Help Desk Salary 2026: $29.74 an Hour at the Median, and IT Service Firms Pay Below It
The typical help desk salary in the United States is $61,860 a year, or $29.74 an hour, the May 2025 BLS median for computer user support specialists, the occupation that includes help desk technicians and analysts. One in ten earns under $19.70 an hour and one in ten over $48.34. IT service firms, where MSP help desks sit, pay a $29.06 median.
We downloaded the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) files for May 2025 and read the full hourly pay distribution for computer user support specialists (SOC 15-1232), the code where BLS files the titles help desk technician, help desk analyst and IT support specialist. We compared it with computer network support specialists (15-1231) as the nearest match for tier 2 work, ranked every metro area with at least 500 help desk jobs, adjusted those medians for local prices with BEA data, and set MSP-type employers against in-house IT departments. This page covers pay only; what the job involves is in our help desk technician guide.
How help desk pay is distributed
BLS publishes five points of the pay distribution, so each bar below holds a known share of workers: 10% below the 10th percentile, 15% between the 10th and 25th, and so on. Bar area is proportional to the share of workers, so narrow tall bars mean pay is bunched. The middle half of help desk workers earn between $23.56 and $38.00 an hour, a band just $14.44 wide.
Help desk (computer user support), middle half 10th to 25th and 75th to 90th outer 10% tails, shape not published Tier 2 (network support)
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. Tail bars are drawn as wide as the neighbouring band because BLS does not publish where the lowest and highest 10% end.
How much help desk makes an hour
| Percentile | Help desk, hourly | Help desk, annual | Change since May 2024 | Tier 2 (network support), hourly | Tier 2, annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $19.70 | $40,980 | +5.6% | $22.65 | $47,120 |
| 25th percentile | $23.56 | $49,000 | +3.0% | $28.00 | $58,240 |
| Median | $29.74 | $61,860 | +2.5% | $36.64 | $76,220 |
| 75th percentile | $38.00 | $79,040 | +2.6% | $47.48 | $98,750 |
| 90th percentile | $48.34 | $100,540 | +2.6% | $61.43 | $127,780 |
Annual figures are BLS hourly wages times 2,080 hours. Help desk = computer user support specialists (15-1232); tier 2 = computer network support specialists (15-1231). BLS does not use tier labels.
The bottom of the help desk scale moved most in the past year: the 10th percentile rose 5.6%, from $18.65 to $19.70 an hour, while the median rose 2.5% and the 90th 2.6%. Tier 2 pay sits about $6.90 an hour higher at the median, and the gap widens toward the top: $61.43 against $48.34 at the 90th percentile. Help desk pay at the median is 21% above the $24.51 median for all U.S. jobs.
Help desk salary by metro: top and bottom 15
Of the 156 metro areas with at least 500 computer user support jobs, Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA pays the most, a $50.98 median, 1.7 times the national figure. Sacramento is California’s state capital, and nationally state governments pay their user support staff a $46.25 median, the highest of any industry in the table further down. The lowest median among these metros is $17.66 in San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR; excluding Puerto Rico, it is $22.66 in Gainesville, FL.
Line = 10th to 90th percentile, dot = median, hourly. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 metropolitan area estimates; metros with at least 500 computer user support specialists.
Divided by the BEA’s 2024 Regional Price Parity for each metro, Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA still leads at $47.79 in national-average dollars, followed by Carson City, NV and San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA. At the bottom of the cost-adjusted list are Gainesville, FL ($23.43) and Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR ($24.95). Our highest paying cities for IT jobs report ranks the same metros by annual median for four IT roles, and IT salaries by state has state medians.
