Labor Market Pulse · Information Technology · September 2026
Information Technology Labor Market Report: Lancaster, PA MSA — September 2026
Lancaster's IT pay is splitting: security up, networking down.
Cybersecurity Analyst pay rose significantly to $103,099 in Lancaster, nearly matching the $106,790 national median, while Network Engineer pay fell sharply to $84,109 even as national pay climbed to $114,400.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Lancaster County unemployment: 3.2% — Record labor force of 299,500, June 2026
- Local vs national weekly wage: $1,239 — vs $1,654 U.S. average, Q1 2026
- Network Engineer advertised pay: $84,109 — Metro down significantly vs $114,400 national
- Cybersecurity Analyst advertised pay: $103,099 — Metro up significantly, near $106,790 national
Key takeaways
Network engineering pay is falling locally while rising nationally.
Metro median advertised pay for Network Engineers dropped significantly even as the national median climbed to $114,400, a widening gap that suggests local employers are deprioritizing traditional network infrastructure investment. Organizations retaining on-prem network staff may find themselves increasingly out of step with national compensation norms, raising flight risk for anyone benchmarking externally.
Cybersecurity is the clearest local compensation signal this month.
Metro Cybersecurity Analyst pay moved up significantly to $103,099, nearly closing the gap with the $106,790 national median — unusual given Lancaster's broader wage lag versus national figures. That convergence is consistent with security roles becoming a budget priority independent of overall metro pay conditions.
Record local labor force masks a widening tech pay ceiling.
Lancaster's labor force reached 299,500 in June with unemployment at 3.2%, yet average weekly wages still trail the U.S. by roughly $415. A deep general labor pool does not translate into deep specialized IT talent supply, meaning competitive roles still require pay bands closer to national rates even if the headline labor market looks loose.
Software engineering strength suggests build capacity is still valued locally.
Metro Software Engineer advertised pay rose moderately to $139,760, tracking closer to the $153,652 national median than most other roles tracked. That relative strength may indicate Lancaster employers are still investing in internal build capability even as support and network functions see softer local demand.
Median advertised pay by role — Lancaster, PA MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist | $110,443 | $114,017 | $139,695 | Stable | $148,250 |
| Systems Administrator | $70,392 | $81,183 | $93,239 | Moderate increase | $101,168 |
| Network Engineer | $52,041 | $84,109 | $104,773 | Significant decline | $114,400 |
| Software Engineer | $102,843 | $139,760 | $149,766 | Moderate increase | $153,652 |
| Help Desk/IT Support Specialist | $39,521 | $51,503 | $57,291 | Stable | $53,644 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | $80,097 | $103,099 | $119,250 | Significant increase | $106,790 |
| IT Project Manager * | $80,562 | $115,000 | $128,649 | 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
Lancaster County's labor force hit a record 299,500 in June, pushing unemployment to 3.2% even as average weekly wages of $1,239 remain roughly $400 below the national figure, a gap that has persisted despite education and health services posting 7.0% year-over-year wage growth. Tight local labor supply combined with national IT wage acceleration in cybersecurity and AI engineering is pulling specialized talent toward markets that pay closer to national medians, while network engineering advertised pay in Lancaster has moved sharply lower, signaling local demand softening for that function specifically.
What it means
Metro-level wage compression below national rates makes Lancaster a harder sell for specialized cloud, security and AI talent, while a historically tight local labor pool (3.2% unemployment, record labor force participation) limits the bench available for backfill if attrition rises. Divergent movement across roles — Cybersecurity Analyst up significantly while Network Engineer pay falls sharply locally — suggests organizations are already reallocating budget away from legacy infrastructure toward security and platform specializations, a shift that should inform where headcount dollars and outsourcing decisions get prioritized. Consider reviewing whether infrastructure and network admin functions are better suited to contract or managed-services arrangements while reserving permanent headcount budget for security and cloud roles where local pay is rising fastest.
Looking ahead
Emerging pressure point: Watch whether Network Engineer advertised pay continues declining locally over the next quarter — a sustained drop alongside rising national pay could signal Lancaster employers shifting network management to managed service providers or cloud-native architectures rather than in-house staff.
Worth watching: Pennsylvania's information sector has already lost jobs over the past year alongside government and trade; monitor whether that contraction extends into Lancaster's IT support and infrastructure functions, which would reinforce the build-vs-buy case for commodity IT roles.
Potential inflection point: Cybersecurity Analyst pay convergence toward national levels bears watching for continuation — if the trend holds through Q4, it suggests Lancaster employers are willing to pay national rates for security talent specifically, which has budgeting implications for any organization still anchoring security comp to local medians.
Early indicator: Statewide tech postings remain above year-ago levels but hiring cycles are described as slower and more competitive (PublicSource); track whether Lancaster's low 3.2% unemployment produces longer time-to-fill for specialized IT roles over the next 60 days, which would validate tighter pipeline conditions despite the loose headline rate.
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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