Labor Market Pulse · Information Technology · September 2026
Information Technology Labor Market Report: Jackson, TN MSA — September 2026
Jackson network pay surges as cybersecurity lags the nation.
Metro Network Engineer advertised pay ($133,360) now exceeds the national median, while Cybersecurity Analyst pay fell locally even as it climbed to $106,790 nationally.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Madison County unemployment: 4.3% — vs 4.1% national, 3.4% Tennessee
- Network Engineer advertised pay: $133,360 — Above $114,400 national median
- Cybersecurity Analyst advertised pay: $87,673 — Down locally vs up to $106,790 nationally
- Jackson open job postings: 3,681 — Glassdoor, September 2026
Key takeaways
Local cybersecurity pay is moving against the national grain.
Metro Cybersecurity Analyst advertised pay fell this month even as national pay for the role continues rising toward a $106,790 median. Jackson employers may be underpricing a role that remains one of the fastest-growing nationally, risking exposure to remote-eligible poaching.
Network Engineer pay has pulled ahead of its national counterpart.
Metro median advertised pay for Network Engineer now runs above the national figure, a reversal from the typical pattern where Jackson roles trail national medians. This likely reflects genuine scarcity in infrastructure skills locally rather than a broad metro wage surge, and warrants role-specific rather than blanket compensation adjustments.
Help desk pay is rising faster than the role traditionally justifies.
Entry-level IT support advertised pay is up significantly in Jackson even as national postings for the same role stay flat. Combined with a metro unemployment rate running nearly a full point above the national average, this points to a localized shortage of even commodity-tier IT labor, not a broad regional overheating.
Software Engineer pay gap with national rates is narrowing, not closing.
Metro median ($145,080) now sits close to the national figure ($153,652), a compression consistent with national trends showing stable-to-moderate software engineer pay growth. Build-vs-buy decisions for custom development work should account for this shrinking discount rather than assuming Jackson offers a durable cost advantage.
Median advertised pay by role — Jackson, TN MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist | $79,638 | $79,638 | $79,638 | Significant increase | $148,250 |
| Systems Administrator * | $71,187 | $85,485 | $94,005 | Moderate increase | $101,168 |
| Network Engineer | $102,500 | $133,360 | $133,360 | Significant increase | $114,400 |
| Software Engineer * | $108,343 | $145,080 | $162,168 | Moderate increase | $153,652 |
| Help Desk/IT Support Specialist | $45,421 | $51,855 | $55,380 | Significant increase | $53,644 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst * | $76,017 | $87,673 | $99,840 | Moderate decline | $106,790 |
| IT Project Manager * | $77,664 | $107,826 | $121,189 | Moderate increase | $117,530 |
* 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
Jackson metro unemployment sits at 4.3% in Madison County as of August, above both the national 4.1% and Tennessee's 3.4%, even as the broader state labor force continues shrinking year over year. Network Engineer and Data Scientist advertised pay have both risen sharply this month even as Cybersecurity Analyst pay has softened locally, pointing to uneven demand across technical specializations rather than a uniform tightening or loosening of the metro IT labor market.
What it means
Divergent local pay trends — Network Engineer advertised pay up significantly while Cybersecurity Analyst pay has actually declined — suggest Jackson employers are prioritizing infrastructure and connectivity roles this cycle over security specialization, a reversal of the national pattern where cybersecurity commands some of the steepest premiums. That gap creates near-term opportunity to secure network and systems talent at relatively favorable terms while security hiring may face less local competition, but it also raises longer-term exposure if security staffing falls further behind national compensation norms. Consider reviewing whether current cybersecurity offers are positioned to retain talent against national remote-eligible postings, where Cybersecurity Analyst pay continues climbing.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Madison County unemployment at 4.3% is the highest reading in the metro in recent months despite Tennessee's statewide rate holding at 3.4%. Watch whether this gap widens or reflects a temporary post-summer adjustment before adjusting headcount plans.
Emerging pressure point: TikTok's October 5 Nashville office closure affecting 250 workers is a Davidson County event, but it signals continued volatility in tech-adjacent WARN activity statewide. Jackson IT leaders should monitor whether displaced Nashville-based remote-eligible talent enters the regional candidate pool.
Potential inflection point: Cybersecurity Analyst advertised pay has now moved in opposite directions locally and nationally for at least one reporting cycle. If the national premium continues widening, expect retention pressure on Jackson security staff within the next two quarters.
Early indicator: Transportation access barriers reported in West Tennessee continue limiting the effective local labor pool for support and entry-tier IT roles. Expanded remote or hybrid support models may be the more durable fix than wage increases alone.
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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