| Rank | Metro area | Jobs | 10th, hourly | Median, hourly | 90th, hourly | Median, annual | Cost-adjusted median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | 13,820 | $31.98 | $50.98 | $64.73 | $106,040 | $47.79 |
| 2 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 5,790 | $28.52 | $45.00 | $65.23 | $93,590 | $40.75 |
| 3 | Carson City, NV | 560 | $27.75 | $44.98 | $63.08 | $93,560 | $45.84 |
| 4 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 10,770 | $28.32 | $43.00 | $62.71 | $89,440 | $37.19 |
| 5 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | 960 | $27.54 | $38.71 | $49.41 | $80,520 | $35.58 |
| 6 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 15,030 | $24.04 | $37.66 | $63.26 | $78,330 | $33.89 |
| 7 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | 2,460 | $23.87 | $37.54 | $51.54 | $78,070 | $35.13 |
| 8 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 13,580 | $24.03 | $37.43 | $51.50 | $77,850 | $34.57 |
| 9 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 18,510 | $24.23 | $37.43 | $57.78 | $77,860 | $34.38 |
| 10 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | 520 | $28.07 | $36.97 | $49.02 | $76,900 | $34.30 |
| 11 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 36,580 | $22.88 | $36.39 | $56.29 | $75,690 | $32.33 |
| 12 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 9,960 | $23.97 | $36.29 | $58.78 | $75,480 | $34.31 |
| 13 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 20,660 | $23.83 | $36.09 | $52.96 | $75,070 | $31.78 |
| 14 | Boulder, CO | 1,710 | $23.17 | $35.76 | $59.93 | $74,380 | $33.99 |
| 15 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 5,260 | $23.87 | $35.59 | $49.46 | $74,020 | $31.81 |
| ⋮ 126 metros in between, all in the download ⋮ | |||||||
| 142 | Fort Wayne, IN | 930 | $18.38 | $24.34 | $37.53 | $50,630 | $26.29 |
| 143 | McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | 910 | $17.14 | $24.26 | $34.90 | $50,460 | $28.24 |
| 144 | Springfield, MO | 900 | $18.25 | $24.15 | $36.49 | $50,240 | $27.26 |
| 145 | Lafayette, LA | 540 | $19.00 | $24.14 | $61.36 | $50,200 | $27.68 |
| 146 | Columbia, SC | 2,030 | $17.52 | $24.08 | $38.73 | $50,080 | $25.71 |
| 147 | Montgomery, AL | 720 | $16.64 | $24.01 | $35.47 | $49,940 | $26.77 |
| 148 | Lubbock, TX | 610 | $17.28 | $23.96 | $36.05 | $49,840 | $26.24 |
| 149 | Huntsville, AL | 1,150 | $17.78 | $23.91 | $36.22 | $49,740 | $25.69 |
| 150 | College Station-Bryan, TX | 510 | $15.10 | $23.84 | $37.30 | $49,590 | $26.21 |
| 151 | Amarillo, TX | 550 | $16.72 | $23.77 | $37.80 | $49,440 | $25.89 |
| 152 | Tallahassee, FL | 1,380 | $17.89 | $23.64 | $41.60 | $49,170 | $25.17 |
| 153 | Sioux Falls, SD-MN | 600 | $18.25 | $23.20 | $31.14 | $48,260 | $25.60 |
| 154 | Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR | 1,070 | $15.71 | $22.79 | $37.05 | $47,400 | $24.95 |
| 155 | Gainesville, FL | 710 | $20.71 | $22.66 | $37.09 | $47,130 | $23.43 |
| 156 | San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR | 4,690 | $11.54 | $17.66 | $29.49 | $36,720 | n/a |
Cost-adjusted median = hourly median divided by the metro’s 2024 BEA Regional Price Parity over 100. BEA does not publish price parities for Puerto Rico. 391 metro areas have a published median in total.
MSPs vs in-house IT: help desk pay by industry
Computer systems design and related services (NAICS 5415), the industry that includes managed service providers, IT consultancies and outsourcers, is by far the largest employer of help desk staff: 157,660 jobs, 22% of the national total. Its median of $29.06 an hour is below the national $29.74 and ranks 21st of the 28 industries with at least 5,000 such jobs. 20 industries pay more, most of them in-house IT departments: state governments ($46.25), securities and investment firms, law firms and research labs all pay at least $7.38 an hour more than the MSP median. Staffing agencies (employment services) pay $24.29.
