on your resume might also help your chances in future job applications.
For even more advanced education, you might enroll in graduate school in the computer specialization of your choice. We've listed a few master's degree subjects below for your consideration:
FAQs About Technology Jobs
Which Is the Best Career in Technology?
Ultimately, you want to find a career that you enjoy while it provides a good income and relative stability. Only you can figure out what you like to do, but we can help with the other criteria.
Cybersecurity is the fastest-growing tech field and also tends to pay well compared to other jobs in the U.S. Therefore, an career is a good bet in terms of salary and job outlook.
What Technology Jobs Get Paid the Most?
The current highest paying technology job is , but this role requires several years of experience before you're eligible. make the second highest salaries in tech, but you need advanced degrees to secure these positions.
A career might pay the most at the entry level if a bachelor's is your highest level of education. You may be able to find these jobs with less education if you have at least one specialty certification.
What Tech Field Has the Highest Salary?
When we analyze the BLS's pay data, we find that computer network architects are the highest paid specialist tech employees 鈥� both managers and research scientists can potentially work in any specialty. So it stands to reason that network technology is at least one of the highest-paid fields in tech, although the evidence for this is fairly crude.
Are IT Jobs in Demand?
Yes, IT jobs are in demand. The BLS projects a 15% growth rate in tech jobs as a whole in the 2021-2031 period, which is nearly three times the expected growth rate of all U.S. occupations combined. Our world is growing more interlinked by technology, so most of these jobs will stick around for the foreseeable future.
One notable exception is , or coding, which is in decline because of offshoring.
Bottom Line
Most jobs in tech pay well, and many of them are growing at faster-than-average rates. A bachelor's degree is the most common credential for entry, but it's possible to be hired for some positions without a bachelor's as long as you demonstrate your skill in interviews and through earning certifications.