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The Dice 2020 Tech Salary Report

By DHI Group Inc.
January 30, 2020
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Dice, a leading career marketplace for technology professionals, has released its annual Dice 2020 Tech Salary Report.

In 2019, the average U.S. annual salary in the technology industry hit $94,000, up just 1.3% from 2018. Some of the largest U.S. tech hubs saw increased salaries in 2019 — Silicon Valley (including San Francisco) saw average salaries increase 4.7% year-over-year, to $123,826. In New York City, salaries crept up 1.7%, to $102,359.

However, in emerging tech hubs, technology salaries have jumped considerably, suggesting localized demand for technologists who specialize in a variety of specific platforms. 2019's emerging cities of note, and the factors of their growth, include:

• Columbus – Rising demand in both private and public sectors
  • Average salary $92,017; 14.2% growth Y/Y
• St. Louis – Large-scale businesses hiring at high volume
  • Average salary $97,892; 13.6% growth Y/Y
• Atlanta – Powerful tech community presence
  • Average salary $94,084; 9.5% growth Y/Y
• Denver – Companies moving to or expanding in Denver
  • Average salary $102,557; 6.5% growth Y/Y
• Dallas Fort Worth – More salary growth than Austin in 2019
  • Average salary $95,002; 5.8% growth Y/Y
• San Diego – Most job posting growth in California
  • Average salary $109,428; 5.4% growth Y/Y

Satisfied Technologists

As a whole, 38% of technologists said they are likely to change employers in 2020, which is down from 45% in 2019. While external factors — like 2020 being an election year — may contribute to more technologists wanting to stay with their current employer, satisfaction among technologists remains relatively high, as nearly half said they were satisfied or very satisfied with their current or most recent job. In order to attract specialized technologists, employers should consider a strategy shift toward more holistic offerings for top talent.

"In order to support tech as an ever-growing field across industries, employers should understand the benefits that make the most impact to skilled technologists," said Art Zeile, CEO of DHI Group Inc., parent company to Dice. "To entice top talent, in addition to compensation, a focus on 'emerging' benefits and remote work options will position tech companies' roles at the top of the stack for in-demand experts," Zeile said.

Emerging Benefits

This year's report shows that technologists are interested in emerging benefits such as college tuition reimbursement (which 48% expressed interest in, though only 25% report receiving it as a benefit), wellness programs (45% expressed interest, up 6% from last year), maternity/paternity leave (45%, up 11% from last year), and paid volunteer opportunities (35%, up 7% from last year). 

In addition to more nuanced benefits, remote work remains a desire for more than half of technologists as 61% of survey respondents said that they wanted to work remotely at least half the time, but only 24% of them have the opportunity to do so.

2019 data showed that work-life balance was the top-rated motivator employers provided to technologists (40%), with higher rates than recognition (33%), health or retirement benefits (31%), and higher compensation or promotion (26%). 

A Focus on Creativity

"We're excited to share that this year's report brought to light a new tool for balancing the demands of technology work," said Michelle Marian, CMO of DHI Group. "With over a quarter of technologists seeking opportunities to be more creative in their jobs, employers can meet this need by offering special projects and empowering technologists to approach projects in distinct and creative ways, allowing room for continued innovation and in turn, increased satisfaction for technologists."

Fastest Growing Tech Skills

 

 

  Report Methodology

The Dice Salary Survey was administered online by Dice.com, with 12,837 employed U.S.-based technology professionals responding between October 14, 2019 and December 17, 2019. The methodology in the full report describes how respondents were invited to respond to the survey, Dice's cookie methodology, and salary cap. Job posting data was gathered by Dice's partner, Burning Glass Technologies, which has a database of more than 1 billion current and historical job postings worldwide. For the purpose of identifying growth, job postings between 2018 and 2019 were compared. Key employers, roles, and skills were identified by analyzing job post data for 2019 only.

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