| # | Industry | Help desk jobs | 10th | Median | 90th | Tier 2 median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | State Government (excl. schools, hospitals) | 21,020 | $26.38 | $46.25 | $63.82 | $37.85 |
| 2 | Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities | 5,250 | $22.84 | $38.27 | $62.70 | $49.92 |
| 3 | Legal Services | 6,850 | $25.12 | $37.35 | $52.07 | $41.57 |
| 4 | Scientific Research and Development Services | 5,050 | $22.31 | $36.44 | $54.18 | $43.75 |
| 5 | Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | 9,070 | $22.27 | $32.39 | $48.10 | $39.32 |
| 6 | Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services | 24,940 | $21.58 | $31.92 | $49.06 | $36.69 |
| 7 | Software Publishers | 29,860 | $22.12 | $31.51 | $53.49 | $45.98 |
| 8 | Insurance Carriers | 8,570 | $23.46 | $31.32 | $48.21 | $38.01 |
| 9 | Local Government (excl. schools, hospitals) | 23,370 | $22.16 | $31.28 | $49.56 | $37.58 |
| 10 | Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | 16,510 | $21.74 | $30.94 | $50.74 | $40.38 |
| 11 | Management of Companies and Enterprises | 39,110 | $22.44 | $30.72 | $49.57 | $38.75 |
| 12 | Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods (4232, 4233, 4235, 4236, 4237, and 4239 only) | 7,470 | $20.00 | $30.58 | $48.36 | $36.09 |
| 13 | Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services | 9,430 | $21.31 | $30.50 | $48.94 | $39.27 |
| 14 | Office Administrative Services | 7,670 | $21.07 | $30.35 | $43.76 | $36.52 |
| 15 | General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 13,950 | $21.82 | $29.95 | $47.70 | $36.74 |
| 16 | Telecommunications | 14,030 | $20.91 | $29.87 | $48.77 | $37.41 |
| 17 | Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities | 7,970 | $21.39 | $29.74 | $46.40 | $41.28 |
| 18 | Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers | 21,400 | $19.49 | $29.59 | $49.53 | $32.32 |
| 19 | Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | 27,830 | $18.82 | $29.48 | $41.06 | $32.62 |
| 20 | Electronics and Appliance Retailers | 5,490 | $19.05 | $29.32 | $36.00 | $28.88 |
| 21 | Computer Systems Design and Related Services (MSPs, IT services) | 157,660 | $19.05 | $29.06 | $46.75 | $35.73 |
| 22 | Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (5221 and 5223 only) | 14,840 | $21.44 | $29.02 | $47.60 | $38.66 |
| 23 | Offices of Physicians | 5,710 | $19.47 | $28.51 | $38.69 | $35.60 |
| 24 | Elementary and Secondary Schools | 42,660 | $18.15 | $27.53 | $39.70 | $31.04 |
| 25 | Junior Colleges | 7,010 | $16.70 | $24.57 | $38.56 | $31.43 |
| 26 | Employment Services | 26,950 | $18.00 | $24.29 | $39.87 | $31.97 |
| 27 | Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5,250 | $18.10 | $23.92 | $40.86 | $37.12 |
| 28 | Business Support Services | 12,930 | $14.89 | $22.55 | $35.30 | $30.97 |
Hourly wages. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership. Industries with fewer than 5,000 computer user support specialists are omitted here and included in the download. Tier 2 = computer network support specialists in the same industry.
The gap runs the length of the scale. At the 10th percentile, IT service firms pay $19.05 an hour against $19.70 nationally; at the 90th, $46.75 against $48.34. Tier 2 network support staff in the same industry earn a $35.73 median, $6.67 more than its help desk. By employer type, private employers pay help desk a $29.62 median, state governments (including schools and hospitals) $34.87, local governments $29.14 and the federal government $35.82, though OEWS counts only 1,220 federal workers in this occupation.
What help desk contracts bill
GSA’s CALC+ database lists the ceiling hourly rates contractors may bill federal agencies under the Multiple Award Schedule. Of 3,517 help desk, service desk and technical support labor categories (managers, engineers and leads excluded), the median bills $76.64 an hour. Where the title carries a level, the rates step up like this:
| Level in title | Rates | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 (tier 1 or numeral I) | 463 | $50.91 | $62.04 | $76.35 |
| Level 2 (tier 2 or numeral II) | 488 | $60.52 | $74.80 | $94.92 |
| Level 3 (tier 3 or numeral III) | 372 | $71.61 | $91.93 | $108.76 |
| Level 4 (tier 4 or numeral IV) | 140 | $88.28 | $108.06 | $126.81 |
Source: GSA CALC+ ceiling rates API, retrieved October 2026. Billing rates include benefits, overhead and profit, so they are not wages. All IT roles are in our IT hourly rates rate card.
Entry pay across IT roles
For readers weighing help desk as a first IT job, here is the 10th percentile of pay, the closest BLS measure to starting pay, next to the education BLS says each role typically needs.
| Occupation | Typical entry education | 10th, hourly | 10th, annual | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer user support specialists | Some college, no degree | $19.70 | $40,980 | $61,860 |
| Computer network support specialists | Associate’s degree | $22.65 | $47,120 | $76,220 |
| Network and computer systems administrators | Bachelor’s degree | $30.11 | $62,640 | $99,130 |
| Information security analysts | Bachelor’s degree | $36.10 | $75,090 | $129,180 |
Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035, Table 1.2. Security pay is broken down in our cybersecurity salary report.
BLS projects computer user support jobs to fall 3.5% from 2025 to 2035 (about 26,200 jobs), while still generating about 39,700 openings a year from retirements and job changes. Network support is projected to grow 1.2%.
