IT Manager Salary for 2027
Key takeaways
- Computer and information systems managers earned a median of $175,140 a year in May 2025, the highest of every occupation in this report and $39,160 above software developers. The middle half fell between $138,060 and $220,730, and a tenth earned more than $297,510.
- It is senior pay for a senior job. BLS lists a bachelor’s degree plus five years or more of related work as the typical way in, so the figure describes people who already spent years as engineers, analysts or administrators.
- Industry moves pay a long way. Among the industries we checked, securities, commodity contracts and other financial investments pays the highest median, $214,460, and software publishers $202,250, while government (federal, state and local) pays $146,540. Computer systems design and related services employs the most IT managers, so it sets the going rate for many offers.
- California has the highest state median, $218,290, and Wyoming the lowest, $120,850. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA tops the metro areas we cover at $291,660, and Oklahoma City, OK has the lowest. District of Columbia and New Jersey have the highest share of these jobs. State figures are not adjusted for living costs. Find your state in the state table.
- BLS projects 15.8% growth from 2025 to 2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, as organizations rely more on IT. That is about 53,500 openings a year. A projection is a model of the decade ahead, not a promise, and BLS revises it every year.
The national picture
Computer and Information Systems Managers, all industries, BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- 10th percentile
- $107,550
- BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual pay
- $175,140
- BLS OEWS, May 2025
- 90th percentile
- $297,510
- BLS OEWS, May 2025
| Percentile | What it means | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | One in ten earn less | $51.71 | $107,550 |
| 25th | A quarter earn less | $66.38 | $138,060 |
| Median | Half earn more, half less | $84.20 | $175,140 |
| 75th | A quarter earn more | $106.12 | $220,730 |
| 90th | One in ten earn more | $143.03 | $297,510 |
The mean, $192,160, sits above the median because a smaller group at the top of the range pulls the average up. For a sense of what most people earn, the median and the middle half, $138,060 to $220,730, are the better guide.
IT manager or engineering manager? BLS counts both in this occupation, along with IT directors and technology executives. An engineering manager at a software company and an IT manager at a hospital can sit in the same group with very different pay, and BLS publishes no separate figure for either.
IT manager salary by employer type
National industry-specific medians for computer and information systems managers, BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Computer systems design and related services employs the most computer and information systems managers among the industries here, 131,930, at a median of $179,510. That is 19.7% of all computer and information systems managers. The highest median belongs to securities, commodity contracts and other financial investments, $214,460, and the lowest of these to colleges, universities and professional schools, $135,590.
- Computer systems design and related services 131,930 employed, 19.7% of the occupation $179,510
- Management of companies and enterprises 73,160 employed, 10.9% of the occupation $176,950
- Software publishers 35,120 employed, 5.2% of the occupation $202,250
- Insurance carriers and related activities 33,170 employed, 4.9% of the occupation $174,230
- Government (federal, state and local) 31,640 employed, 4.7% of the occupation $146,540
- Banks and other credit intermediation 28,750 employed, 4.3% of the occupation $178,140
- Computing infrastructure providers, data processing and web hosting 26,210 employed, 3.9% of the occupation $179,470
- Management, scientific and technical consulting services 24,970 employed, 3.7% of the occupation $178,670
- Securities, commodity contracts and other financial investments 18,630 employed, 2.8% of the occupation $214,460
- Colleges, universities and professional schools 17,160 employed, 2.6% of the occupation $135,590
IT manager salary by state
Median annual pay, employment and location quotient in every state BLS publishes, BLS OEWS, May 2025.
California pays the highest state median, $218,290, 25% above the national figure, and Wyoming the lowest, $120,850. California employs the most computer and information systems managers, 94,720. Search for your state, or sort by any column.
