For many IT professionals who aspire to climb the corporate ladder, the natural career progression is to start as an individual contributor and, after gaining some experience in the field, be promoted to a people manager. But what are the typical requirements for becoming a computer and information systems manager (AKA IT manager), and how much do they make?
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics provides in-depth insights into the salaries of IT managers in its Occupational Outlook Handbook, which was last updated with career and salary data collected in May 2023 at the time of this writing.
What do IT managers do?
According to the BLS, workers in management occupations direct business activities and oversee people, products, or services. More specifically, they state that IT managers “plan, coordinate, and direct computer-related activities in an organization. In 2023, an estimated 592.6K computer and IT managers were working in the United States.
What are the requirements to become an IT manager?
According to occupational data from the US Department of Labor, a college degree is typically required to become an IT manager in addition to several years of job experience. Additionally, working knowledge of computing technology, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and attention to detail are all characteristics employers seek in IT managers.
How much do IT managers make?
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2023, the median salary for an IT manager in the United States was $169.5K per year ($81.50 hourly).
IT managers have a great deal of job responsibility but are also typically well compensated for their work relative to other roles within IT departments.
Example: US salaries for various IT job titles (May 2023)
IT manager pay range (May 2023)
Even within the same job title, salary can vary depending a variety of factors. The BLS publishes percentile ranges that can help you understand what IT managers can realistically expect relative to peers.
Percentile wage estimates for IT managers
| 10% | 25% | 50% (med) | 75% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $101,590 | $131,770 | $169,510 | $214,050 | $239,200 |
On the high end, IT managers in the 90th percentile (salaries higher than 90% of peers) earned $239.2K per year (or $115.00 per hour) in 2023. On the lower end, IT managers in the 10th percentile were still doing very well, earning $101.6K ($48.84 per hour).
IT manager salaries by industry
The industry IT managers work in also plays a large role in earnings potential. For example, IT manager salaries in the information and manufacturing sectors fall above the median, but annual salaries are below the median in the healthcare and education sectors.
IT manager median salaries by industry and sector (May 2023)
- Information $183,370
- Manufacturing $175,540
- Retail Trade $165,550
- Government $169,510
- Healthcare $139,350
- Education $123,880
For a full breakdown of IT salaries across all sectors and industries, you can consult National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates.
IT manager salaries by region
Location can also greatly affect IT manager wages. For example, the annual median wage of an IT manager in the San Francisco / Oakland, California area was $220,980 compared to $99,470 in Hot Springs, Arkansas — less than half!
In general, positions based in urbanized metropolitan areas tend to command higher median wages than nearby non-metropolitan areas. To give one example of the metro vs non-metro area pay disparity, IT managers in Austin, Texas (where Spiceworks is headquartered) earn 29% more than their counterparts in the surrounding non-metro area.
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023
Mean salaries of IT managers in metro and adjacent non-metro areas
Texas
- $169,930 — Austin-Round Rock, TX
- $130,670 — Hill Country Region of Texas (non-metro)
Maryland
- $169,840 — Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
- $129,250 — Maryland non-metro
Washington state
- $211,770 — Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- $136,840 — Western Washington non-metro
Georgia
- $170,210 — Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
- $160,250— North Georgia non-metro
Note: Salary isn’t everything. It’s also important to factor in the cost of living. For example, while the mean salary for IT managers is 24% higher in Seattle than in Atlanta, the overall cost of living in 2024 was estimated to be 47% higher in Seattle, according to Bankrate.com.