IT jobs salaries are on the rise
IT salaries are rising within all sectors, in every industry, in all cities, and in almost every company. Knowing how to pay your IT employees within these locations and industries is critical to retaining and attracting new talent.
At SalaryCube, we help you learn how much to pay IT roles in your company with our IT Salary Survey. Participating in our IT compensation survey is an excellent source of the latest market pay data to help you make smarter decisions concerning pay.
Related: Salary Benchmarking Tutorial
The List: 21 of the hottest Information Technology jobs
1. CIO
The Chief Information Officer is at the top of a business’ Information Technology, Information Systems, and Software Engineering team and leads infrastructure-oriented initiatives focusing on IT projects. Besides delivering company-wide goals and budgets, the company is responsible for meeting executive team objectives and budgets.
These types of individuals often are well-experienced in enterprise network management and possess both a people and project management background. A combination of technical and strategic skills is necessary for managing a technology team while presenting measurable progress to non-IT team members.
The average total compensation for a CIO is around $300,000 per year and is most often comprised of a base salary and substantial bonus. Executive compensation has many layers and therefore the upper limits to this salary range vary quite a bit.
2. Senior Web Developer
This team of professionals gathers business requirements and develops a specification for web applications, making website properties look consistent and attractive. They also assist with the management of the Web and integrate frontend and backend software.
Senior web developers generally require experience building PHP and Ruby websites on Rails sites and managing various CMS systems. Experience in front-end development can also be valuable. Senior web developers must have extensive experience in website management.
The salary for a senior web developer varies drastically by location, sector, and company. The US average total compensation hovers around $135,000.
3. Full-Stack Engineer
The Full-Stack Engineer is an IT professional who writes both frontend and backend code to improve communication between various software products in a specialized IT environment. Full-Stack engineers not only focus on front–end development as well as working together with API server databases and other parts of the network that are not cleanly connected yet.
To be successful in full-scale engineering, you have to be familiar with frontend or backward language to improve your programming knowledge for the complete software development environment.
The salary for a Full-Stack Engineer varies drastically by location, sector, and company. The US average total compensation is just under $130,000 annually.
4. Machine Learning Scientists
Machine learning scientists are highly sought-after IT specialists and are interested in developing machine learning models that leverage large data sets and research. The ML model is often analyzed and cleaned to improve the accuracy of model development for large data sets for a variety of applications.
Although traditional IT degrees tend toward ML jobs, engineering, applied mathematics, and statistics offer a solid foundation for such technical jobs.
The salary for a Machine Learning Scientist varies drastically by location, sector, and company. The US average total compensation is also just under $130,000 annually, but on the higher end, some earners can bring in over 300k. This puts Machine Learning Scientists in the category of top-paying jobs.
5. Information systems security manager
Now companies need qualified Information Technology specialists to protect sensitive data. Managers of Information Security are responsible for analyzing and evaluating networks and security flaws, as well as maintaining security systems such as anti-virus, firewalls, patch management, intrusion detection, and encryption on a daily basis.
Those in this role possess technical expertise in information systems, information security, computer science, and networking security and are very good at interpersonal and managerial skills. Employers often demand certification like CompTIA Security Plus or CISSP.
The US typical total remuneration is roughly $130,000 per year, but some people can earn over 300k. This puts information systems security managers in the category of some of the highest-paying jobs. Many factors influence pay, and utilizing a quality salary survey is key to helping you compare apples to apples with firms similar to your own.
6. Site reliability engineer
Site reliability engineers monitor applications’ performance and need to have extensive knowledge of software and code. They can write the code just like any software developer, thus reducing the gap between the development and operation processes in the application manufacturing industry.
Reliable engineers work with technical support teams to provide technical support for technical problems and help solve problems quickly.
The US typical total compensation is around $120,000 per year and is most often made up of a base salary and a modest bonus.
7. DevOps Engineer
DevOps engineers are a bridge from code to engineering. This team works with departments to improve a range of technology systems that enhance business performance and productivity. DevOps developers need to know the language and the software engineering techniques and also have solid analytical problem-solving skills and collaboration capabilities.
The US typical total compensation is around $123,000 per year.
8. Big data engineer
Companies require individuals capable of turning huge quantities of raw data into actionable information that helps in strategy-setting, decision making or invention. They design the software and equipment of a firm and the tools that work with the data. Big data engineers generally have an engineering degree and expertise in statistics.
The average total compensation for big data engineer jobs is around $125,000 per year in the United States. Like other positions, pay varies greatly by industry and location.
9. Network/cloud engineer
This tech specialist must be an expert in network and data storage hardware and software and is tasked with managing network & cloud service development, design and maintenance. Employers need an extensive background in the interface security, servers and networking environment and an analytical problem solver ability. A Cisco certification is also important.
Earners with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and certification tend to earn more than those without either. The average total compensation is around $120,000 per year in the United States.
10. Data security analyst
Data security analysts should know computer and network security and they should also understand firewalls. This position likewise requires exceptional interpersonal and problem-solving skills and a good understanding of security trends and regulatory issues. A professional certificate such as CISSP certification will benefit this position. Consult our open job opportunities as an analyst.