| vs national median | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $218,290+25% | $197,191 | 94,720 | 1.21 | |
| Massachusetts | $214,960+23% | $203,176 | 24,910 | 1.59 | |
| New York | $214,300+22% | $198,610 | 48,050 | 1.15 | |
| Washington | $209,370+20% | $195,673 | 16,960 | 1.11 | |
| New Jersey | $203,460+16% | $187,004 | 34,470 | 1.87 | |
| Virginia | $201,490+15% | $199,298 | 17,550 | 0.99 | |
| Colorado | $199,420+14% | $193,424 | 11,510 | 0.93 | |
| District of Columbia | $195,190+11% | $177,607 | 5,690 | 1.88 | |
| New Hampshire | $176,540+1% | $169,424 | 3,810 | 1.29 | |
| Minnesota | $176,380+1% | $178,884 | 10,970 | 0.86 | |
| Oregon | $175,2700% | $169,507 | 7,440 | 0.88 | |
| Georgia | $173,940−1% | $180,623 | 18,560 | 0.88 | |
| North Carolina | $172,860−1% | $183,309 | 25,650 | 1.20 | |
| Connecticut | $171,750−2% | $165,782 | 10,570 | 1.45 | |
| Illinois | $171,730−2% | $171,730 | 31,680 | 1.20 | |
| Texas | $171,530−2% | $176,653 | 73,060 | 1.20 | |
| Maryland | $171,490−2% | $163,324 | 14,620 | 1.23 | |
| Delaware | $168,500−4% | $168,838 | 2,140 | 1.03 | |
| Florida | $168,470−4% | $162,930 | 35,040 | 0.82 | |
| Rhode Island | $167,270−4% | $163,509 | 1,210 | 0.56 | |
| Arizona | $166,430−5% | $165,273 | 14,270 | 1.02 | |
| Nevada | $165,000−6% | $165,000 | 3,610 | 0.54 | |
| Kansas | $164,830−6% | $182,941 | 4,050 | 0.65 | |
| Pennsylvania | $163,910−6% | $167,941 | 27,060 | 1.03 | |
| Michigan | $163,760−6% | $170,229 | 16,010 | 0.84 | |
| Ohio | $163,640−7% | $176,336 | 19,500 | 0.81 | |
| Utah | $163,610−7% | $165,430 | 8,810 | 1.18 | |
| Idaho | $162,240−7% | $169,885 | 1,950 | 0.53 | |
| South Dakota | $162,240−7% | $183,115 | 380 | 0.19 | |
| South Carolina | $160,860−8% | $171,676 | 4,930 | 0.50 | |
| Maine | $160,260−8% | $165,046 | 1,450 | 0.52 | |
| Wisconsin | $160,140−9% | $170,181 | 8,880 | 0.70 | |
| Missouri | $159,460−9% | $175,617 | 11,130 | 0.88 | |
| Tennessee | $158,700−9% | $172,688 | 12,040 | 0.85 | |
| North Dakota | $149,130−15% | $167,562 | 850 | 0.46 | |
| Iowa | $143,780−18% | $163,759 | 3,920 | 0.58 | |
| Indiana | $142,040−19% | $152,240 | 8,060 | 0.58 | |
| Hawaii | $141,640−19% | $128,764 | 1,200 | 0.44 | |
| Kentucky | $140,360−20% | $155,610 | 3,130 | 0.36 | |
| West Virginia | $139,820−20% | $156,223 | 1,100 | 0.36 | |
| Alabama | $138,670−21% | $156,160 | 7,670 | 0.84 | |
| Vermont | $138,460−21% | $141,286 | 1,100 | 0.84 | |
| New Mexico | $137,730−21% | $149,382 | 1,500 | 0.40 | |
| Oklahoma | $137,280−22% | $156,355 | 3,790 | 0.51 | |
| Nebraska | $135,780−22% | $150,699 | 5,070 | 1.15 | |
| Alaska | $133,490−24% | $130,361 | 970 | 0.69 | |
| Montana | $132,860−24% | $140,444 | 1,180 | 0.53 | |
| Louisiana | $127,500−27% | $144,558 | 2,860 | 0.34 | |
| Arkansas | $127,220−27% | $146,398 | 3,420 | 0.61 | |
| Mississippi | $124,280−29% | $142,851 | 1,710 | 0.34 | |
| Wyoming | $120,850−31% | $130,367 | 330 | 0.27 |
No state matches.
Computer and Information Systems Managers, BLS OEWS, May 2025. Location quotient: the state’s share of employment in this job divided by the national share; above 1.00 means the job is more concentrated there than nationally.
A higher median does not always mean more money left over, because prices differ between states. The price-adjusted column divides each state’s median by its all-items Regional Price Parity from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024, US = 100), which puts every state’s median in national-average prices. Adjusted that way, Massachusetts comes out highest, at $203,176.
Top-paying metro areas
Among the 50 largest metro areas this site covers with a published median, BLS OEWS metro data, May 2025.
Metro pay spreads wider than state pay. San Jose leads at $291,660, 67% above the national median. The biggest job markets are not always the best paid: New York employs the most computer and information systems managers of any metro here, 62,430, at a median of $215,300.
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 19,070 employed $291,660
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 23,830 employed $232,890
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ 62,430 employed $215,300
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 20,530 employed $214,960
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 13,170 employed $214,680
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 7,250 employed $206,740
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 23,180 employed $204,370
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO 7,730 employed $203,340
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 20,800 employed $195,190
- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA 5,680 employed $183,720
- Richmond, VA 1,900 employed $180,640
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI 8,780 employed $178,080
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 14,430 employed $177,970
- Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX 11,050 employed $176,990
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC 8,120 employed $176,840
The largest job markets
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ median $215,300 62,430
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX median $173,810 30,690
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median $173,760 24,950
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median $232,890 23,830
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA median $204,370 23,180
What moves your pay
Each lever is the gap between two published medians, BLS OEWS, May 2025, ranked by size. Places run lowest to highest.
BLS does not publish pay by years of experience or by degree for computer and information systems managers, so this ranking uses the gaps it does publish: between places, between employers and between occupations. Each is a gap between two medians, not a raise anyone is promised.
