IT technician salary: What to expect in your first tech job
An inside look into IT technician salary expectations across industries and regions
If you’re interested in a career in tech, it pays to understand real-world salary ranges for IT technicians and similar entry-level roles, as well as the factors that influence them. After all, your initial salary serves as the starting point you build on for the rest of your tech career, and pay is one of the top predictors of workplace happiness.
The first step to understanding salary expectations for IT jobs is to know which roles you might land when you’re just beginning a career in tech.
Comparing entry-level IT job titles
The typical starting point for a career in IT — especially if you don’t have a lot of experience — is working as an IT technician, a job that typically involves setting up computer hardware and software and troubleshooting tech issues in a help desk support role. But tech job titles can vary widely, even with similar job scopes and responsibilities. On any given job board, you might find entry-level IT positions listed under titles including (but not limited to) the following:
- IT technician
- Help desk technician
- Help desk analyst
- Help desk support specialist
- Desktop support technician
- Level 1 help desk technician
- Tier 1 help desk
- IT support specialist
- Technology support specialist
- Service desk technician
- Computer user support technician
- Technical support specialist
- and more…
Confusing. Thankfully, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) uses the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system, where employers report salary data using standardized titles “based upon work performed, skills, education, training, and credentials” instead of the exact title held by employees, making it easier to understand salary ranges based on responsibilities and qualifications. For this article, we’ll focus on 2024 data for the standardized title, computer user support specialist, which the BLS categorizes as equivalent to an entry-level IT technician position. We’ll sometimes use the titles interchangeably.
Before we discuss pay scales, let’s first examine the day-to-day tasks expected of someone in an IT technician / computer user support specialist role.
Entry-level IT technician job responsibilities
According to the BLS, computer user support specialists “provide technical assistance to computer users, answer questions or resolve computer problems for clients.” Additionally, they “may provide assistance concerning the use of computer hardware and software, including printing, installation, word processing, electronic mail, and operating systems.”
IT professionals in the know in the Spiceworks Community — who often discuss issues pertinent to IT careers — further expanded the list of responsibilities typical of someone starting out as an entry-level IT technician.
“Entry level IT tasks are things like … Adding a printer, connecting to a computer with RDP, printing a document, swapping out components like monitors, mice, and keyboards, pinging an IP address to verify network connectivity, installing an application, Data entry (e.g., adding to a security system, a phone system, or some other account setup process IT manages), connecting to the VPN, setting up a new PC (Window install, plugging peripherals in, etc)” — Tim Smith, IT professional
“Items I would add: (Knowing) how to wipe a computer, how to recycle computer equipment, making sure hard drives and media are destroyed according to local laws and regulations,VOIP phone installation, understanding security policy” — HardwareGuy, IT professional
Now that we understand the role, we can explore in-depth IT salary data, looking at both median salary and pay variances on the high and low ends.
How much do IT technicians make?
Based on wage data of nearly 700K U.S.-based IT technicians, the BLS reports a median annual wage of $60,340 in 2024, or $29.01 hourly, assuming a 40-hour work week.
By comparison, the median wage for all U.S. occupations in 2024 was $49,500, or $23.80 hourly. In other words, the median annual wage for an IT technician in 2024 was 22% higher than the median wage for all occupations.
How much an employer is willing to pay will vary between companies. To provide more in-depth insights on the range of salaries aspiring IT pros might expect, the BLS publishes percentile curves that make it easier to see the salary distribution among all entry-level IT workers.
Here’s how percentile curves work: If your salary is the 50th percentile — also known as the median — you earn more than 50% of workers holding the same job title and less than 50%. If you’re in the 10th percentile, you earn more than 10% of your peers but less than the other 90%.
IT technician pay scale in 2024
For computer user support specialists (A.K.A. IT technicians) on the higher end of the salary curve, those in the 90th percentile earned $98,010. This figure is close to the maximum you might expect to make if the scope of your role matches the one described above.
The bottom 10% of earners for that same type of role had a median salary of $38,780. Even if you have little experience, you probably shouldn’t accept an IT technician salary offer that’s any lower, especially in a higher cost-of-living area.
| Percentile | 10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median Annual Wage | $38,780 | $47,580 | $60,340 | $77,010 | $98,010 |
| Median Hourly Wage | $18.65 | $22.87 | $29.01 | $37.02 | $47.12 |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
Why does pay vary for the same type of IT role?
Starting tech salaries can differ depending on many factors, including geographical location, industry, and employee experience. One working IT professional offered more nuance on how these factors can affect salary:
“Location, industry, and skillset will set the average price for a position.
