There's good news in Computerworld's IT Salary Survey results this year: As the economy has continued to improve in the past 12 months, so has the number of respondents reporting a raise. This year 67% of respondents reported a raise, with only 4% reporting a pay cut, compared with 60% reporting a raise and 8% reporting a pay cut in 2014.
What's more, for the first time since the economic downturn, we're seeing significant year-over-year gains in IT compensation. Total average compensation (including salary and bonus) is up 3.6% in 2015, versus 2.0% in 2014. This year, average salaries increased 3.6%, and average bonuses increased 4.6%.
Read the full report: Computerworld IT Salary Survey 2015
But those with the right IT roles who work in the right industries located in the right metro regions reported even stronger gains in pay. Following are the 10 job titles from all levels -- senior management, middle management and staff positions -- that saw the highest percentage increases in total compensation:
Hottest IT job titles 2015
| JOB TITLE | CHANGE IN AVERAGE TOTAL COMPENSATION 2014-2015 |
|---|---|
| Chief security officer | +6.7% |
| Information security manager | +5.3% |
| Network engineer | +5.2% |
| Technician | +5.0% |
| Database administrator | +4.6% |
| Chief information officer | +4.6% |
| Software engineer | +4.2% |
| Vice president of IT | +4.2% |
| Project leader | +4.1% |
| Application developer | +3.9% |
Analysis includes job titles with a base size of at least 50 respondents. Total compensation includes salary and bonus.
Survey respondents who work in the automotive industry reported the biggest bumps in pay, followed by those in the retail, wholesale and finance. Here are the 10 industries that saw the highest percentage increases in total compensation:
Hottest industries for IT pay 2015
| INDUSTRY | CHANGE IN AVERAGE TOTAL COMPENSATION 2014-2015 |
|---|---|
| Automotive | +6.8% |
| Retail trade | +5.2% |
| Wholesale trade | +4.7% |
| Finance/accounting | +4.6% |
| Legal/insurance/real estate | +4.3% |
| Entertainment/marketing/advertising | +4.3% |
| Health/medical services | +4.1% |
| Banking | +4.1% |
| Energy/utilities | +3.9% |
| Transportation/logistics | +3.9% |
Analysis includes industries with a base size of at least 50 respondents. Total compensation includes salary and bonus.
As any real estate agent can attest, location is paramount. Boston, No. 2 on last year's hot list, jumped to the top of the list with the highest average increase in total compensation in 2015. The Detroit metro area also saw a significant improvement year-over-year, jumping from No. 7 in 2014 to No. 2 in 2015, while San Francisco, No. 6 in 2014, upped its ranking to No. 3 on this year's list.
Following are the 10 metro regions where survey respondents reported the highest percentage increases in pay:
Hottest metro regions for IT pay 2015
| METRO REGION | CHANGE IN AVERAGE TOTAL COMPENSATION 2014-2015 |
|---|---|
| Boston | +5.2% |
| Detroit | +5.0% |
| San Francisco | +4.6% |
| Minneapolis/St. Paul | +4.5% |
| Atlanta | +4.1% |
| Seattle | +4.1% |
| Chicago | +4.0% |
| Phoenix | +3.9% |
| New York City | +3.9% |
| St. Louis | +3.9% |
Analysis includes metro regions with a base size of at least 50 respondents. Total compensation includes salary and bonus.
Percentages are all well and good, but how about some dollar amounts? It depends on which specific job title you're looking at, of course, but manufacturing pays the highest for a CIO-level exec, while education is the most miserly when it comes to help desk/tech support specialists.
Here's a look at the total compensation of a sampling of popular IT job titles by industry:
A sampling of IT pay by industry
| INDUSTRY | AVERAGE TOTAL COMPENSATION IN 2015 | |
|---|---|---|
| COMPUTER SERVICES/CONSULTING | ||
| CIO/vice president of IT | $151,419 | |
| Director of IT | $147,763 | |
| Software engineer | $110,409 | |
| IT manager | $96,758 | |
| Systems administrator | $77,643 | |
| Help desk/technical support specialist | $48,463 | |
| EDUCATION | ||
| CIO/vice president of IT | $149,597 | |
| Director of IT | $92,732 | |
| IT manager | $77,281 | |
| Systems administrator | $63,761 | |
| Help desk/technical support specialist | $45,741 | |
| Technician | $42,224* | |
| GOVERNMENT | ||
| Director of IT | $94,786 | |
| Application developer | $87,457* | |
| IT manager | $86,455 | |
| Systems administrator | $69,336 | |
| Network administrator | $67,961* | |
| Help desk/technical support specialist | $58,664* | |
| HEALTHCARE | ||
| CIO/vice president of IT | $181,341 | |
| Director of IT | $116,563 | |
| Network engineer | $93,982* | |
| IT manager | $92,445 | |
| Systems administrator | $73,356 | |
| Help desk/technical support specialist | $52,485 | |
| LEGAL & INSURANCE | ||
| CIO/vice president of IT | $184,508* | |
| Director of IT | $128,566* | |
| IT manager | $114,390 | |
| Systems analyst | $89,029** | |
| Application developer | $83,830** | |
| Help desk/technical support specialist | $56,615* | |
| MANUFACTURING | ||
| CIO/vice president of IT | $197,025* | |
| Director of IT | $137,108 | |
| IT manager | $95,321 | |
| Systems administrator | $70,922 | |
| Network administrator | $66,478* | |
| Help desk/technical support specialist | $53,039* | |
** 15 or fewer responses.
Source: Computerworld's IT Salary Survey 2015. Base: 4,863 respondents.
Total compensation includes salary and bonus.
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Next: IT Salary Survey 2015: Highlights