Labor Market Pulse · Information Technology · October 2026
Information Technology Labor Market Report: Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH MSA — October 2026
Huntington's IT pay splits sharply between builders and defenders.
Network engineer pay jumped to $100,578 and software engineer pay to $150,154 in the Huntington metro this month, while cybersecurity analyst pay fell to $97,042 even as the national cyber market tightened.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Cabell County unemployment: 3.80% — vs 4% statewide, 4.9% Boyd County (KY side)
- Metro cybersecurity analyst pay: $97,042 — Down significantly vs national $107,327, up moderately
- WV manufacturing hiring need: 2,700 workers — Statewide 2026 need, concentrated in Huntington metro
- Metro network engineer pay: $100,578 — Up significantly; national median $115,757
Key takeaways
Cybersecurity pay is falling locally while the national market tightens.
Metro cybersecurity analyst pay dropped significantly to $97,042 even as national pay rose moderately to $107,327. That divergence, against a national backdrop of AI-driven compensation fragmentation, may signal vulnerability to remote poaching alongside shifting local demand.
Network engineer and software engineer pay movement signals where hiring energy is concentrated.
Both roles show significant upward movement locally — network engineer to $100,578, software engineer to $150,154 — consistent with national data showing data center and infrastructure buildout among the top hiring sectors. Headcount planning should assume these roles carry the most competitive pressure in the metro right now.
Systems administrator pay sits flat while the national market moves up.
Metro systems administrator pay held stable at $92,350 against a moderate national increase to $102,503. Flat local pay in a role with real infrastructure responsibility may reflect lower local demand elasticity, but it also narrows the cushion before out-migration risk becomes material.
Statewide entry-level pay floors constrain internal pipeline-building.
West Virginia entry-level IT salaries start around $55,000-$60,000 against experienced engineer pay above $90,000, a gap research describes as limiting the state's ability to produce workforce suited to tech sector needs. Organizations leaning on junior hiring to build bench strength may find the economics work against them without structured mentorship investment.
Median advertised pay by role — Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist * | $108,201 | $144,173 | $153,627 | Stable | $145,881 |
| Systems Administrator * | $76,921 | $92,350 | $102,521 | Stable | $102,503 |
| Network Engineer | $82,195 | $100,578 | $110,695 | Significant increase | $115,757 |
| Software Engineer | $134,867 | $150,154 | $155,000 | Significant increase | $154,403 |
| Help Desk/IT Support Specialist | $38,130 | $43,264 | $45,760 | Stable | $53,129 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst * | $78,496 | $97,042 | $118,030 | Significant decline | $107,327 |
| IT Project Manager * | $99,383 | $110,283 | $117,099 | 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
Cabell County unemployment has tightened to 3.80% as of May 2026 against a statewide 4% rate, even as Boyd County's Kentucky side of the metro runs closer to 4.9%, pointing to an uneven but constraining labor supply across the MSA. Manufacturing demand remains the dominant pull on the regional workforce — Marshall University's economic research center flags a need for 2,700 full-time manufacturing employees statewide with the Huntington metro cited as a hot spot — while IT roles compete for talent against that backdrop of tight overall labor availability.
What it means
Metro network engineer pay is up significantly ($100,578 median) and software engineer pay is up significantly ($150,154 median) even as systems administrator and cybersecurity analyst pay in this metro sits flat or down against rising national medians — a divergence that signals employers are paying to secure scarce technical and development talent while treating infrastructure support and security roles as lower priority or easier to backfill locally. That gap creates real retention exposure: cybersecurity analysts watching their metro pay fall 97,042 against a national pickup to 107,327 have a growing incentive to look outside Huntington-Ashland, particularly toward remote roles given that 41% of technologists nationally say they'd trade salary for remote flexibility. Consider reviewing cybersecurity and systems administration pay positioning against national remote benchmarks before assuming local labor market tightness will keep these roles anchored in place.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Coal-sector WARN activity has produced roughly 900 affected workers across six notices statewide in 2026, including the Panther Creek Mine's 109-miner layoff beginning December 5. Watch whether any transferable technical or logistics talent from these displacements enters the regional IT support or infrastructure candidate pool.
Emerging pressure point: West Virginia's data center incentive push, paired with an energy-friendly regulatory environment, is attracting regional provider expansion. That shift could make managed-services and cloud outsourcing more cost-competitive against in-house infrastructure builds over the next two quarters.
Early indicator: Cabell County's 3.80% unemployment versus Boyd County's near-5% rate suggests the metro's labor tightness is uneven across its tri-state footprint. Employers with flexibility on work location may find more available talent on the Kentucky and Ohio sides of the MSA than in Cabell County itself.
Potential inflection point: National information-sector hiring rates have fallen to 1.6% of employment, pushing employers to prioritize internal mobility alongside external recruiting. If that pattern holds locally, expect competition for the metro's existing systems administrator and cybersecurity talent to intensify before new postings do.
Sources
- yCharts/BLS — Cabell County unemployment at 3.80% as of May 2026
- FRED/BLS LAUS — Boyd County unemployment at 4.9% in August 2026
- Marshall University Center for Business & Economic Research — WV manufacturers need 2,700 full-time employees in 2026
- Industry survey data (national) — 41% of technologists would trade salary for remote flexibility
- West Virginia WARN notice tracker — Panther Creek Mine WARN notice affecting 109 miners
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — US information-sector hire rate fell to 1.6% of employment by August 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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