Average Info Tech Pay Drops To $103,000 For Managers, $76,000 For Staff

The most eye-popping statistic from InformationWeek's annual U.S. IT Salary Survey is the dip in median total pay, down about $2,000 to $76,000 for staff and $103,000 for managers. But digging deeper into the survey of more than 9,600 participants reveals other insights into the state of the IT profession, from how common raises are to how much training companies are providing.

Companies put the brakes on raises in the past year. Last year, 74% of IT staffers and 80% of IT managers reported a salary increase, while only 65% of staffers and 71% of managers are getting raises this year. And the raises are smaller: IT staffers get a median base salary raise of 2.9%, versus 3.3% in 2007, while managers get a median 3.7% hike, compared with 4.2% last year.

Since mid-2007, employers have gotten conservative with pay and raises, says David Van De Voort, of the human resources consulting firm Mercer. Also, the last remnants of special treatment--programs and perks uniquely tailored to recruit and retain IT people--are gone. "IT is being affected like everyone else now," Van De Voort says.