Salaries for Silicon Valley tech pros topped an average of $100,000 for the first time last year, according to a Dice salary survey.
Silicon Valley software and other engineering professionals saw their paychecks rise by an average of 5.2 percent to $104,195 last year, while those of tech pros nationwide grew just 2 percent to $81,327.
Indeed, in its January Beige Book report, the Federal Reserve noted "in some cases large compensation increases for workers with specialized skills" such as software developers and specifically those in its San Francisco District.
But the wage growth isn't just in Silicon Valley. Dice found that 12 of the top 20 cities for tech jobs had above-average wage growth.
According to Tom Silver, a Dice senior vice president:
Conventional wisdom says that as Silicon Valley goes, so goes the tech world. That’s true, and Silicon Valley is going well, but it doesn’t tell the entire story when it comes to tech employment. Nationally, we’re seeing stiffer competition and higher salaries for tech pros with the right skill sets and the right experience level.
While entry-level salaries are being pushed down, those getting raises generally had 11 or more years in their fields.
Bonuses grew more in Silicon Valley too, by 13 percent to an average $12,450, compared with an 8 percent increase to $8,769 nationwide. Hourly contractor rates there grew 11 percent to $74, compared compared with $63 an hour nationally, according to Dice.
Back in November, Robert Half Technology took a rosy view of IT salaries for 2012, predicting compensation would rise an average of 4.5 percent. Analysts at Computer Economics have forecast that number to be just 2.8 percent, probably a more likely number since Gartner sees IT budgets flat or even declining this year in North America.
