Labor Market Pulse · Information Technology · October 2026
Information Technology Labor Market Report: Alexandria, LA MSA — October 2026
Alexandria IT pay splits sharply: security surges, infrastructure roles sink.
Metro Cybersecurity Analyst pay climbed to $133,949 against a $107,327 national median, while Network Engineer pay fell to $54,081 — less than half the $115,757 national figure.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Rapides Parish unemployment: 3.60% — Down from 4.10% prior month, up from 3.30% year-over-year
- Alexandria MSA nonfarm employment: 62,000 — Down 400 month-over-month, down 300 year-over-year
- Cybersecurity Analyst advertised pay (metro): $133,949 — vs $107,327 national median, up significantly
- Network Engineer advertised pay (metro): $54,081 — vs $115,757 national median, down significantly
Key takeaways
Cybersecurity pay is pulling away from every other IT role locally.
Metro Cybersecurity Analyst advertised pay rose to $133,949, moving 25% above the national median of $107,327 — the only role in the metro showing a significant upward trend this month. Organizations competing for security talent in Alexandria are effectively bidding against a national shortage that extends well beyond local peers.
Network Engineer pay collapse signals a market losing depth.
Metro advertised pay for Network Engineer fell to $54,081, less than half the $115,757 national median — a significant decline that is unusual given infrastructure buildout trends nationally. This gap may suggest employers are posting lower-skill or junior variants of the role locally, or that network engineering work is migrating to contract or remote arrangements priced outside the metro median.
Project management and software engineering roles are quietly repricing downward.
IT Project Manager fell to $104,811 (significant decline) and Software Engineer to $121,833 (moderate decline), both diverging from stable national trends. Consider whether this reflects local demand softening or a shift toward remote-first hiring that no longer anchors pay to the Alexandria labor market.
Statewide IT churn data points to retention risk hiding behind low unemployment.
Louisiana recorded roughly double the quits versus layoffs in the most recent state data, even as Rapides Parish unemployment sits near 3.6%. Tight local supply paired with active churn statewide suggests support and mid-tier infrastructure roles remain exposed to competitive poaching even without visible layoff activity.
Median advertised pay by role — Alexandria, LA MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist | $113,689 | $148,637 | $154,747 | Stable | $145,881 |
| Systems Administrator | $67,027 | $91,096 | $95,371 | Moderate increase | $102,503 |
| Network Engineer | $51,162 | $54,081 | $85,412 | Significant decline | $115,757 |
| Software Engineer | $77,704 | $121,833 | $141,139 | Moderate decline | $154,403 |
| Help Desk/IT Support Specialist | $42,509 | $57,654 | $64,791 | Significant decline | $53,129 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | $82,741 | $133,949 | $153,326 | Significant increase | $107,327 |
| IT Project Manager | $83,638 | $104,811 | $122,997 | Significant decline | $118,150 |
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
Alexandria MSA nonfarm employment slipped to 62,000 in September, down 400 month-over-month, even as Rapides Parish unemployment held at 3.60% — a tight labor supply signal despite the modest payroll contraction. Statewide IT churn data showing 43,000 quits against 22,000 layoffs in Louisiana points to active poaching dynamics that likely extend into Alexandria's smaller, concentrated technical labor pool.
What it means
Metro advertised pay for Network Engineer ($54,081), IT Project Manager ($104,811) and Software Engineer ($121,833) all moved down this month while national medians for the same roles held stable or rose — a divergence that signals local employers are either losing pricing power in a thin market or quietly shifting these functions toward remote or outsourced delivery. Cybersecurity Analyst pay moved sharply upward to $133,949, now exceeding the national median by over $26,000, suggesting local organizations are paying a scarcity premium to secure or retain security talent to avoid a gap in coverage. Consider reviewing whether declining local pay for infrastructure and project management roles reflects demand softening or a shrinking local candidate pool pushing those functions toward offshore or contract delivery.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Rapides Parish unemployment has moved between 3.3% and 4.1% over the past year with no clear trend — watch whether the next two prints stabilize or continue drifting, since a sustained decline would tighten an already thin technical candidate pool further.
Emerging pressure point: Network Engineer and IT Project Manager pay fell sharply locally while national medians held or rose. If this gap persists through November data, it may indicate these functions are shifting toward remote-delivered or contracted arrangements over local headcount.
Early indicator: National tech layoffs have already topped 133,000 for 2026 with no Louisiana-specific WARN notices reported this month. Monitor whether displaced talent from larger markets begins surfacing in the Alexandria candidate pool, particularly for cloud and security roles priced above local medians.
Potential inflection point: Cybersecurity Analyst pay is now running well above national levels in this metro. Watch whether this premium holds through year-end budget cycles or proves to be a short-term reaction to a small number of competing postings in a thin local market.
Sources
- Louisiana Works Workforce At-a-Glance Bulletin — Alexandria MSA nonfarm employment at 62,000, down 400 month-over-month
- Bureau of Labor Statistics / YCharts — Rapides Parish unemployment rate at 3.60%
- Louisiana Works — Louisiana quits vs. layoffs ratio (43,000 vs 22,000)
- Advertised pay data (metro and national medians) — Cybersecurity Analyst and Network Engineer advertised pay figures
- Layoffs.fyi / tech layoff tracking — 133,417 tech employees laid off at 325 companies through Oct 21, 2026
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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