- L1 +$153,720
Which metro you work in
Among the 50 metro areas this site covers with a published median, Oklahoma City metro $137,940 to San Jose metro $291,660
- L2 +$97,440
Which state you work in
Among the 51 states (District of Columbia included) with a published median, Wyoming $120,850 to California $218,290
- L3 +$78,870
Which industry employs you
Among the 10 largest employing industries, Colleges, universities and professional schools $135,590 to Securities, commodity contracts and other financial investments $214,460
How to raise your pay
What the figures above suggest, in order of how much they move the numbers.
- Know your market before you negotiate. Check your state and metro above, and compare an offer with the local median rather than the national one.
- Weigh the employer type. Among the industries we checked, securities, commodity contracts and other financial investments pays the highest median, $214,460, against $175,140 nationally.
- Lead before you have the title. Running projects and mentoring others is how engineers and analysts move into management. This is our reading of the field, not a BLS figure.
- Consider a part-time master’s. Many managers add one mid-career; compare cost and size in our master’s ranking.
How IT manager pay compares
National medians for related BLS occupations, BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Among closely related computer occupations, computer and information systems managers have the highest median, $175,140, and web developers the lowest, $92,650. Computer and information systems managers sit at $175,140, the highest of the 10.
- Computer and Information Systems Managers 15.8% projected change, 2025-35 $175,140
- Computer and Information Research Scientists 21.8% projected change, 2025-35 $140,300
- Software Developers 10.2% projected change, 2025-35 $135,980
- Information Security Analysts 21% projected change, 2025-35 $129,180
- Data Scientists 34.6% projected change, 2025-35 $120,230
- Computer Systems Analysts 7.9% projected change, 2025-35 $105,850
- Database Administrators -0.1% projected change, 2025-35 $104,620
- Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers 5.7% projected change, 2025-35 $104,300
- Computer Programmers -7.3% projected change, 2025-35 $100,390
- Web Developers 3.8% projected change, 2025-35 $92,650
Job outlook
BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35.
BLS projects computer and information systems managers employment to rise from 685,800 in 2025 to 793,900 in 2035, a gain of 108,100 jobs. Growth is only part of the story: new jobs average about 10,810 a year, about 20% of the 53,500 openings a year; the rest open when people retire, change occupations or leave the workforce.
Among the related occupations above, data scientists have the fastest projected growth, 34.6%. A projection is a model of the next decade, not a promise, and BLS revises it every year.
Keep reading
- Software Engineer Salary The software developer pay report, by state, metro and industry.
- Information Security Analyst Salary Pay for the security track that many IT leaders come from.
- Software Engineering Master’s Programs Master’s programs scored on tuition, size, research activity and ABET status.
- IT Manager Career Guide What the job involves and the years of experience it takes.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an IT manager make?
Computer and information systems managers earned a median of $175,140 a year in May 2025, or $84.20 an hour. The 10th percentile was $107,550 and the 90th was $297,510.
Do IT managers make more than software engineers?
Yes, on BLS’s national figures. IT managers had a median of $175,140 in May 2025, $39,160 more than the $135,980 for software developers. Most IT managers were engineers or analysts first.
What is the hourly pay for an IT manager?
The national median was $84.20 an hour in May 2025, with a 10th percentile of $51.71 and a 90th of $143.03.
Which state pays IT managers the most?
California, with a median of $218,290 in May 2025. 11 of the 51 states BLS publishes sit above the national $175,140.
Which state employs the most IT managers?
California, with 94,720 in May 2025. By location quotient, which compares a state’s share of these jobs with the national share, District of Columbia, New Jersey and Massachusetts are the most concentrated.
Which industries pay IT managers the most?
Among the 24 industries we checked in BLS data, securities, commodity contracts and other financial investments has the highest median, $214,460. Computer systems design and related services employs the most, 131,930.
How much does a CIO or CTO make?
BLS counts chief information and technology officers within this occupation and publishes no separate figure for them. Executive pay sits toward the top of the range, at or above the 90th percentile, though that is an inference, not a published figure.
Does a master’s degree raise an IT manager’s salary?
BLS publishes no pay by degree, so this page can’t say how much a master’s adds. BLS lists a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry education; many managers add an MBA or a technical master’s later.
References
Every figure on this page comes from one of these, read by the site’s data scripts and computed at build time, never typed in.
- 1 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: national and state Computer and information systems managers: employment, annual median and 10th to 90th percentiles, national and by state. The national row is cross-checked against the BLS API. Read .
- 2 BLS OEWS May 2025, via api.bls.gov: hourly, location quotient and industry series Hourly percentiles, location quotient by state, and national industry-specific employment and medians for computer and information systems managers (24 industries checked).
- 3 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, metropolitan areas, May 2025 Metro employment and median for computer and information systems managers in the metro areas this site covers.
- 4 BLS Employment Projections, 2025-35 Projected employment change and annual openings, 2025 to 2035, for computer and information systems managers and the related occupations compared here.
- 5 U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by State (SARPP), 2024 All-items Regional Price Parity by state (US = 100), used for the price-adjusted column in the state table.
- 6 BLS Employment Projections, occupation tables 1.2, 1.10 and 1.12, 2025-35 Table 1.2, typical entry education and work experience, and table 1.12, BLS’s stated factor behind the projected growth for computer and information systems managers.