Labor Market Pulse · Information Technology · October 2026
Information Technology Labor Market Report: Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ MSA — October 2026
Havasu infrastructure pay climbs as labor force shrinks.
Systems Administrator pay rose to $104,000 and Cybersecurity Analyst pay to $103,157 even as the metro's labor force contracted 4.5% year-over-year to 85,300.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Metro unemployment rate: 5.9% — Down from 6.9% in August; vs 4.2% nationally
- Civilian labor force change: -4.5% — Year-over-year decline to 85,300 persons
- Metro median wage growth (all occupations): +4.5% — To $44,230, May 2024-May 2025
- National tech layoffs YTD: 133,417 — Already exceeds full-year 2025 total
Key takeaways
Infrastructure roles are pulling away from the pack on pay.
Systems Administrator pay rose to $104,000 locally, now exceeding the national median of $102,503, while Cybersecurity Analyst pay climbed to $103,157. Both moves run counter to a metro labor force that shrank 4.5% year-over-year, consistent with real scarcity in hands-on infrastructure and security skills as a driver distinct from general wage inflation.
Software and data talent appear to be losing local pricing power.
Data Scientist advertised pay fell to $112,807 (significantly below the $145,881 national median) and Software Engineer pay softened to $127,140. Weakening local demand for these roles, against a backdrop of national tech layoffs exceeding 133,000 workers through October, may create an opening to recruit displaced talent remotely at favorable rates.
Help desk compensation is eroding on both ends of the market.
Local Help Desk/IT Support pay fell to $44,018, tracking a national decline to $53,129. Falling entry-level IT pay alongside a contracting local labor force is consistent with employers shifting routine support work toward managed providers or centralized remote support as an alternative to maintaining on-site headcount.
Phoenix's data center buildout is reshaping statewide infrastructure staffing costs.
Arizona's position as the #2 market nationally for data center development, with 1,307 MW under active construction, is driving acute scarcity in commissioning and infrastructure technician roles statewide. Lake Havasu employers competing for hybrid infrastructure talent should expect upward wage pressure to spread from Phoenix even without local data center activity.
Median advertised pay by role — Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist | $92,850 | $112,807 | $118,965 | Significant decline | $145,881 |
| Systems Administrator | $86,000 | $104,000 | $109,275 | Significant increase | $102,503 |
| Network Engineer | $74,749 | $96,619 | $108,300 | Stable | $115,757 |
| Software Engineer | $99,697 | $127,140 | $148,145 | Moderate decline | $154,403 |
| Help Desk/IT Support Specialist | $40,370 | $44,018 | $49,117 | Moderate decline | $53,129 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | $91,281 | $103,157 | $118,865 | Significant increase | $107,327 |
| IT Project Manager * | $84,676 | $111,746 | $123,750 | 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
Lake Havasu City-Kingman's unemployment rate hit 5.9% in September, with the civilian labor force contracting 4.5% year-over-year to 85,300 — a shrinking supply pool that coexists with construction losses of 400 jobs over the past twelve months. Against that backdrop, metro wage growth has outpaced the labor market's apparent softness, with all-occupations median pay up 4.5% to $44,230, suggesting employers are paying up for scarcer, more selective talent even as broad-based demand stays muted.
What it means
Local workforce contraction combined with rising advertised pay for Systems Administrator ($104,000, up significantly) and Cybersecurity Analyst ($103,157, up significantly) roles signals that infrastructure and security talent is becoming harder to source locally even as overall metro employment softens. Declines in Data Scientist ($112,807) and Software Engineer ($127,140) advertised pay point toward weaker local demand for specialized development talent, which may open a window to shift those functions toward national remote hires or managed service arrangements instead of competing for a thin local bench. Consider evaluating whether infrastructure and security headcount should be built locally while software engineering and data science capacity is sourced through hybrid or outsourced models.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Metro unemployment has been volatile, swinging from 6.9% in August to 5.9% in September alongside a shrinking labor force. Watch whether the labor force contraction stabilizes or continues, as a shrinking candidate pool compounds difficulty filling infrastructure and security roles.
Emerging pressure point: National tech layoffs have surpassed 133,000 workers year-to-date, concentrated in large tech hubs, with limited direct impact so far on this metro. Monitor whether displaced remote-capable software and data talent begins appearing in local or regional applicant pools at lower advertised pay expectations.
Potential inflection point: Statewide information security analyst roles grew nearly 28% even as overall Arizona employment growth stalled. If that demand signal reaches Mohave County, expect upward pressure on Cybersecurity Analyst pay beyond this month's already-significant gain.
Early indicator: Construction employment in the metro fell 7% over the past year, a sector closely tied to facilities and on-prem infrastructure build-outs. Continued softness may reduce near-term demand for on-site infrastructure deployment roles, favoring cloud-first or outsourced buildout strategies.
Sources
- Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity — Metro unemployment rate at 5.9% in September 2026
- Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity — Civilian labor force down 4.5% year-over-year to 85,300
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Metro all-occupations median wage rose 4.5% to $44,230
- Layoffs.fyi / industry tracking — National tech layoffs exceeded 133,000 workers through Oct. 21, 2026
- Lightcast — Information security analyst roles grew nearly 28% in Arizona
- Associated General Contractors of America — Construction employment fell 7% (-400 jobs) in metro, July 2025-2026
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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