Labor Market Pulse · Information Technology · October 2026
Information Technology Labor Market Report: Albany, GA MSA — October 2026
Albany IT pay splits sharply as cybersecurity rates fall, networking holds.
Albany Cybersecurity Analyst pay dropped to $103,324 against a rising $107,327 national median, while Network Engineer pay climbed to $111,906 even as metro employment contracted 1.2% year-over-year.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Metro employment change: -1.2% YoY — Albany nonfarm payrolls, August 2026
- Dougherty County unemployment: 4.8% — vs. 3.3% Georgia statewide rate
- Government share of employment: 18.5% — 1.8x the national average share
- National tech layoffs (YTD): 133,417 — Already exceeds all of 2025, 325 companies
Key takeaways
Cybersecurity pay is falling locally while rising nationally.
Metro Cybersecurity Analyst advertised pay dropped significantly to $103,324 even as the national median climbed to $107,327. Divergence this sharp suggests Albany employers are either accepting weaker candidate pools or quietly shifting security work to contractors and MSSPs instead of competing on direct pay.
Data Scientist pay gap signals a build-vs-buy decision point.
Metro advertised pay for Data Scientist sits near $77,606 against a national median of $145,881 — a gap too large to close through local recruiting alone. Georgia's cost-competitive BPO and analytics outsourcing capacity makes this a natural candidate for hybrid staffing over a direct local hire.
Government dependence caps upside for infrastructure headcount.
Government accounts for 18.5% of Albany employment, nearly double the national share, and is contracting (-2.6%) alongside retail. IT infrastructure and support roles tied to public-sector contracts face budget-driven headcount ceilings even as demand elsewhere in Georgia accelerates.
Network Engineer pay strength bucks the metro's broader contraction.
Advertised pay for Network Engineer rose moderately to $111,906, nearly matching the national figure of $115,757 despite Albany's overall employment decline. Consider this a narrow pocket of concentrated competitive pressure worth distinct tracking, separate from any signal of broader metro tightness.
Median advertised pay by role — Albany, GA MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist | $77,548 | $77,606 | $85,843 | Significant increase | $145,881 |
| Systems Administrator * | $76,062 | $92,372 | $101,450 | Stable | $102,503 |
| Network Engineer * | $72,781 | $111,906 | $128,707 | Moderate increase | $115,757 |
| Software Engineer * | $113,585 | $150,217 | $163,776 | Stable | $154,403 |
| Help Desk/IT Support Specialist * | $41,450 | $49,924 | $54,103 | Moderate decline | $53,129 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | $98,873 | $103,324 | $112,706 | Significant decline | $107,327 |
| IT Project Manager * | $80,352 | $114,441 | $128,947 | Stable | $118,150 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Local market conditions
Albany's nonfarm employment contracted 1.2% year-over-year through August, with Dougherty County unemployment running near 4.8% against Georgia's 3.3% statewide rate, reflecting structural weakness in retail and government while skilled talent faces no comparable tight-labor squeeze. Government comprises 18.5% of metro employment — nearly double the national share — meaning local IT hiring remains tethered to public-sector budget cycles even as statewide information-sector employment expands toward 53,000 jobs.
What it means
Metro contraction coexists with a bifurcated skills market: Cybersecurity Analyst advertised pay fell sharply locally ($103,324) while climbing nationally, and Data Scientist pay sits at roughly half the national median ($77,606 vs. $145,881) — signals that Albany employers are either underpricing specialized roles or sourcing them through lower-cost arrangements instead of competing head-on for scarce national talent. Georgia's statewide BPO and outsourcing base (~46,000 workers, ~$700M in exports) gives Albany IT leaders a credible regional alternative to local hiring friction for routine infrastructure and support functions. Consider reviewing whether cybersecurity and data roles are being filled through contract or outsourced arrangements that mask a true local pay gap, and benchmark those roles against national figures, not metro figures alone, before the next hiring cycle.
Looking ahead
Emerging pressure point: Georgia's information-sector employment grew from 49.8K to 53.0K year-over-year statewide, but Albany's nonfarm employment is shrinking — watch whether Atlanta-area growth begins pulling scarce Albany-based IT talent toward higher-paying metro opportunities.
Worth watching: Statewide WARN activity remains elevated (18 filings, 2,709 workers in 90 days), concentrated in manufacturing and professional services. Track whether any displaced technical or operations staff enter the Albany candidate pool and ease pressure on infrastructure hiring.
Potential inflection point: National tech layoffs have already exceeded 133,000 for the year, with AI-related roles commanding a $25,000 premium floor. If this bifurcation reaches Albany employers, expect continued downward pressure on generalist cybersecurity and data roles alongside sharper competition for AI-adjacent skills.
Early indicator: Dougherty County unemployment has fluctuated between 4.1% and 4.8% across 2026 without a clear trend. A sustained move in either direction over the next two months will clarify whether local IT demand is stabilizing or continuing to soften alongside retail and government contraction.
Sources
- USA Facts / BLS — Albany nonfarm employment contracted 1.2% year-over-year through August 2026
- Georgia Department of Labor — Dougherty County unemployment at 4.8% vs Georgia 3.3% statewide
- Georgia Department of Economic Development — Georgia BPO sector employs ~46,000 with ~$700M in service exports
- BLS / USA Facts — Government comprises 18.5% of Albany metro employment
- Layoffs.fyi / Industry tracking — 133,417 tech employees laid off at 325 companies through Oct 21, 2026
- Georgia Department of Labor — Georgia information-sector employment grew from 49.8K to 53.0K year-over-year
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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