Labor Market Pulse · Information Technology · October 2026
Information Technology Labor Market Report: Peoria, IL MSA — October 2026
Peoria IT pay splits sharply between security gains and network losses.
Peoria's jobless rate dropped to 3.8% even as cybersecurity analyst pay rose to $119,670 against a national $107,327, while network engineer pay fell to $78,455 versus a rising $115,757 nationally.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Peoria MSA unemployment rate: 3.8% — Down 0.9 pts YoY; largest drop among IL metros
- Cybersecurity analyst pay, metro vs national: $119,670 — Exceeds $107,327 national median
- Network engineer pay, metro vs national: $78,455 — vs $115,757 national, gap widening significantly
- Illinois unemployment rate: 4.6% — Third straight monthly decline, Sept 2026
Key takeaways
Cybersecurity pay in Peoria is outrunning the national market.
Advertised cybersecurity analyst pay rose significantly to a $119,670 metro median, now exceeding the $107,327 national figure. Local employers — likely driven by healthcare and manufacturing compliance needs — are bidding above national rates to secure scarce security talent.
Network engineering pay collapse may open a buy-vs-build window.
Metro network engineer pay fell significantly to $78,455 against a rising $115,757 national median — a widening gap unusual for a tightening labor market. Falling local demand alongside national wage growth suggests this function is shifting toward managed network services over local staffing.
Help desk pay decline tracks a national pattern.
Metro IT support pay fell significantly to $48,853, mirroring a national decline to $53,129. Consistent direction at both levels suggests entry-level IT support has structurally softened, making this a lower-risk area to test outsourced or tiered support models.
A 3.8% jobless rate means local IT headcount plans compete with every employer in the metro.
Peoria's unemployment rate posted the largest year-over-year improvement among Illinois metros, tightening the general labor pool even as information-sector hiring nationally slows. IT leaders filling infrastructure or security seats should expect longer time-to-fill and may need to widen search radius or lean on remote/hybrid candidates to compensate.
Median advertised pay by role — Peoria, IL MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist | $99,102 | $122,849 | $138,942 | Moderate decline | $145,881 |
| Systems Administrator | $81,703 | $86,944 | $86,968 | Moderate increase | $102,503 |
| Network Engineer | $50,537 | $78,455 | $91,569 | Significant decline | $115,757 |
| Software Engineer | $68,249 | $114,640 | $128,654 | Moderate increase | $154,403 |
| Help Desk/IT Support Specialist | $43,000 | $48,853 | $54,331 | Significant decline | $53,129 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | $87,766 | $119,670 | $131,966 | Significant increase | $107,327 |
| IT Project Manager | $84,710 | $96,706 | $118,539 | Significant increase | $118,150 |
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
Peoria MSA unemployment fell to 3.8% in September, down 0.9 points year-over-year and the sharpest improvement among Illinois metros, while nonfarm payrolls grew a modest 0.5% over the year on steady healthcare and manufacturing employment. Local IT advertised pay is diverging sharply by discipline — cybersecurity and project management roles are posting significant gains while network engineering and help desk pay are falling significantly, suggesting employers are reallocating scarce compensation dollars toward security and delivery functions as they hold pay flat elsewhere.
What it means
Tightening local labor supply alongside falling advertised pay for network engineering and support roles signals these functions may be candidates for managed services or offshore delivery as local headcount investment slows, while security and project management pay gains indicate where Peoria employers are still competing hard for talent. National data showing $25,000 AI/ML premiums and 20% growth in data center postings suggests infrastructure and specialized security hiring will keep pulling budget away from generalist IT roles. Consider evaluating which support and network functions could shift to managed service providers or regional staffing partners while reserving direct-hire investment for cybersecurity and delivery leadership roles where Peoria pay is accelerating.
Looking ahead
Expected: October BLS data for Peoria MSA releases October 28 and will show whether the 3.8% unemployment rate and job gains held or reversed. A continued decline would tighten candidate pipelines further for infrastructure and security hires.
Emerging pressure point: National tech layoffs have already exceeded 133,000 workers through October, concentrated in large tech hubs, with secondary markets like Peoria largely insulated so far. Watch whether any of that displaced talent, particularly in cloud and AI specialties, surfaces in the regional candidate pool over the next two months.
Worth watching: Illinois WARN filings in 2026 are concentrated in manufacturing and distribution, with white-collar roles largely untouched so far, but Peoria's economy leans on both manufacturing and healthcare. A shift toward IT or back-office WARN notices locally would be a meaningful change in signal.
Potential inflection point: Data center job postings are up 20% nationally in three months and 147% since mid-2024, a trend that could extend into secondary Midwest markets seeking lower-cost infrastructure sites. Central Illinois site announcements would directly affect local demand for systems administration and network talent.
Sources
- Illinois Department of Employment Security — Peoria MSA unemployment fell to 3.8% in September, largest YoY drop among IL metros
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Peoria nonfarm payrolls grew 0.5% year-over-year through September 2026
- Robert Half — AI/ML engineers command $25,000 pay premium nationally
- Indeed Hiring Lab — Data center job postings grew 20% in three months nationally
- Indeed Hiring Lab — IT systems & solutions advertised wages up 4.7% year-over-year nationally
- Illinois Department of Employment Security — Illinois unemployment rate fell to 4.6% in September, third consecutive decline
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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