Location: Is this a small town? A large metroplex? Are you in a growing region that is causing a shortage of skilled techs?
Industry: Profit margins vary widely by industry and this tends to affect pay scales & benefits. Think food service vs. Silicon Valley high tech.
Skillset: Do you have the quantifiable skills required? Are you missing some? Missing some does not mean you will not get the position, but it does mean you will start out at a lower pay.”
IT technician salary, by state and region
All markets are local, including the job markets. Your employer’s location impacts numerous factors, such as cost of living and the number of potential job candidates willing to take a job in the area. While there are general rules of thumb — companies in higher-cost-of-living areas tend to offer higher salaries — the BLS provides ample data on computer user support salaries at the national, state, and local levels to help everyone understand whether they’re being paid fairly.
2024 IT technician pay at the state level
If you want to earn more in an entry-level IT job, you’re best off working in California or Massachusetts, where IT technicians can expect to earn an annual median wage of approximately $75K. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the states with the lowest median annual wage were Mississippi, South Dakota, and New Mexico (all coming in at below $48K). In the U.S. territories of Puerto Rico ($34K) and Guam ($32K), median IT technician pay is even lower.
2024 IT technician pay at the local level
The BLS also provides a more granular view of expected pay by providing salary information at the city / metropolitan or regional levels.
On average, the median salary for entry-level IT workers across all metropolitan areas was 7% higher in all non-metropolitan areas ($55,500 vs. 52,000 respectively). However, local variances could be much higher, even in adjacent geographic regions.
For example, entry-level IT professionals working in the Austin, Texas metropolitan area collectively had a median income 23% higher than their peers in the neighboring Hill Country region of Texas. Similarly, median pay was 16% higher in the Atlanta metro area compared to the neighboring non-metro area.
2024 Median salaries of IT technicians in adjacent regions
- $59,740 — Austin-Round Rock, TX
- $48,420 — Hill Country Region of Texas (non-metro)
- $59,510 — Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- $51,370 — North Georgia (non-metro)
- $73,230 — Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- $64,930 — Western Washington (non-metro)
- $63,740 — Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
- $54,840 — Maryland (non-metro)
Source: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
“(What would be) A LOT in Pittsburgh … would be “sorta okay-ish” in LA or NYC.” — MScott924, IT professional
Entry-level IT pay curve by industry
Industry also plays a big role in how much IT technicians can expect to make. The BLS tracks pay across industries, and across groupings of industries known as sectors.
For example, the 2024 OEWS data indicates computer user support specialists working in the manufacturing sector earned a median salary of $64,120, but there are variances depending on what companies manufacture.
When you get more granular, you can see that computer user support specialists in the chemical manufacturing industry earned a median of $75,110 vs. $58,580 in apparel manufacturing.
Below is a table outlining median wages across broad sectors. For more nuanced data for individual industries within a sector, visit the BLS’s Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) page.
2024 IT technician median salary by sector or industry
| Sector | Annual median wage | Hourly median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Utilities | $81,190 | $39.04 |
| Mining | $78,530 | $37.76 |
| Federal, State, and Local Gov’t, excluding Schools, Hospitals, and the USPS | $74,730 | $35.93 |
| Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting | $71,200 | $34.23 |
| Manufacturing | $64,120 | $30.83 |
| Construction | $63,230 | $30.40 |
| Information | $63,080 | $30.33 |
| Finance and Insurance | $62,420 | $30.01 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | $62,370 | $29.98 |
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | $61,020 | $29.34 |
| Wholesale Trade | $60,980 | $29.32 |
| Transportation and Warehousing | $60,420 | $29.05 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | $59,950 | $28.82 |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | $58,220 | $27.99 |
| Educational Services | $56,240 | $27.04 |
| Other Services (except Federal, State, and Local) | $55,680 | $26.77 |
| Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation | $55,040 | $26.46 |
| Retail Trade | $52,660 | $25.32 |
| Accommodation and Food Services | $47,880 | $23.02 |
A real-world entry-level IT job offer
With information on the possible range of computer user support salaries in mind, including variances based on location and industry, let’s take a look at a real entry-level job offer in a small town from 2021 shared in the Spiceworks community by an IT candidate just out of college:
“Pay: $50-60k/year
Members of IT Staff: Only me … No plans from management to get more.
(Locations managed): Over four different local companies, with two having branches from MI to FL. Those out of town are usually managed remotely.
Devices/Users: Around 200 devices (PCs/Tablets/Laptops/Displays/Printers/Servers/Networking); between 200-300 users between all companies.”
