From cloud computing to self-driving cars to artificial intelligence, technology is moving fast and tech jobs are following suit: computer and IT employment is projected to jump by a better-than-average 12% through 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. With demand for tech talent surging, the median annual wage for computer and IT jobs is about $83,000, whereas the median U.S. salary for all occupations (at all experience levels) is about $59,000.
As opportunities for technology training continue to flourish, Comparably sought to compile a list of tech jobs that pay the most at the earliest levels of experience (1-3 years). The results come from an analysis of more than 19,000 anonymous salary records for workers at small, mid-size and large public and private U.S. tech companies. The data was collected between March 2016 and October 2017.
Salaries shown are median salaries unless otherwise noted. Full methodology below.
The highest salaries
| 1 | Data Scientist | Also called data analysts, these workers use computing technology to unearth trends and develop new approaches to problem solving. | $110,850 |
| 2 | Product Manager | Workers in product management outline a strategy and roadmap for products that the engineering team will build. | $105,000 |
| 3 | Developer | Developers use code to research, design, program, and test computer software. | $96,000 |
| 4 | Mobile Developer | A type of developer who focuses primarily on building applications for mobile devices. | $98,000 |
| 5 | Sales Engineer | Combining technological knowledge with sales skills, sales engineers sell complex tech-based products and services to companies. | $93,000 |
| 6 | DevOps Engineer | A challenging job to fill, the DevOps engineer uses use a variety of technologies and programs to automate systems and manage software deployments. | $90,000 |
— The median salary for data scientists with 1-3 years’ experience is nearly $111,000, the highest of the group.
Compensation by gender (1-3 years’ experience, all levels of experience)
| Women
(1-3 years) |
Men
(1-3 years) |
|
| Data Scientist | $113,500 | $110,600 |
| Developer | $98,800 | $95,400 |
| DevOps Engineer | $90,000 | $90,000 |
| Mobile Developer | $80,000 | $100,000 |
| Product Manager | $97,250 | $105,500 |
| Sales Engineer | $93,000 | $93,500 |
| Women
(all levels) |
Men
(all levels) |
|
| Data Scientist | $115,000 | $121,000 |
| Developer | $100,000 | $97,000 |
| DevOps Engineer | $100,000 | $113,000 |
| Mobile Developer | $100,000 | $110,000 |
| Product Manager | $107,000 | $114,000 |
| Sales Engineer | $120,000 | $145,000 |
— In the first 1-3 years of work experience, the gap between men and women is smaller than it is at all levels of experience.
— In the first 1-3 years of work experience, the median salary for women is slightly higher than it is for men in two positions: data scientist and developer.
— When looking at gender by role from all levels of experience, women earn less in every role except developer ($100,000 vs. $97,000).
— Note: An underline designates which of the two numbers in the set is larger.
Compensation by ethnicity
| African American | Hispanic/Latino | Asian/Pacific Islander | Caucasian | |
| Data Scientist | $119,895 | $123,580 | $128,106 | $120,626 |
| Developer | $93,654 | $98,891 | $115,097 | $96,850 |
| DevOps Engineer | $108,058 | $111,620 | $118,518 | $114,342 |
| Mobile Developer | $92,820 | $114,549 | $119,448 | $108,126 |
| Product Manager | $116,016 | $115,280 | $123,868 | $112,125 |
| Sales Engineer | $134,995 | $126,461 | $147,025 | $142,765 |
— African Americans earn the least across the board. The gap is narrowest among DevOps engineers.
— Asians and Pacific Islanders earn the most in almost every category.
— Note: Figures shown are averages for all experience levels (not just 1-3 years).
Compensation by location
| SAN FRAN | LOS ANGELES | SEATTLE | CHICAGO | NYC | BOSTON | |
| Data Scientist | $147,574 | $125,779 | $144,354 | $113,202 | $132,180 | $127,325 |
| Developer | $125,456 | $106,187 | $126,870 | $89,641 | $109,852 | $102,718 |
| DevOps Engineer | $141,998 | $127,272 | $128,637 | $108,315 | $127,429 | $116,191 |
| Mobile Developer | $131,810 | $109,741 | $119,634 | $89,004 | $113,353 | $104,351 |
| Product Manager | $131,961 | $112,197 | $125,404 | $102,955 | $112,820 | $107,019 |
| Sales Engineer | $153,490 | $126,066 | $139,395 | $137,620 | $155,022 | $143,492 |
— San Francisco salaries are the highest in nearly every category, with NYC and Seattle close behind.
— Note: Figures shown are averages for all experience levels (not just 1-3 years).
Methodology
— The results were compiled between March 30, 2016, and October 15, 2017, from 19,487 anonymous employee salary records.
— Employees hail from small, mid-size, and large tech companies (VC-funded, privately-held, and public) to household brands like Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook, Uber, etc.
— “Entry-level” is defined here as 1-3 years’ experience. “All levels” is defined as 1-10+ years experience.
— A job had to have a minimum of 600 salary records on Comparably to be included (the average was 3,200), with a minimum of 10% in the 1-3 years’ experience category.
About Comparably
Comparably is one of the fastest growing compensation, culture, and career monitoring sites in the U.S. With a mission to make work dramatically more transparent and rewarding, it is the only platform with comprehensive and structured data that can be segmented by gender, ethnicity, age, location, tenure, company size, equity, title/department, and education. Since the Santa Monica-based startup’s launch in March 2016, the site has become a popular resource for employees to anonymously input and compare salaries, rate their workplace culture and CEOs, and have their dream jobs find them. With more than 2 million ratings and hundreds of thousands of salary and culture data, over 4,500 companies use Comparably’s employer branding and jobs tools to recruit and retain talent. For more information, please visit www.comparably.com
