Information Technology Field Has Top Incomes Over $500,000

Compensation in the Information Technology Field, 15th Edition
Survey Summary

PUBLISHED: January 2001 Table of Contents | Sample Report Page

Salary Survey Software 5,700 Jobs and 1,200 Industries

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Summary of the 593-page Compensation in the Information Technology Field, 15th Edition survey report of 83 benchmark jobs from Abbott, Langer Association Surveys. The following describes the highest and lowest paid job characteristics, the national median total cash compensation for 25 benchmark jobs, and the factors affecting salary (Geographic Area, Type of Employer, Fiscal Size of Organization, Operating System Used, Level of Education, Length of Experience, and Supervisory Responsibility).

The composite Information Technology practitioner with the highest annual income (salary plus cash bonus and cash profit sharing) is an Information Technology Director with 5 or more years of experience in the field, who has a bachelor or graduate degree, and oversees 10 or more programmers and systems analysts. He or she holds a position with a programming/systems analysis consulting firm, a service firm, a chemical & allied products manufacturer, a merchandising firm, an aerospace & aircraft products manufacturer, or an educational institution.

The organization probably has an annual revenue of $250 million or more and an annual IT budget of $2,500,000 or more. He or she is headquartered in Boston, San Francisco, New York City, Newark/Jersey City, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Nassau/Suffolk Counties (NY), Oklahoma City, or Washington, DC.

While the median IT Director makes $90,000 per year, the highest-paid individuals reported in the group make well over $500,000 annually.

Far to the other end of the income spectrum, data entry clerks have a median salary of $24,520. Making as little as $7,614, the composite lowest-paid data entry clerk works for an educational institution, fabricated metal products manufacturer, a health care organization, a programming/systems analysis consulting firm, or a merchandising firm with a professional IT staff of under 5 people and a total annual IT budget of $1 million to $2.49 million. The organization is headquartered in or near Allentown/Bethlehem (PA), Savannah, Macon, Seattle/Everett, or outside the metropolitan areas studied in Florida or New Jersey.

This composite represents the briefest possible "boil-down" of the voluminous data provided by 229 organizations regarding the current salary, salary ranges, bonuses & profit-sharing, and numerous demographic variables for over 2,800 individuals in 83 jobs in the Information Technology field. These organizations took part in the fifteenth annual survey of the IT field, sponsored by Deloitte & Touche LLP. Copies of the complete, 593-page report, Compensation in the Information Technology Field, 15th Edition, are available for $995.00 through our On-Line Order Form or from Abbott, Langer Association Surveys, 1725 I Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006 (Telephone: (877) 210-6563, Fax: (877) 239-2457).

It would be an exercise in futility to attempt more than a superficial overview of the survey results in this summary. However, some overall data can be presented herein and some comments on the relationship of the various demographic variables to income in the IT field can be made.

Overall Compensation

In addition to the income of the job already discussed, the median total cash compensation of some of the other 81 jobs included in the survey report are:

Telecommunications Managers	$85,994
Information Technology Section Heads	$85,000
Systems Analysis & Applications Programming Managers	$84,600
Network Administration Managers	$80,640
Data Base Analysis Supervisors	$77,001
Data Base Administration Supervisors	$69,750
Network Administration Supervisors	$68,786
Lead Systems Analysts/Applications Programmers	$65,400
Senior Network Programmers	$61,817
Intermediate Web/Internet Technical Administration Specialists	$57,500
Senior PC Administration Specialists	$57,240
Intermediate Systems Analysts	$55,193
PC Support Supervisors	$55,000
Intermediate Applications Programmers	$52,000
Senior Data Base Programmers	$48,000
Help Desk Supervisors	$46,600
Technical Writers	$45,510
Intermediate Telecommunications Specialists	$43,580
Intermediate IT Training Specialists	$42,752
Junior Applications Programmers	$41,839
Intermediate PC Maintenance Specialists	$33,882
Intermediate Data Entry Operators	$33,820
Input/Output Control Specialists	$33,379
Intermediate Computer Operators "B"	$28,500

The apparent anomalies in the list above tend to "wash out" when consideration is given to the type and size of employer and other demographic variables for which statistics are reported separately in the complete survey report.

Geographic Area

Most IT jobs are compensated best in the northeastern and midwestern states; least well in the Rocky Mountain and southern states; with the southwestern, Pacific, and north central states falling between.

Of the metropolitan areas studied, most IT jobs are compensated best, in descending order, in Nassau/Suffolk Counties (NY), Boston, Sacramento, Philadelphia, Dallas/Ft. Worth, San Francisco, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Hartford (CT). The lowest incomes tend to be found in the Kansas City, Amarillo, Lincoln (NE), Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Little Rock, Birmingham, Bangor, Allentown/Bethlehem, and Savannah metropolitan areas.

