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Top 10 Highest-Paying Tech Jobs

Goodwin Recruiting | Career Tips, Hiring Advice, Industry News | August 12, 2024

Goodwin Recruiting is a specialist in sourcing and placing top IT talent in essential tech jobs. We partner with employers nationwide, connecting clients with the IT professionals and executives they need to compete and grow.

What we glean from the talent search and hiring process, combined with our knowledge of IT human resource trends, gives us extensive data on salary ranges and total compensation packages offered by today’s employers. Our data covers roles within the tech sector itself and in non-tech industries. Did you know that more IT professionals work for non-tech organizations (55%) than for the tech companies that create IT products and services (45%)? The demand for skilled IT professionals is truly industry-agnostic!

We recently collected salary ranges for the highest-paying information technology jobs. The data sets were sourced from our own proprietary information, as well as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and other credible sources. Our goal was to identify the top 10 highest-paying tech jobs in the United States today.

What to know about the salary ranges

Salary ranges for top-tier IT jobs are influenced by many factors and complexities. Understanding these dynamics can help hiring companies remain or become more competitive in the hiring market. And with these insights, IT professionals can better navigate their tech career paths and earning potential.

Specialization and expertise in many areas of IT, such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML), to name a few, command higher salaries due to their complexity and the growing demand for professionals to fill these constantly evolving roles.
Years of experience and skills give professionals with industry tenure and advanced skills in specific technologies a leg up in demanding higher salaries.
The geographic location of a company and job is known to impact salaries for IT jobs. For example, jobs in tech hubs like Silicon Valley, New York City, and Seattle typically offer higher salaries compared to other cities and regions.
Non-tech industry demand for IT workers is growing and so are salaries to attract skilled professionals. Some of the non-tech industries with the highest demand for IT talent include but are not limited to finance, healthcare, retail, nonprofits, education, and manufacturing.
Higher education and certifications, such as a master’s degree or Ph.D., and professional certifications, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) certification, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), and others, lead to higher salaries.
Company size and type can have great bearing on salaries, but there are no finite parameters. For example, larger companies with significant revenue may offer higher salaries than smaller firms and startups; however, roles in high-growth organizations can also offer more competitive pay.
Economic factors, such as the state of the economy, economic forecasts, and the tech industry’s overall health can influence salary levels.
A job candidate’s negotiation skills and the ability to advocate for their value can impact the best final salary offer from an employer.

Results of our analysis: The top 10 highest-paying IT jobs

It’s important to note that the salary ranges below do not reflect compensation beyond base annual pay for these tech jobs. In addition to base pay, total compensation packages can include a wide range of employee benefits, as well as bonuses, profit sharing, stock options, performance-based incentives, and other types of compensation – and of course, these play a significant role in determining annual salaries.

Also, keep in mind that these ranges do not represent the average salary for each position, but rather a broad scope of what employers have been offering IT professionals across the highest-paying tech jobs.

1. Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

$170,000 – $250,000

2. Enterprise Architect

$120,000 – $150,000

3. IT Director

$110,000 – $160,000

4. Full-Stack Developer

$110,000 – $160,000

5. Cybersecurity Engineer

$105,000 – $125,000

6. Database Developer and Database Administrator (DBA)

$80,000 – $130,000

7. Senior Data Analyst

$90,000 – $140,000

8. Infrastructure Engineer

$85,000 – $100,000

9. Software Engineer

$75,000 – $150,000

10. IT Consultant

$70,000 – $110,000

Stay on top of HR trends in technology

Significant shifts and trends are affecting high-paying IT jobs, shaping both the growing demand for specific skill sets and the going compensation for those roles. From advancements in artificial intelligence to machine learning, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), quantum computing, data science, mobile applications, and much more, these trends define the dynamic nature of the tech industry and the need for continuous regeneration among all stakeholders to stay competitive in the hiring and job markets.

Partner with an IT recruitment specialist and stay current with the latest IT human resources trends.

Employers: Make a connection with Goodwin Recruiting for deeper insights into compensation and get fast and confidential access to the nation’s top IT talent.

IT professionals: Explore high-paying IT job opportunities with leading employers nationwide through Goodwin Recruiting. Let us help you advance your tech career.

Some of the roles we fill

Goodwin Recruiting is proficient in identifying and placing professionals in the following and many other essential roles, with a focus on making solid talent matches for both the position and the company culture: