Median Salary for IT Pros $106,267

Highest Demand is for Executive Level IT Pros in SMB

IT Pros who have in demand experience see record increases in salaries

Summerlin South - NV - e-janco.com - Janco just released it 2026 IT Salary Survey and reports the median salary for IT Professionals is $108,267.   Janco will be publishing its full set of findings on Substack (https://itmanager.substack.com/).

The CEO of Janco, M. Victor Janulaitis said, “. Executives in large enterprises have a median compensation of $186,324. At the same time, IT executives in SMBs (Mid-sized enterprises) command $164,250.”

The significant findings from Janco’s 2026 IT Salary Survey are:

• Salary increases have slowed to 1.67% from last January

• Many IT organizations have eliminated or automated functions, reducing the need for “entry-level” and “low-skill” positions. IT departments hired fewer graduates this past year.

• Total compensation for IT executives in Large Enterprises is 13.2% higher than in Mid-sized enterprises. IT Pros are paid less in SMBs than in Large Enterprises, on average, $5,175

• Base salaries for all IT Pros increased by 1.23% - now $100,924.

• Median compensation (including bonuses and fringe benefits) for IT Pros in large enterprises is $108,643, with executives’ median salary at $188,294.

• Salaries for IT Professionals, in aggregate, rose 1.67% in the past 4 quarters – less than the annualized inflation rate.

• With bonuses and fringe benefits, IT Pros fared best, with total compensation increasing by 1.11% in large enterprises and 2.28% in mid-sized enterprises.

• Salary compression is occurring as “new hires” are offered salaries at the top end of the pay ranges for existing positions – often paid more than current employees in the same position.

• Attrition rates in mid-sized enterprises are rising faster than in large enterprises.

• Salary levels in mid-sized enterprises are rising faster than in large enterprises, 2.28% versus 1.11%

• Demand has remained high for IT professionals supporting artificial Intelligence, security, Blockchain, and e-commerce.

• Staffing and retention remain a primary priority for C-level management.

AI and Blockchain applications are a driving force

AI serves as a powerful tool for augmenting and evolving roles, enhancing the productivity and capabilities of employees across various IT jobs. This will impact both the number of positions and the salaries for IT Pros.  Some of that impact is shown in our IT Salary Survey and our IT Job Market reporting.

Janco's analysis of various IT functions, including Help Desk, Security Management, and SLA reporting, shows that AI is transforming the workforce by enabling workers to delegate routine, data -intensive tasks to AI systems, thereby enhancing their focus on areas where human skills such as strategic thinking, empathy, and creativity are paramount.

For roles that involve repetitive, data-intensive tasks, such as scheduling, reviewing, designing, inspecting, debugging, and coding, AI is having a significant impact. By automating these processes, AI enables workers to focus on more complex, strategic aspects of their roles. For example, in plant and system operations, AI can monitor system status and operational data, automate routine tasks, and allow human operators to concentrate on critical decision-making and problem-solving. This shift improves efficiency and accuracy, allowing workers to upskill and engage in more fulfilling, intellectually stimulating tasks.

Janulaitis stated, “From our interviews, we have found that most of the hiring and job growth is small to mid-sized enterprises.  Many of the larger firms continue to be focused on improvements in productivity and replacing lower-level skills with AI applications.  AI has halted the growth of entry-level positions within IT, especially in customer service, internal reporting, telecommunications, and hosting automation.  C-level executives continue to be focused on eliminating “non-essential” managers, staff, and services. Experienced coders and developers have limited opportunities with legacy applications. The highest demand continues to be for AI, security professionals, new technology programmers, and Internet processing IT Pros.“

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Janco is an international consulting firm that follows issues that concern CIOs and CFOs. The firm publishes a series of IT and business Infrastructure HandiGuides® and Templates including IT Infrastructure Policies and Procedures, Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Template, Security Template, IT Job Descriptions, and its semi-annual IT Salary Survey.