What this means for MSPs
In-house IT departments outbid IT service firms. 20 of the 28 industries with at least 5,000 help desk jobs pay a higher median than computer systems design firms. The national gap is small ($0.68 an hour), but state agencies, securities firms, law firms and research labs pay at least $7.38 more an hour at the median.
Set bands by percentile and metro. A national 25th percentile offer is $23.56 an hour, but the same percentile in a top metro is far higher. Use the metro table and the cost-adjusted column to set local bands rather than one national rate, and recheck entry offers: the 10th percentile rose 5.6% in a year.
Price seats against the wage, then the overhead. At a $29.74 median wage, the gap to a $62.04 level 1 federal billing rate shows how much of a contract rate is benefits, tools, management and margin. Tier 2 staff cost $6.90 an hour more at the median, which is the number to use when deciding which tickets stay at tier 1.
Frequently asked questions
How much do help desk workers make an hour?
The median computer user support specialist, the BLS occupation for help desk technicians and analysts, earned $29.74 an hour in May 2025. A quarter earned less than $23.56 and a quarter more than $38.00; the 10th percentile was $19.70 and the 90th $48.34.
What is the entry level help desk salary?
BLS does not report pay by experience. The bottom of the distribution is the closest guide: the 10th percentile is $19.70 an hour ($40,980 a year) and the 25th is $23.56 ($49,000). BLS lists some college, no degree as the typical entry education.
How much does a Tier 2 help desk make?
BLS has no tier labels. Its closest category for second-line support, computer network support specialists, had a median of $36.64 an hour ($76,220) in May 2025, 23% above help desk. On GSA contracts, level 2 help desk labor bills a median $74.80 an hour, against $62.04 for level 1.
What do senior help desk technicians make?
The 75th percentile for computer user support specialists is $38.00 an hour ($79,040) and the 90th is $48.34 ($100,540). In the highest-paying metro, Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA, the 90th percentile reaches $64.73.
What entry level IT jobs pay the most?
Comparing the 10th percentile of pay, information security analysts start highest ($75,090), then systems administrators ($62,640), network support specialists ($47,120) and help desk ($40,980). The first two typically require a bachelor’s degree, BLS says, while help desk typically requires some college, no degree.
Will IT help desk jobs disappear?
BLS projects computer user support employment to fall 3.5% from 2025 to 2035, about 26,200 jobs, but still expects about 39,700 openings a year as people retire or change jobs. The projections do not break out a cause such as AI.
Methodology
Sources. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 and May 2024: national, metropolitan area, national industry (4-digit NAICS) and national ownership files, downloaded October 2026. BEA Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, all items, 2024 (released February 2026). BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035, Table 1.2. GSA CALC+ ceiling rates API. The 2018 SOC direct match title file for the job titles assigned to each code.
Definitions. “Help desk salary” here means OEWS wages for computer user support specialists (SOC 15-1232). “Tier 2” means computer network support specialists (15-1231), the nearest BLS match; BLS does not classify by tier. OEWS wages are straight-time gross pay including incentive pay, excluding overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and employer-paid benefits. Annual = hourly times 2,080.
Histogram. Each bar spans two published percentiles, so it holds exactly 10%, 15% or 25% of workers; height is that share divided by the bar’s width in dollars. The outer tails have no published end point, so they are drawn with the width of the neighbouring band and hatched.
Metros and contract rates. The leaderboard includes metropolitan statistical areas with at least 500 computer user support jobs and a published median (156 areas, including Puerto Rico). CALC+ rates were pulled for nine keywords, deduplicated, limited to Information Technology categories, and assigned a level only when the title ends in a Roman numeral or names a tier or level.
Limitations. OEWS does not report experience, shift, certifications or remote status, and suppresses some estimates. May 2024 and May 2025 estimates share four of their six survey panels, so one-year changes are indicative. Not advice: these are labor market statistics, not a compensation recommendation.
Cite as:The Uptime Report. "Help Desk Salary 2026: $29.74 an Hour at the Median, and IT Service Firms Pay Below It." October 2026. https://theuptimereport.com/help-desk-salary-2026/
References
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS tables and special request files (oesm25nat, oesm25ma, oesm25in4, oesm24nat). Accessed October 2026.
- BLS, OEWS May 2025 technical notes. Accessed October 2026.
- BLS Employment Projections, occupational projections and worker characteristics, 2025 to 2035. Accessed October 2026.
- BLS, 2018 SOC direct match title file. Accessed October 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area (MARPP), 2008 to 2024. Accessed October 2026.
- U.S. General Services Administration, CALC+ labor rates (API: api.gsa.gov/acquisition/calc/v3). Accessed October 2026.
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