Labor Market Pulse · Information Technology · October 2026
Information Technology Labor Market Report: Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA MSA — October 2026
Mount Vernon IT pay splits sharply by specialization.
Metro Software Engineer pay climbed to $169,445 while Systems Administrator pay fell to $70,720, a divergence that outpaces the national gap between the two roles.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Skagit County unemployment: 3.7% — Down from 3.8% in July; labor force also shrank
- Systems Administrator advertised pay: $70,720 — vs $102,503 national median, which is rising
- Washington tech WARN filings (YTD): 12,336 workers — 43 notices statewide; Oracle filed 359 in October
- Washington state job losses: -15,400 jobs — September 2026, second straight monthly decline
Key takeaways
Systems Administrator pay is collapsing locally while the national median holds firm.
Metro advertised pay for Systems Administrator dropped significantly to $70,720, a steep discount to the national median of $102,503, which is rising. That divergence points toward local oversupply or declining employer willingness to pay for generalist infrastructure work — a strong signal to benchmark this role regionally.
Software Engineer pay outruns the national market here.
Metro Software Engineer pay reached $169,445, moderately up and now exceeding the national median of $154,403. Local demand for engineering talent appears resilient even as Seattle's broader tech hiring pulls back, suggesting Mount Vernon employers may be competing for a smaller, more specialized applicant pool.
Falling unemployment with a shrinking labor force is a caution sign.
Skagit County's drop to 3.7% unemployment came alongside a contracting labor force. Treat the lower rate as a tightening-supply story when planning for infrastructure and support role fill times.
Help Desk pay gains locally while the national rate declines.
Metro Help Desk/IT Support pay rose moderately to $56,358 against a national median of $53,129 that is falling. Entry-level IT support appears to be holding value locally even as national demand for generalist tech support softens, which may reflect this metro's smaller, less substitutable labor pool.
Median advertised pay by role — Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist * | $121,651 | $158,953 | $174,400 | Stable | $145,881 |
| Systems Administrator | $64,480 | $70,720 | $112,210 | Significant decline | $102,503 |
| Network Engineer | $88,696 | $98,592 | $117,500 | Stable | $115,757 |
| Software Engineer * | $129,166 | $169,445 | $187,139 | Moderate increase | $154,403 |
| Help Desk/IT Support Specialist | $41,600 | $56,358 | $62,400 | Moderate increase | $53,129 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst * | $91,149 | $111,842 | $129,500 | Moderate increase | $107,327 |
| IT Project Manager * | $96,911 | $119,600 | $132,214 | Moderate increase | $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
Skagit County's unemployment rate fell a full point to 3.7% in September, even as the labor force itself contracted — a signal of tightening supply, consistent with statewide patterns where Washington shed over 15,000 jobs in September despite a declining jobless rate. PeaceHealth's announced layoff of 150 workers across Skagit, Clark, and Whatcom counties, alongside Oracle's 359-worker WARN notice touching Seattle and remote Washington staff, suggests displaced tech and healthcare-adjacent talent may begin surfacing in the regional candidate pool over the next quarter.
What it means
Metro IT pay data shows a split market: Software Engineer advertised pay climbed to $169,445 (up, moderate) and Cybersecurity Analyst to $111,842 (up, moderate), while Systems Administrator fell sharply to $70,720 — a significant decline that sits roughly 31% below the national median of $102,503. That gap is consistent with the national pattern of infrastructure and security specialization commanding premiums while generalist and legacy admin roles lose pricing power, which bears directly on whether to build in-house systems administration capacity locally or shift routine infrastructure support to outsourced or offshore providers. Consider reviewing systems administration staffing against this wage compression before committing to new in-house headcount in that function.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: PeaceHealth's 150-worker layoff across Skagit, Clark, and Whatcom counties takes effect November 20. Watch whether any IT, clinical systems, or support staff from that reduction enter the regional candidate pool and ease pressure on local hiring.
Emerging pressure point: Systems Administrator advertised pay has fallen significantly locally while rising nationally. Organizations maintaining legacy on-prem infrastructure should assess whether this gap reflects a shrinking local talent pool or declining employer demand before setting 2027 compensation ranges.
Potential inflection point: Statewide tech WARN filings account for 43 notices and 12,336 workers year-to-date, with Oracle's 359-worker Seattle-area notice processing through mid-November. A continued flow of displaced cloud and infrastructure talent into secondary markets like Mount Vernon could ease specialized hiring over the next two months.
Early indicator: Washington's minimum wage rises to $17.73 in January 2027, a 3.5% increase. Entry-level IT support and help desk compensation, already trending up locally, may face further upward pressure as the wage floor rises across adjacent hourly roles.
Sources
- KMRE Radio / Washington Employment Security Department — Skagit County unemployment fell to 3.7% in September 2026
- Washington State Employment Security Department — PeaceHealth layoff of 150 workers across Skagit, Clark, Whatcom counties
- Washington Employment Security Department — Washington statewide job losses of 15,400 in September 2026
- Washington WARN registry — Oracle WARN notice covering 359 Washington workers effective Nov 13
- Washington Department of Labor & Industries — Washington minimum wage rising to $17.73/hour Jan 1, 2027
- Washington WARN registry — Washington technology WARN filings total 43 notices, 12,336 workers YTD
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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