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The most in-demand tech positions employers want to fill are information security analyst and IT support specialist, both of which only require a bachelor’s degree, according to a recent survey by Electric about where in the U.S. IT pros can earn the most. The report revealed that an information security analyst can earn an annual salary of up to $167,000 in Los Angeles, and an IT support specialist can get paid up to $103,000 in Washington, D.C.

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High-paying cybersecurity jobs and where to find them

Top U.S. cities for cybersecurity jobs

With data breaches continually on the rise, it comes as little surprise that cybersecurity positions are in high demand in and around Silicon Valley, according to the survey. In addition to San Jose, California, and San Francisco, New York City joins the ranks as having the highest-paying cybersecurity jobs, with salaries averaging at least $135,000 per year.

Freelance cybersecurity workers in NYC charge an eye-popping $157 per hour, which is $47 above average, the IT support firm said. However, the cost of living in the city averaged around $5,000 per month in 2022, the firm noted.

Top 10 companies seeking cybersecurity professionals

Armed with a bachelor’s degree focused on computer science or cybersecurity, most people can land a high-paying cybersecurity job, especially given that “there’s no shortage of available roles,” the company said.

The top companies, including one government agency, with the most openings for cybersecurity jobs are:

  1. Deloitte
  2. Costco
  3. VMware
  4. The Federal Bureau of Investigation
  5. TikTok
  6. Booz Allen Hamilton
  7. Canonical
  8. Splunk
  9. IBM
  10. Capgemini

Other companies offering top salaries for cybersecurity positions include OpenAI, Nvidia and enterprise data platform ActionIQ.

SEE: This commentary on why it’s a good thing that ChatGPT is coming for your job. (TechRepublic)

Cybersecurity roles with the highest salaries

The hottest current positions within the cybersecurity field and their average annual salaries are:

  • Information security analyst: $99,000
  • Cybersecurity engineer: $119,000
  • Cybersecurity analyst: $106,000
  • Security engineer: $125,000
  • Security analyst: $97,000

High-paying IT support jobs and where to find them

Top U.S. cities for IT support jobs

IT support doesn’t command average salaries nearly as high as cybersecurity roles, but the position still pays quite well. The highest IT support salaries are offered in many of the same metro areas as the top-ranking cybersecurity positions, the Electric survey said.

The top five U.S. cities paying the most for IT services costs are also where you can find the highest-paying IT support jobs (the average annual salary for each location is provided):

  • Washington, D.C.: $96,000
  • New York City: $94,000
  • San Francisco: $92,000
  • San Jose, California: $90,000
  • Los Angeles: $86,000

In addition, Miami has a high demand for basic IT support, with the most common online search query there being “how to copy and paste,” the survey said.

Beyond cities, the survey found that from 2022 to 2023, there are three states that are in the most desperate need of cybersecurity and IT help. These states are located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. Montana had the highest number of online searches for these workers per 100,000 residents, followed by Washington and Oregon, the survey said.

Most in-demand IT support roles

With the oft-heard mantra, “All companies are tech companies,” it makes sense that organizations have been most eager to fill roles within these support niches. In particular, these roles, along with their average annual salary, include:

  • IT support specialist: $77,000
  • IT support technician: $58,000
  • IT help desk technician: $60,000
  • IT support engineer: $79,000
  • Technical support specialist: $81,000

On average, IT support freelancers have been charging $85 per hour, but that rate was exceeded in New York City, where the highest average hourly rate was $106, followed by California at $97 and Florida at $90.

Survey methodology

Electric said it analyzed 1,437 job postings related to cybersecurity and IT support from Indeed. The average salaries were determined by considering the lowest and highest salary ranges mentioned in each job posting on Indeed. The firm said it also analyzed the average hourly rate of 200 freelancers working on cybersecurity or IT support from Upwork as well as Google Trends data from 2022 to 2023 to analyze search volume data for cybersecurity and IT support positions.