Labor Market Pulse · Information Technology · October 2026
Information Technology Labor Market Report: Pocatello, ID MSA — October 2026
Pocatello IT pay splits: security and software up, infrastructure falls behind.
Cybersecurity Analyst pay jumped to $101,692 and Software Engineer pay hit $153,081 in Pocatello even as Network Engineer pay fell to $77,352, well below the $115,757 national median.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Metro Network Engineer pay: $77,352 — vs $115,757 national median, down moderate locally
- Metro Cybersecurity Analyst pay: $101,692 — up significant locally vs moderate rise nationally
- Bannock County unemployment: 3.8% — vs 4.1% US, 3.6% Idaho statewide
- Metro employment, year-over-year: -1.0% — despite +0.2% month-over-month gain in September
Key takeaways
Infrastructure pay is falling behind while software and security pull ahead.
Systems Administrator and Network Engineer advertised pay both sit 20-30% below national medians and are trending down locally, while Software Engineer and Cybersecurity Analyst pay are rising. This divergence suggests infrastructure roles are becoming the weak link in retention, pushing toward managed services or remote hiring for those functions.
IT Project Manager pay has decoupled from the national market.
Metro median of $132,563 now exceeds the national figure of $118,150, an unusual inversion that may signal Pocatello employers are paying a premium to secure scarce coordination talent amid infrastructure and manufacturing project activity (Premier Technology's nuclear facility expansion, Swire Coca-Cola's distribution buildout). Treat this as a market signal worth confirming before assuming it reflects a durable local premium.
State IT manager pay gaps point to a looming leadership exodus risk.
Idaho Department of Labor data shows IT Manager IV and V roles running 5-8% below market despite significant turnover in those positions. Combined with metro-level infrastructure pay softness, this suggests leadership retention, along with technical staff retention, is becoming the binding constraint on IT headcount planning.
Cybersecurity pay strength signals a defensive hiring posture.
Metro Cybersecurity Analyst pay rose significantly to $101,692, outpacing many other local IT roles even as overall metro employment contracted 1.0% year-over-year. Rising security spend amid broader job losses (Amy's Kitchen, national tech layoffs) is consistent with organizations protecting core risk functions while trimming elsewhere.
Median advertised pay by role — Pocatello, ID MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist * | $84,894 | $141,002 | $162,317 | Significant decline | $145,881 |
| Systems Administrator | $74,828 | $79,092 | $81,185 | Moderate decline | $102,503 |
| Network Engineer | $52,076 | $77,352 | $88,274 | Moderate decline | $115,757 |
| Software Engineer * | $116,624 | $153,081 | $171,515 | Moderate increase | $154,403 |
| Help Desk/IT Support Specialist | $51,039 | $54,400 | $54,400 | Stable | $53,129 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | $91,548 | $101,692 | $132,811 | Significant increase | $107,327 |
| IT Project Manager * | $106,680 | $132,563 | $134,266 | 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
Pocatello's IT labor market shows a split story this month: software engineering and cybersecurity advertised pay are climbing sharply even as systems administration and network engineering pay fall further below national levels, a divergence consistent with employers concentrating scarce compensation dollars on specialized, harder-to-fill skills. Year-over-year metro employment declined 1.0% even as nonfarm payrolls ticked up 0.2% month-over-month, and Bannock County's 3.8% unemployment rate combined with state data showing IT Manager IV/V roles running 5-8% below market rates points to a labor pool stretched thin at the leadership and infrastructure layers.
What it means
Widening pay gaps between infrastructure roles (Systems Administrator at $79,092 local vs. $102,503 national; Network Engineer at $77,352 vs. $115,757 national) and premium roles like Software Engineer ($153,081) and Cybersecurity Analyst ($101,692, up significantly) suggest Pocatello employers are underwriting the build-vs-buy decision for infrastructure talent by favoring outsourcing over local hiring. With statewide data showing software developer postings up 32% year-over-year and technical support wages running 11% below national averages, retaining on-prem infrastructure and support staff locally may require compensation moves that don't pencil out against remote or offshore alternatives. Consider reviewing whether infrastructure and network engineering roles are better sourced through regional or remote talent pools, given the cost of competing for a thin local bench at below-market rates.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Swire Coca-Cola's consolidation of operations away from Pocatello to a new Idaho Falls facility could shift IT support and infrastructure demand regionally. Watch whether local IT support postings decline as back-office functions migrate with the facility move.
Emerging pressure point: Idaho's state government push for 4-5.5% targeted IT raises plus a governor-backed 4.5% market adjustment sets a public-sector benchmark that private employers will be measured against. Local IT leaders may face upward pressure on infrastructure and support pay even though current advertised rates are trending down.
Early indicator: National tech layoffs already exceeding 133,000 workers through October could begin feeding displaced talent into secondary markets like Pocatello, particularly for remote-eligible infrastructure and security roles. Monitor whether out-of-state candidate volume increases for postings that previously drew thin local applicant pools.
Potential inflection point: Premier Technology's nuclear manufacturing expansion (40-50 jobs) and continued data center buildout nationally raise the question of whether Pocatello attracts adjacent IT and OT infrastructure investment. A confirmed facility-linked IT hiring wave would reverse the current softness in network engineering and systems administration pay.
Sources
- Idaho Department of Labor — Bannock County unemployment rate at 3.8%, labor force of 41,101
- Idaho Department of Labor — Pocatello MSA employment fell 1.0% year-over-year despite 0.2% monthly gain
- Idaho Department of Labor — IT Manager IV/V roles running 5-8% below market rates statewide
- Idaho Department of Labor — State recommends 4% general raises plus 5.5% for IT/engineering staff
- Layoffs tracking aggregator — 133,417 tech employees laid off at 325 companies through Oct 21, 2026
- Idaho State Journal — Premier Technology nuclear facility expansion expected to create 40-50 jobs
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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