Labor Market Pulse · Information Technology · October 2026
Information Technology Labor Market Report: Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC MSA — October 2026
Augusta IT pay climbs even as broader hiring stays sluggish.
Augusta's private-sector wages rose 11.6% year-over-year to $1,321.49 weekly even as metro unemployment held at 4.0%, well above Georgia's 3.3% statewide rate, while Network Engineer advertised pay fell to $102,677 against a rising $115,757 national median.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Metro private-sector wage growth: 11.6% — vs. 3.4% inflation, through August 2026
- Augusta metro unemployment: 4.0% — vs. 3.3% statewide, down from 4.2% a year ago
- Metro Network Engineer advertised pay: $102,677 — down vs. $115,757 national median, rising
- National tech layoffs, YTD through Oct 21: 133,417 — already exceeds full-year 2025 total
Key takeaways
Augusta wages are rising faster than the job market would predict.
11.6% private-sector earnings growth against a 4.0% unemployment rate is an unusual pairing — it suggests employers are bidding up pay for scarce specialized skills even as the broader labor pool grows. IT leaders should treat this as evidence that general labor slack won't translate into easier infrastructure or security hiring.
Systems Administrator pay is outrunning the regional trend.
Metro advertised pay for Systems Administrator roles sits at $98,455, trailing the national median by less than $5,000 — a far tighter gap than Augusta typically shows against national IT compensation. This compression suggests local employers are already competing nationally for this skill set.
Help desk compensation is falling at a pace that threatens the entry pipeline.
Metro advertised pay for Help Desk/IT Support fell significantly to $50,955, a wider decline than the national trend. Combined with state data showing IT Service Technicians averaging just $61,071, this points to growing retention risk at the junior tier that typically feeds infrastructure and security roles.
Network Engineer pay is moving the opposite direction of national demand.
Metro advertised pay for Network Engineer declined moderately to $102,677 even as the national median climbed to $115,757, a divergence worth watching. Consider whether this reflects local oversupply, a pause in hybrid-infrastructure build-out, or lagging employer responsiveness to national rate movements.
Median advertised pay by role — Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist | $83,839 | $114,863 | $123,551 | Moderate increase | $145,881 |
| Systems Administrator | $80,023 | $98,455 | $105,000 | Moderate increase | $102,503 |
| Network Engineer | $78,256 | $102,677 | $111,073 | Moderate decline | $115,757 |
| Software Engineer | $106,439 | $142,742 | $156,000 | Moderate increase | $154,403 |
| Help Desk/IT Support Specialist | $41,587 | $50,955 | $52,711 | Significant decline | $53,129 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | $69,210 | $90,442 | $91,967 | Stable | $107,327 |
| IT Project Manager | $93,336 | $115,972 | $121,567 | Significant increase | $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
Augusta's metro unemployment rate held at 4.0% in September — down from 4.2% a year ago but still the highest among Georgia's major MSAs against a statewide 3.3% — even as total jobs rose 500 to 253,800 and the labor force notched its ninth straight monthly record. Private-sector weekly earnings jumped 11.6% year-over-year to $1,321.49 through August, far outpacing 3.4% inflation, a combination consistent with employers paying up to hold workers in a metro where overall job-seeking conditions remain structurally difficult.
What it means
Wage growth this strong alongside elevated unemployment points to a bifurcated local market: broad labor supply exists, but the specific infrastructure, security and support skills IT leaders need are scarce enough to be driving double-digit earnings growth regardless. That dynamic complicates headcount planning — adding junior support or help desk roles may be easier than it looks nationally, while competing for systems administration or network engineering talent likely means matching wage pressure that's outrunning inflation. Consider reviewing whether current pay bands for infrastructure and security roles reflect local earnings momentum, particularly before planning Q1 headcount adds.
Looking ahead
Emerging pressure point: Help desk and junior support wages are falling locally while senior infrastructure and security pay climbs, widening the internal pay ladder. Watch whether this gap accelerates attrition at the entry tier faster than it can be backfilled.
Worth watching: Georgia's information-sector employment grew from 49.8K to 53.0K year-over-year, signaling statewide IT demand growth that Augusta employers will compete against for the same regional talent pool. A widening Atlanta-Augusta pay gap could pull mid-career infrastructure and security talent north.
Potential inflection point: National tech layoffs have already exceeded all of 2025 at 133,417 through October 21, concentrated in large tech hubs, with secondary markets like Augusta largely insulated so far. Monitor whether displaced cloud-native or AI talent begins surfacing in the local candidate pool, potentially easing build-vs-buy pressure on specialized roles.
Early indicator: Network Engineer advertised pay is declining locally against a rising national trend — a reversal worth tracking for a second month before treating it as a trend. If it persists, it may signal an opportunity to backfill infrastructure roles below national rates.
Sources
- Augusta Business Daily — Augusta metro unemployment at 4.0% in September, down from 4.2% year-over-year
- Augusta Business Daily — Private-sector weekly earnings rose 11.6% to $1,321.49 through August 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics / Georgia Department of Labor — Georgia statewide unemployment at 3.3% in September 2026
- Layoffs.fyi (industry tracker) — 133,417 tech employees laid off at 325 companies through October 21, 2026
- Georgia Department of Labor — Georgia information-sector employment grew from 49.8K to 53.0K year-over-year
- Georgia Department of Labor / BLS OES data — Georgia IT Service Technicians average $61,071 annually
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.
Free to read and cite with attribution to WageScape. Terms of use.