Dice report: Average tech salaries rise
U.S. technology professionals saw their average pay increase more than 2 percent to $81,327 last year — the largest annual salary growth since 2008, according to a survey by Dice, a technology and engineering career site.
Not only did pay increase after two straight years of nearly flat wages, but more companies rewarded their top performers. One-third of tech professionals received a bonus in 2011, up from 29 percent in 2010 and 24 percent in 2009. The size of the average bonus also rose — up 8 percent to $8,769.
Overall, U.S. companies are seeing stiffer competition for experienced tech professionals, said Tom Silver, a senior vice president at Dice. However, entry-level salaries continue to be pushed downward.
Austin led the top 20 cities with a 13 percent jump in average tech pay to $89,419. Houston saw a 7 percent increase to $89,307. The Dallas-Fort Worth area saw a 4 percent gain to $84,589.
Still, California’s Silicon Valley topped the list, with average salaries of $104,195. Pay topped six figures for the first time since the Dice survey began a decade ago.
Here’s the full list:
| Metroplitan area | 2010 | 2011 | $ Change | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silicon Valley, Calif. | $99,028 | $104,195 | $5,167 | 5.2% |
| Washington D.C./Baltimore, Md. | $89,149 | $94,317 | $5,168 | 5.8% |
| Seattle | $86,168 | $90,362 | $4,194 | 4.9% |
| New York | $87,298 | $90,042 | $2,744 | 3.1% |
| Austin, Tex. | $79,375 | $89,419 | $10,044 | 12.7% |
| Houston | $83,625 | $89,307 | $5,682 | 6.8% |
| Boston | $86,782 | $88,657 | $1,875 | 2.2% |
| Hartford, Conn. | $81,172 | $88,546 | $7,374 | 9.1% |
| Los Angeles | $84,551 | $87,183 | $2,632 | 3.1% |
| Sacramento, Calif. | $82,237 | $87,114 | $4,877 | 5.9% |
| Denver | $83,168 | $86,590 | $3,422 | 4.1% |
| San Diego | $85,617 | $85,841 | $224 | 0.3% |
| Charlotte, N.C. | $82,825 | $84,795 | $1,970 | 2.4% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | $81,579 | $84,589 | $3,010 | 3.7% |
| Chicago | $79,933 | $83,970 | $4,037 | 5.0% |
| Atlanta | $82,944 | $82,235 | -$709 | -0.9% |
| Portland, Ore. | $73,096 | $82,055 | $8,959 | 12.3% |
| Philadelphia | $81,986 | $81,041 | -$945 | -1.2% |
| Minneapolis | $81,683 | $80,767 | -$916 | -1.1% |
| Raleigh, N.C. | $77,825 | $79,830 | $2,005 | 2.6% |
Texas ranked No. 9 nationally, with average tech pay of $83,751. That was up 6.8 percent from 2010.
The jobs that saw the highest salaries last year were:
| Job Title | 2010 | 2011 | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| IT management (C level, director, strategist) | $112,386 | $113,162 | -2.2% |
| Security architect | $117,387 | $114,472 | -4.9% |
| Information architecture | $111,098 | $112,670 | 5.6% |
| Systems architect | na | $111,985 | n/a |
| Data architect | $108,842 | $108,961 | -7.9% |
| Project manager | $100,143 | $104,398 | -3.2% |
Dice surveyed 18,325 working tech professionals online from in September through November.
