Labor Market Pulse · Information Technology · September 2026
Information Technology Labor Market Report: Memphis, TN-AR-MS MSA — September 2026
Memphis IT pay falls as metro jobs shrink, but skills gap persists.
Memphis cybersecurity analyst pay dropped to $82,547 against a national median of $106,790, even as metro employment contracted by an average 767 jobs per month through 2026.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Memphis MSA unemployment rate: 4.8%-5.2% — vs 3.4% statewide, 4.1% national (Aug 2026)
- Metro job losses: 767/month avg — 4th-worst job growth pace since 2020
- Cybersecurity Analyst advertised pay (metro): $82,547 — vs $106,790 national median, down significantly
- Unfilled logistics positions: 8,500 — Amid $200M FedEx airport modernization
Key takeaways
Memphis job losses mask a tightening skills market.
Metro employment fell for months straight even as FedEx's airport modernization proceeds amid 8,500 unfilled logistics and technical positions. Broad softening doesn't mean easier hiring for cloud, security, or automation roles tied to infrastructure investment.
Cybersecurity pay gap with national rates has widened sharply.
Memphis advertised cybersecurity analyst pay dropped significantly to $82,547 versus a national median of $106,790, a spread wide enough to make remote offers competitive against local roles. Organizations anchoring security compensation to local medians risk losing candidates to fully remote national employers.
IT Project Manager pay decline may signal budget caution, not demand drop.
Metro IT Project Manager advertised pay fell significantly to $112,064 while national pay rose moderately to $117,530, a divergence more consistent with delayed project starts than reduced need for the role. Watch whether this reverses once FedEx-adjacent and other local modernization projects move from planning to execution.
Systems Administrator pay stability looks increasingly out of step.
Metro Systems Administrator pay held stable at $90,333 while national pay climbed moderately to $101,168, a gap that may reflect Memphis's heavier on-prem infrastructure base relative to cloud-forward metros. Flat local pay against rising national rates is a retention risk for administrators supporting legacy systems without a cloud premium to offset it.
Median advertised pay by role — Memphis, TN-AR-MS MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist | $108,367 | $126,103 | $145,878 | Moderate decline | $148,250 |
| Systems Administrator | $66,004 | $90,333 | $92,248 | Stable | $101,168 |
| Network Engineer | $72,220 | $88,457 | $109,378 | Moderate decline | $114,400 |
| Software Engineer | $96,594 | $136,942 | $155,582 | Stable | $153,652 |
| Help Desk/IT Support Specialist | $43,839 | $52,204 | $54,434 | Moderate decline | $53,644 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | $72,669 | $82,547 | $87,341 | Significant decline | $106,790 |
| IT Project Manager | $85,000 | $112,064 | $124,521 | Significant decline | $117,530 |
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
Memphis MSA employment contracted through mid-2026, losing an average of 767 jobs per month and pushing metro unemployment to 4.8%-5.2% even as Tennessee's statewide rate held near 3.4%, a divergence tied to Shelby County's concentration in logistics and distribution. FedEx's $200 million Memphis International Airport modernization is adding infrastructure capacity even as 8,500 logistics positions sit unfilled, exposing a mismatch between capital investment and the technical workforce needed to operate it.
What it means
Metro-level job losses alongside a persistent skilled-labor shortage signal a bifurcated market: generalist and support roles face softening demand while cloud, security, and modernization-adjacent talent remains scarce and expensive to retain. Cybersecurity Analyst advertised pay in Memphis fell significantly to $82,547 against a national median of $106,790 — a gap wide enough to invite poaching from remote-friendly national employers even as local headcount budgets tighten. Consider reviewing whether current infrastructure and security compensation bands reflect national competition for talent rather than the metro's softer overall job market.
Looking ahead
Expected: TikTok's Nashville office closure on October 5 will affect 250 workers statewide; watch whether any displaced technical talent surfaces in the Memphis candidate pool given Tennessee's tight overall labor supply.
Emerging pressure point: FedEx's airport modernization nears late-2026 completion while logistics and technical vacancies remain near 8,500 locally. Expect continued upward pressure on supply-chain-adjacent IT and automation roles even as broader metro employment contracts.
Worth watching: Metro job losses averaging 767 per month through 2026 have not yet shown signs of reversing. A fifth consecutive month of decline would strengthen the case for cautious headcount planning across support and administrative IT functions.
Potential inflection point: National tech employers report 78% planning H2 headcount increases, concentrated in cloud and security specializations. If that national pull intensifies, Memphis employers with below-market cybersecurity and network engineering pay may see accelerated attrition.
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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