What the top 5 metro areas pay for hot IT jobs

The war for IT talent in 2017 is becoming even more competitive — and even more expensive. The demand for talent certainly isn’t slowing down, and companies are offering hefty compensation packages to try and fill open roles.

Tech jobs in big data, IT security, and software development, for example, are paying big bucks for both entry- and senior-level positions, especially if you live in one of the five largest metro areas in the United States, according to Randstad’s 2017 Salary Guide.

“The biggest takeaway here is that salary is still the No. 1 factor candidates consider when looking at new opportunities. The recent Gallup State of the American Workforce survey showed that about 37 percent of people would leave their job for a salary increase of 20 percent or less — it doesn’t take much, but candidates today know their worth and they can name their price. It’s a candidate’s market,” says Jennifer Selden, regional recruiting director at Randstad Technologies.

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And those prices can be pretty steep, especially for technologists with particularly high-demand skills in and around the five biggest metro areas in the United States: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Philadelphia.

Here, according to Randstad’s 2017 Salary Guide data, are three of the hottest IT jobs — cybersecurity engineer, Java developer, and big data software development architect — and what candidates can expect to make at both entry and senior level in the five largest U.S. metro areas.

Cybersecurity engineer

1. New York Entry-level pay (0-3 years experience): $106,648 Senior-level pay (8+ years experience):$143,381

2. Los Angeles Entry-level pay (0-3 years experience): $102,188 Senior-level pay (8+ years experience): $137,175

3. Chicago Entry-level pay (0-3 years experience): $97,305 Senior-level pay (8+ years experience): $128,161

4. Houston Entry-level pay (0-3 years experience): $98,928 Senior-level pay (8+ years experience): $134,095

5. Philadelphia Entry-level pay (0-3 years experience): $98,436 Senior-level pay (8+ years experience): $131,407

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Java developer

1. New York Entry-level pay (0-3 years experience): $99,395 Senior-level pay (8+ years experience): $160,680

2. Los Angeles Entry-level pay (0-3 years experience): $66,950 Senior-level pay (8+ years experience): $133,900

3. Chicago Entry-level pay (0-3 years experience): $74,160 Senior-level pay (8+ years experience): $133,900

4. Houston Entry-level pay (0-3 years experience): $72,100 Senior-level pay (8+ years experience): $113,300

5. Philadelphia Entry-level pay (0-3 years experience): $87,550 Senior-level pay (8+ years experience): $128,750

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Big data software development architect

1. New York Entry-level pay (0-3 years experience): $101,852 Senior-level pay (8+ years experience): $144,164

2. Los Angeles Entry-level pay (0-3 years experience): $97,626 Senior-level pay (8+ years experience): $137,918

3. Chicago Entry-level pay (0-3 years experience): $100,000 Senior-level pay (8+ years experience): $140,000

4. Houston Entry-level pay (0-3 years experience): $94,374 Senior-level pay (8+ years experience): $134,829

5. Philadelphia Entry-level pay (0-3 years experience): $94,122 Senior-level pay (8+ years experience): $132,113

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