Type of Employer

The highest-paying employers tend to include manufacturers of chemical/pharmaceutical/plastic/rubber products, primary metal products, automobiles/trucks/automotive parts & accessories, food, beverage & tobacco products, fabricated metal products, and electrical/electronics/aerospace/aircraft products. The lowest-paying employers, in ascending order, usually include the following types of organization: educational institutions; hospitality organizations; non-profit organizations; state & local governments; merchandising firms (Internet/resale/wholesale); transportation services; insurance companies; and health care organizations.

Fiscal Size of Organization

This factor is an excellent predictor of compensation in the Information Technology field. Median income rises regularly with increasing fiscal size of the organization, whether it is annual sales of manufacturing/extractive organizations or annual sales of merchandising firms.

Operating System Used

The highest median annual income is found when multiple mid-range systems are used. The lowest income is reported when a single mid-range operating system is used.

Level of Education

Higher educational attainment is generally rewarded by higher income in IT jobs. Overall income rises regularly with increased education (rising 338% from the median income of those with no college to the median income of those with a doctoral degree, and 169% from the median income of those with a bachelor degree to the median income of those with a doctoral degree).

Length of Experience

As could be expected, length of experience is usually directly related to the income of IT employees, regardless of the job level. The median income of those with 25 years of experience or more is 97% higher than those with little or no experience.

Supervisory Responsibility

This factor is an excellent predictor of compensation in the Information Technology field. Median income increases regularly with increasing supervisory/managerial responsibility over professional employees (programmers, systems analysts, etc.). Overall, the income of those directing the activities of 10 or more professional subordinates is 54% higher than that of those who supervise the work of only one or two such subordinates, and 111% higher than those with no supervisory responsibility.

Even supervision of only sub-professional employees (clerical and machine operation personnel) results in a higher overall income. Those who supervise five or more such employees have a median income of $48,100 compared to $47,399 for those who supervise only one or two such employees, and $45,678 with no supervisory responsibility.

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229 organizations supplied current compensation and demographic information for the survey report.

