Which tech occupations pay the most? That’s a perpetual question for technology professionals everywhere, especially those just entering the industry or who want to switch roles. Dice’s latest Tech Salary Report offers some crucial insights on that front.
In 2022, the average tech salary increased 2.3 percent year-over-year to $111,348. As you can see from the following chart, those with highly specialized skills could command much higher salaries:
As with previous years, IT management (including CEOs, CIOs and CTOs) took home the largest salaries in 2022, earning an average of $164,814. That’s a whopping 8.4 percent increase from 2021, and hints at how many companies, their budgets flush with profits from the past few years, amply rewarded their executives.
But tech professionals with highly specialized skills did nearly as well, especially in roles that impact company strategies and tech stacks. For example, solutions architects earned an average of $155,934 in 2022, just ahead of principal software engineers ($153,288) and systems architects ($151,364). Cybersecurity engineers, cloud architects and program analysts/managers also earned significant checks.
It’s easy to see why these roles demand such pay premiums in addition to other perks and benefits. It takes many years of learning and experience to effectively plot a company’s software strategy or architect its cloud setup. For anything cloud-related, for example, senior tech professionals must master the intricacies of cloud-based compute, storage, network, database and security.
In addition, tech professionals who climb high within their respective hierarchies usually have superior “soft skills” such as communication and collaboration abilities, making them invaluable as managers and team leaders. If you’re capable of managing a team of hundreds to accomplish a huge project that will impact an industry, you can expect substantial compensation.
Even tech professionals with a more tactical focus, such as software developers, landed six-figure salaries. With tech unemployment currently hovering at around 1.5 percent (according to the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), it’s clear that organizations everywhere are hungry for a variety of tech professionals—and they’re willing to pay top dollar (along with premium benefits and perks) to secure the talent they need.
