Highest Paying Cities for IT Jobs in 2026: Metro Pay for Security, Sysadmin, Network, and Help Desk Roles
The highest paying cities for IT jobs are not the same for every role. Using the Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2025 metropolitan wage estimates, we ranked every metro area with at least 500 workers in four occupations central to MSP and MSSP staffing. Each card also shows a pay multiple: the role’s median divided by the median for all jobs in the same metro.
The short version
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD appear in the top 10 for at least three of the four roles. A California metro ranks first on raw pay for all four roles, while the large federal markets around Washington, DC and Baltimore rank high for security, systems, and network roles. The local pay multiple tells a different story from raw pay: a role can rank in the middle nationally and still pay well above the local typical wage.
Information security analysts: highest paying metros
54 metro areas have at least 500 information security analysts with a published median. The typical metro median among them is $126,300. The top-paying metro pays 2.1 times the lowest-paying one.
Lowest paying of the 54
Biggest local premium: in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL, the information security analysts median of $129,440 is 2.8 times the median for all occupations there. Largest market: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, 16,560 jobs at a $148,950 median.
Network and computer systems administrators: highest paying metros
96 metro areas have at least 500 network and computer systems administrators with a published median. The typical metro median among them is $96,975. The top-paying metro pays 2.4 times the lowest-paying one.
Lowest paying of the 96
Biggest local premium: in Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV, the network and computer systems administrators median of $103,440 is 2.2 times the median for all occupations there. Largest market: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, 17,690 jobs at a $119,390 median.
Computer network support specialists: highest paying metros
54 metro areas have at least 500 computer network support specialists with a published median. The typical metro median among them is $76,560. The top-paying metro pays 3.1 times the lowest-paying one.
Lowest paying of the 54
Biggest local premium: in Tulsa, OK, the computer network support specialists median of $88,540 is 1.9 times the median for all occupations there. Largest market: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, 6,330 jobs at a $86,930 median.
Computer user support specialists (help desk): highest paying metros
156 metro areas have at least 500 computer user support specialists with a published median. The typical metro median among them is $59,390. The top-paying metro pays 2.9 times the lowest-paying one.
Lowest paying of the 156
Biggest local premium: in Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA, the computer user support specialists median of $106,040 is 1.8 times the median for all occupations there. Largest market: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, 36,580 jobs at a $75,690 median.
What this means for MSPs hiring across metros
Remote and hybrid work lets an MSP hire outside its home market, and these rankings show why that matters. Depending on the role, the top-paying metro pays between 2.1 and 3.1 times the lowest-paying one, so a provider that pays a single national rate will overpay in some markets and fail to compete in others. Pricing a help desk seat or a security analyst into a managed services contract works best from the local median, not the national one.
Frequently asked questions
What city pays the most for IT jobs?
For information security analysts, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA has the highest median annual wage among large markets at $176,120, according to BLS May 2025 metro data. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA, Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV rank in the top 10 for at least three of the four IT roles we analyzed.
Where do help desk jobs pay the most?
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA at a $106,040 median for computer user support specialists, followed by San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($93,590).
What is the highest paying city for system administrators?
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, with a median of $133,360 for network and computer systems administrators.
Which metro has the most cybersecurity analyst jobs?
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, with 16,560 information security analysts and a $148,950 median.
What does the pay multiple mean?
It is the occupation’s median annual wage in a metro divided by the median annual wage for all occupations in that metro, both from the same BLS release. A multiple of 2.0x means the IT role pays twice what the typical local worker earns, which is a rough proxy for how far the salary goes locally.
Methodology
Source. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area estimates (file MSA_M2025_dl), downloaded October 2026. Occupations: 15-1212, 15-1244, 15-1231, and 15-1232, plus all occupations (00-0000) for the pay multiple.
Filters. Metropolitan statistical areas only. A metro is ranked for an occupation when BLS publishes both an employment estimate of at least 500 and an annual median wage. Suppressed estimates are excluded. Rank is by annual median wage.
Calculations. Pay multiple equals the occupation’s annual median wage divided by the all-occupation annual median wage for the same metro.
Limitations. OEWS covers wage and salary workers and excludes the self-employed. Estimates have sampling error, especially in smaller metros. Wages are not adjusted for cost of living; the pay multiple is a local comparison, not a cost of living index.
Not advice. This is published wage data, not compensation or career advice.
Cite as:The Uptime Report. "Highest Paying Cities for IT Jobs in 2026: Metro Pay for Security, Sysadmin, Network, and Help Desk Roles." October 2026. https://theuptimereport.com/highest-paying-cities-for-it-jobs-2026/
References
- BLS, OEWS data tables and downloads. Accessed October 2026.
- BLS, OEWS technical notes. Accessed October 2026.
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