• 3M - Aberdeen
• Able Sales & Company, Inc.
• Acme Services, Inc.
• Acme Structural, Inc.
• Advantage Rent A Car
• Aging in America, Morningside House
• Albertsons, Inc.
• Aldine Independent School District
• Aluma Shield Industries
• American Red Cross
• American Surety Company
• American Suzuki Motor Corporation
• American TV & Appliance, Inc.
• AmeriSteel
• Ann Arbor News
• Archdiocese of Chicago
• Ariens Company
• Artistic Carton Company
• Associated Grocers of Maine, Inc.
• Astronautics Corporation of America
• Athlete's Foot
• Atlantic Health System
• Austen Riggs Center
• Avera Sacred Heart Health Services
• AVR, Inc.
• B. G. Sulzle, Inc.
• Baker & Taylor, Inc.
• Barkley Evergreen & Partners, Inc.
• Bay Shipbuilding Company
• Beazer Homes USA, Inc.
• Berry College
• Birdsall, Inc., subsidiary of Nicor, Inc.
• Black Beauty Coal Company
• Black River Consulting, LLC
• Bloomsburg University
• BMI, Inc.
• Braun Consulting
• Bryan Cave LLP
• Campus Crusade for Christ, Jesus Film Project
• Cardinal Logistics Management, Inc.
• Care Development of Maine
• CBIA
• Chanel, Inc.
• Chorus Communications Group, Ltd., Chorus Networks, Mid-Plains
• Citibank, N.A. U.S., Consumer Banking Group
• City of Minot
• City of San Diego, Metropolitan Wastewater
• City of Sheboygan
• Clarian Health Partners, Inc.
• Clow Stamping Company
• Coldwell Banker Commercial
• College of the Ozarks
• Columbia Machine, Inc.
• Columbia Memorial Hospital
• CompuCom Systems
• Congressional Country Club, Inc.
• Constitution State Corporate Credit Union
• Copper Mountain, Inc.
• Core Computer Group, Ltd.
• Cousins Submarines, Inc.
• Covenant Transport, Inc.
• CW Ohio, Inc.
• Dollar Rent-A-Car Systems, Inc.
• Don M. Casto, Inc.
• Douglas County Wisconsin
• Douglas Machine, LLC
• E-Z-GO Textron
• Edco Products
• Emerson Kennedy
• EMI Recorded Music
• Empire Fire and Marine Insurance Company, subsidiary of Zurich Financial Services
• enson, Inc.
• Epiq Systems, Inc.
• Ervin Industries
• Facciola Meat Company
• Farner-Bocken Company
• Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
• Feed Flavors, Inc.
• Financial Pacific Insurance Company
• Firelands Regional Health System
• First District Association
• First Federal Bank
• FirstHealth of the Carolinas
• Fishermen's Hospital Health Management Associates
• Florida Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Co.
• Flow Products, Inc.
• FNB Southwest
• Forest Law Mortuaries
• G. Leblanc Corporation
• GAI Consultants
• General Semiconductor, Inc.
• Georgia Southern University
• GeoUtilities
• Goglanian Bakeries, Inc.
• Graham Corporation
• Great Lakes Credit Union
• Grizzard Advertising
• Grubb & Ellis
• H. B. Stubbs Company
• Hackensack University Medical Center
• Hal Leonard Corporation
• Harding University
• Hargrave Military Academy
• Harlan Bakeries, Inc.
• Hayes Lemmerz International, Inc.
• HC Beck
• Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe, LLP
• Hitachi Magnetics Corporation
• Hocston Valley Broadcasting Corporation
• Hospice of the Western Reserve
• Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin
• Houston Municipal Employees Pension System
• Huttig Building Products
• IAT/CCAC
• Illini Media Company
• Innovative Consulting, Inc.
• Integrated Measurement Systems
• Intellitec
• Interstate Container
• Interstate Forging Industries
• Intertractor America
• Intrust Bank
• Iron Age Corporation
• Irving Tanning Company
• J & L Structural
• Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations
• Kansas Corporate Credit Union
• Khameleon Software, ASA International
• Kimball Hill Homes, Inc.
• King Design International
• Lawrence Transportation Systems, Inc.
• Lehigh University
• Lenox Hill Hospital
• Linbeck Construction Corporation
• Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin & Upper Michigan, Inc.
• Macatawa Computer Services, Inc.
• MacDermid Graphic Arts
• Mack-Cali Realty Corporation
• Market Decisions Corporation
• Marywood University
• MasterCraft Cabinets, Inc.
• McKenzie Forest Products, LLC
• McLean Health Center
• Mercury EMS, Midwestern Electronics
• Meyer Corporation
• MFA Incorporated
• Michigan Limestone Operations, Oglebay Norton Company
• Micro Beef Technologies, Inc.
• Microvision, Inc.
• Midmark Corporation
• Midwest Physician Group
• Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School District
• Museum of Fine Arts
• National Retail Federation
• NK Parts Industries, Inc.
• Northwest Medical Center
• O&G Industries, Inc.
• Oil & Gas Data Processing, Inc.
• Olin Corporation, Brass & Winchester
• Oregon Cherry Growers, Inc.
• Pacific Marine
• PaR Systems, Inc.
• Paramount Farms & Paramount Citrus, Roll International
• Partridge Inn
• Patrick Industries, Inc.
• Pegler-Sysco
• Pennridge School District
• Peoples Bank
• Phoenix Gold International, Inc.
• Phoenix Scientific, Inc.
• Piere's Entertainment Center
• Pontiac Coil, Inc.
• Potter Form & Tie Company
• Precor, Inc.
• Primary Health, Inc.
• Prime Group, Inc.
• Provident Savings Bank
• Robinson Memorial Hospital
• RTS Wireless
• Ryobi Die Casting (USA), Inc.
• Salt River Sand & Rock
• Santa's Best
• Savings Bank of Utica
• Sayre Area School District
• SDS Lumber Company
• Silver Stone Group
• Simon Property Group
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP
• Somerset Tire Service, Inc.
• Spectrum Health
• Spencer Turbine Company
• Spokane Transit Authority
• St. Joseph's Carondelet Child Center
• Standard Forwarding Company, Inc.
• Stevens Institute of Technology
• Strathmore Company
• Student Assistance Foundation of Montana
• Systems and Education Enterprises
• T & D Metal Products
• Taft Contracting Company, Inc.
• Tandon Associates, Inc.
• Ted Stevens Automotive Network
• Temple Inland Forest Products
• Tiger Lines, Inc.
• Timber Truss Housing Systems, Inc.
• Timco Macon
• Town of Mansfield
• Trover Foundation
• UAV Corporation
• Union Electric Steel Corporation
• United Defense, Steel Products Division
• University of Denver
• University of Oklahoma
• Unlimited Services of Wisconsin, Inc.
• Urban Investment Trust, Inc.
• Vactor Manufacturing
• Vallen Corporation
• Vie-Del Company
• Villa Maria College
• Wabash Technologies, DKM
• Ward-Brodt Music Company
• Weingarten Realty Investors
• Western Textile Companies
• WHDH - TV
• Wooster Motor Ways
• Yanaghand Cruise, Inc.
• Zante, Inc.