Labor Market Pulse · Information Technology · October 2026
Information Technology Labor Market Report: Hinesville-Fort Stewart, GA MSA — October 2026
Hinesville IT pay falls behind the nation in security and infrastructure roles
Metro Cybersecurity Analyst pay dropped to $95,964 as the national median rose to $107,327, while Network Engineer pay here still trails the national rate by over $24,000.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Liberty County unemployment: 3.4%-4.1% — Range across 2026, vs 3.3% Georgia statewide
- Cybersecurity Analyst pay gap: -$11,363 — Metro $95,964 vs national $107,327, diverging
- Network Engineer pay gap: -$24,164 — Metro $91,593 vs national $115,757
- Georgia info-sector employment: 53.0K jobs — Up from 49.8K, Q2 2025 to Q2 2026
Key takeaways
Cybersecurity Analyst pay is falling locally while rising nationally.
Metro advertised pay for Cybersecurity Analyst moved down moderately to $95,964 even as the national median climbed to $107,327. A 16-point gap signals this metro's employers risk losing security talent to remote-eligible national postings over local competitors.
Network Engineer pay is rising locally but still badly lags the nation.
Metro Network Engineer pay moved up moderately to $91,593, yet national pay sits over $24,000 higher at $115,757. Partial local catch-up may not be enough to retain talent exposed to remote job boards advertising national rates.
Help desk wage softening compounds an already thin labor pool.
Metro Help Desk/IT Support pay fell moderately to $49,924, below the already-declining national figure of $53,129. In a county with under 24,000 in the labor force, pay compression at entry-level IT support may push junior talent toward retail or logistics employers.
Fort Stewart dependence limits how far outsourcing can go.
Civilian IT roles tied to military operations and base contracts carry security and on-site requirements that cap how much work can shift offshore. Headcount planning here should separate base-adjacent, compliance-bound roles from general infrastructure work that is more portable to regional or offshore delivery.
Median advertised pay by role — Hinesville-Fort Stewart, GA MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist * | $114,306 | $140,663 | $159,523 | Stable | $145,881 |
| Systems Administrator * | $76,062 | $92,372 | $101,450 | Stable | $102,503 |
| Network Engineer | $81,014 | $91,593 | $100,677 | 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 * | $85,498 | $95,964 | $111,818 | Moderate 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
Liberty County's labor market stayed historically tight through mid-2026, with unemployment fluctuating between 3.4% and 4.1% against a Georgia state rate of 3.3% in September, as Fort Stewart's military employment base continues to anchor a thin civilian labor pool of under 24,000 workers. Georgia's information-sector employment grew from 49.8K to 53.0K year-over-year through Q2 2026, but that expansion is concentrated in metro Atlanta corridors, leaving Hinesville-area IT employers competing for talent against a state economy generating far more technology demand than this MSA's labor force can supply.
What it means
Metro advertised pay for Network Engineer ($91,593) and Systems Administrator ($92,372) now trails national medians by 20-25%, a gap that is widening as national pay for both roles trends up while local figures hold stable — a signal that Hinesville employers may be under-pricing infrastructure talent relative to where national demand is heading. With domestic IT talent supply in Georgia already failing to meet technology-sector demand statewide, and a labor pool this small offering limited bench depth for specialized roles, build-vs-buy decisions for infrastructure and security functions deserve fresh scrutiny. Consider reviewing whether routine infrastructure and support work currently staffed locally could shift toward regional BPO or offshore arrangements, freeing local headcount budgets for roles where on-site presence near Fort Stewart operations is non-negotiable.
Looking ahead
Early indicator: Watch whether Georgia's statewide information-sector growth (53.0K jobs, up from 49.8K) begins pulling Hinesville-area IT talent toward Savannah or Atlanta commuting range, given the pay gaps already visible in Network Engineer and Cybersecurity Analyst roles.
Emerging pressure point: National tech layoffs have topped 133,000 workers through October, and Georgia's WARN filings show professional services among the most affected sectors. Monitor whether any displaced talent surfaces in the Liberty/Long county candidate pool over the next 60 days.
Worth watching: Liberty County unemployment has swung between 3.4% and 4.1% across 2026 with no clear trend line. A sustained move above 4% would mark a meaningful loosening in a labor market that has otherwise stayed historically tight.
Potential inflection point: National cybersecurity pay is rising while this metro's advertised rate is falling — a divergence that typically precedes retention problems. Track whether local attrition in security roles accelerates before the gap shows up in exit interviews.
Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics / FRED — Liberty County unemployment rate fluctuated between 3.4% and 4.1% in 2026
- Georgia Department of Labor — Georgia unemployment rate was 3.3% in September 2026
- Georgia Department of Labor — Georgia information/communication employment grew from 49.8K to 53.0K year-over-year
- Georgia Department of Labor / Industry sourcing — Domestic IT talent supply in Georgia doesn't meet technology-sector demand
- Layoffs.fyi — 133,417 tech employees laid off at 325 companies through October 21, 2026
- Indeed Hiring Lab / Job Postings Data — National Cybersecurity Analyst advertised pay rose to $107,327
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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