Additional job offer info shared in the IT professional’s bio:
- Experience: Completed an IT internship in college and was seeking a full-time role.
- Location: South Central Tennessee non-metropolitan area (2024 median salary of $48.9K)
- Industry: Truck transportation (2024 median salary of $58.4K)
- Responsibilities: Jack-of-all trades supporting users and devices in multiple locations under the same corporate umbrella company.
Because this candidate had some relevant experience, you wouldn’t expect an offer on the lower end of the pay scale. In this case, the salary range offered was roughly in line with the 2024 median for entry-level IT roles for the given location and industry.
Note: If the job responsibilities for a given role go beyond what’s expected of an IT technician / computer user support specialist, there could be room for negotiation. For example, the scope of a computer network support specialist role focuses more on the management of networks and IT systems (e.g., WAN, LAN, cloud networks, servers), with a 2024 median annual salary of $73.3K.
How much can IT technician salaries grow over time?
Everyone’s career path and life circumstances are different. While some IT professionals stay in a similar technical role over time, growing within their title, others get promoted by taking on additional responsibilities, while others switch to adjacent fields.
In 2014, the median wage for computer user support specialists was $47,610, compared to $60,340 in 2024, a 27% increase over 10 years.
But the mantra in IT is to “always keep learning,” and many IT workers aspire to take on responsibilities to earn a higher salary. From a starting point as an IT technician, you might become a network support specialist, then a systems administrator with a substantial pay bump with each title change.
Alternatively, you might branch out into cybersecurity, software development / DevOps, or even shift gears by taking on a people management role for an even bigger salary bump.
2024 Median pay for various IT roles
| IT Occupation | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Computer User Support Specialists | $60,340 |
| Computer Network Support Specialists | $73,340 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators | $96,800 |
| Computer Programmers | $98,670 |
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | $102,610 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | $103,790 |
| Database Administrators | $104,620 |
| Information Security Analysts | $124,910 |
| Computer Network Architects | $130,390 |
| Software Developers | $133,080 |
| Database Architects | $135,980 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $171,200 |
The following examples offer insights into how quickly wages might grow depending on your IT career path.
Staying technical, growing salary gradually over time
“I took me 17 years to get the experience and training to get to $75K. I started with A+ cert at $36K.” — DrDeany, IT Professional
Executive IT management path in a very high cost-of-living area
“Recently dated a gal who was the former Corporate Head of IT for PayPal here in the California Bay Area. Not only was her salary around $500,000 a year, her yearly bonus was over that.” — FinFanFinatic, IT Professional
Choose your own adventure: Your IT career path is up to you
In our previous article on starting a career in IT, we shared a quote that highlighted the relationship between employee and employer.
“Employment is a value-for-value exchange. If you want to get paid, bring something marketable to the table.” — Robert5205, IT Manager
While intended for those looking to get their first job, that bit of wisdom also applies to growing your salary over time… whether you develop within the same role and company or you switch roles, employers, or fields entirely.
How do you add the most value possible for everyone you work with, making it easy for your boss and your peers to recognize your contributions? The following quote from the Spiceworks Community speaks to how an IT professional can become indispensable to an organization.
“Almost every request of IT is composed of three (often totally unrelated) things:
1) What they ask for.
2) What they want.
3) What they need.
If you want to increase your value, you need to be able to understand the business well enough to deliver #3 (what they need) when they only provide you #1 (what they ask for). That takes being able to ask relevant questions and lots of curiosity, something that I’ve found is sadly lacking in many people in the IT field. And always under-promise and over-deliver, because nobody has time for the opposite.” — Roykozina, IT Professional
In other words, empathy is an extremely important skill because if you can understand what your end users, boss, or CEO really needs at a deeper level, you can take the most helpful course of action in a given situation, which makes you a better candidate for promotion or a new role on the job market.
Realistic expectations for IT technician salary
IT salary data can be extremely useful throughout your career. Information on expected pay and which skills will be in demand, can help you prepare for a long and rewarding career over the long run.
Even if you’re starting from entry-level tech beginnings as an IT technician (or equivalent), know that there’s room to grow as your experience and contributions grow. But you’ll need to advocate for yourself. Understanding pay ranges, the factors that influence pay, and how salary might grow along with job responsibilities can help you negotiate for what you’re worth.
While everyone’s career path will be different, if you’re able to continuously add value for your employer(s) through your actions, advice, and tech knowledge, your salary should also rise accordingly. Good luck discovering which tech areas suit you best as you map out the IT career path that’s most rewarding to you!
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