The average salary for US earners with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and certification is more than that of those without either. In the United States, the typical total compensation is about $98,000 per year.
11. Network architect
The Network / Cloud architect plans, designs & improves network and cloud projects. The technology team is an invaluable resource when solving a problem in network architecture and recommending improvements to systems and applications.
Network-based and cloud architects need several years of expertise in network and cloud technology. The typical total compensation in the United States is around $125,000 per year. Pay differs widely by industry and location, as it does in other jobs.
12. Cloud Architect
Cloud architecture is responsible for the cloud environment in a company environment. Their roles frequently overlap that of other cloud workers, including cloud developers and consultants. Nevertheless, these individuals play an important part in the team since they act as the start-ups of creating an ideal cloud environment.
Cloud architecture is valued for its vision of the big picture and its capacity to anticipate future infrastructural needs. Those in this top-paying career have an average salary of $150k per year.
13. Desktop developer
Desktop software development involves developing software that is compatible with different desktop environments like Windows, MacOS and Linux. Unlike some other specialized roles listed below, desktop developers typically possess only bachelor’s degrees.
Most websites provide downloadable online training for coding languages, which makes desktop development a good option for job seekers who want to start in technology fields. Average salary: $106,000 per year.
14. AI Engineer
AI engineers do much like computer scientists and researchers but their roles go beyond machine learning. Currently, most ideas regarding AI development are in the theoretical realm. The researchers at AI academies not only develop and implement new application technologies to solve real-world problem-solving issues.
The average salary is roughly $120,000. Typical qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in computer science.
15. Applications architect
Tech experts develop applications in various ways, ranging from user interfaces to middleware. A successful developer must work effectively within teams and manage them. Excellent communication skills will help with this role.
The IT position is highly payable since most firms need to upgrade and create new applications. The average total pay for an applications architect is around $140,000 annually.
16. Data scientist
This IT professional uses statistics to understand complicated information. Data scientists must have business skills and communication skills and they should be familiar with statistics, math, and computers.
For most work tasks, a good programming background is required. Machine learning abilities will also be valued along with a bachelor’s degree.
Those with this job title tend to earn an average salary of around $120,000 per year.
17. Mobile applications developer
You can look at mobile app apps and see why mobile developers are needed for the business. The software developer must know the most popular platforms like Android. Good coding skills are needed to develop and implement software development languages.
The average total compensation for this job is roughly $110,000 per year.
18. Database Manager
Data managers help clients use data efficiently and strategically to meet business goals. A database manager is particularly required in a company with an extensive data set. The pros need to be well able to plan strategically-based activities.
The Database Manager job title provides an average total compensation of roughly $78,000 per year.
19. Data Architect
These technologists handle a range of complex decisions necessary to drive business strategy. The team converts business requirements to databases, manages storage in data centers, and organizes data. Security in these records also plays a role.
The average total compensation for the Data Architect job is around $150,000 per year.
20. IT Support Specialist
Although IT Support Jobs do have less pay than other tech jobs on the list, career prospects are extremely positive. In addition, entry points in technical fields are lower than most jobs: you may be hired to IT support with less than an associate degree.
The IT Support Specialists mainly focus on troubleshooting hardware and software issues working with internal and external clients. When problems go beyond IT Support specialists’ expertise or responsibility they usually escalate to engineers and developer counterparts.
The average total compensation for an IT Support Specialist job is around $60,000 per year.
21. Product Manager
Technical Product Managers are project managers who control strategic and tactical operations in product creation and manufacture. This role is assigned to produce a product that has achieved success within a broad range of industries.
A product management role often lacks hands-on developer experience as a website developer. However, the team continues to work closely with their colleagues to define what product will be constructed and packaged in advance of release.
The average total compensation for a data architect is about $120,000 per year.
The future of Information Technology for employers
Computer-related work opportunities often provide better salaries than the average. Most of these computer jobs are well suited for remote and hybrid work environments.
Some areas of work offer great opportunities for the IT industry. Of course, California’s Silicon Valley is an internationally renowned hub of information technology advancement. However, today, the tech industry spans the United States, and each region of the country has its technology hub. Cities such as Atlanta, Austin, San Francisco, New York, and Seattle are all tech hubs employing some of the best information technology talent.
What are the highest paying IT jobs?
This is a common question asked by many. The highest paying IT jobs are most often related to the complexity of the tech job combined with influential factors like industry, location, company size, revenue, and the skills of the incumbent. Cloud architects, AI, and Machine Learning Engineers are examples of job titles with higher than average salaries.
What entry-level IT jobs pay the most?
Entry-level jobs in the IT field offer great opportunities for people new to the field. Combined with a bachelor’s degree in computer science or field certification, there are many opportunities for entry-level incumbents. The Top 5 entry-level technology job opportunities for new tech workers are below.
- Computer system analyst.
- Website developer.
- Support engineers.
- Investigator.
- Software developers.
Conclusion
As technology advances, the need for skilled workers in the IT field also rises. The salaries for many of these jobs are above average and continue to grow as more companies require specialized knowledge to keep up with advancing technologies. If you’re looking for a high-paying job with good career prospects, consider pursuing a degree in information technology.
