Labor Market Pulse · Information Technology · September 2026
Information Technology Labor Market Report: Shreveport-Bossier City, LA MSA — September 2026
Shreveport IT pay splits: admins climb, security and network slide.
Systems Administrator advertised pay reached $115,554 locally, above the $101,168 national median, while Cybersecurity Analyst pay fell to $88,270 against a rising $106,790 nationally.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Metro unemployment rate: 4.3% — Vs 4.2% Louisiana (Aug), 4.1% national
- Louisiana IT pay rank: 50th nationally — $93,813 avg vs $109K+ national benchmarks
- Systems Admin advertised pay: $115,554 — Up significantly, above $101,168 national
- Cyber Research Park jobs: 2,102 — Up from 1,854 in 2024, 2,885 by 2027
Key takeaways
Systems Administrator pay is outrunning the national market here.
Metro advertised pay for Systems Administrators hit $115,554, above the $101,168 national median and up significantly year over year. This looks less like a generalist shortage and more like employers paying up for staff who can cover cloud, on-prem, and security duties simultaneously as specialist roles get squeezed.
Network Engineer and Cybersecurity Analyst pay are both sliding locally.
Network Engineer advertised pay fell to $75,040 against a rising $114,400 national median, and Cybersecurity Analyst dropped to $88,270 versus $106,790 nationally. Combined with Louisiana's rank of 50th in IT pay, this gap signals employers may be shifting these functions toward managed security providers rather than competing for scarce local specialists.
Software Engineer pay softness breaks from the national trend.
Metro Software Engineer advertised pay fell significantly to $126,844 while the national median held stable near $153,652. Worth testing whether this reflects fewer senior engineering postings locally or a genuine cooling in demand, since it diverges from national software development growth of 28.1% cited by SHRM this quarter.
Cyber Research Park growth is a sourcing option, not just a competitor.
Bossier City's Cyber Research Park has grown from 1,854 to 2,102 jobs with a path to 2,885 by 2027, building a denser local cybersecurity and cloud labor pool. IT leaders competing for the same talent may also find partnership or subcontracting opportunities as this cluster matures.
Median advertised pay by role — Shreveport-Bossier City, LA MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist | $92,823 | $93,175 | $100,734 | Significant increase | $148,250 |
| Systems Administrator | $80,945 | $115,554 | $132,200 | Significant increase | $101,168 |
| Network Engineer | $49,001 | $75,040 | $83,293 | Significant decline | $114,400 |
| Software Engineer | $93,213 | $126,844 | $143,932 | Significant decline | $153,652 |
| Help Desk/IT Support Specialist | $39,062 | $46,800 | $50,239 | Moderate decline | $53,644 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | $84,282 | $88,270 | $88,271 | Significant decline | $106,790 |
| IT Project Manager * | $80,783 | $115,230 | $126,020 | 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
Shreveport-Bossier's labor market remains tight by Louisiana standards, with the metro's 4.3% unemployment rate holding roughly in line with the state's 4.2% August reading as Schlumberger's continued buildout of its 3.3 million square foot former GM facility and Bossier City's Cyber Research Park (now 2,102 jobs, tracking toward 2,885 by 2027) absorb technical talent. Statewide IT pay remains structurally depressed — Louisiana ranks 50th nationally at an average $93,813 — even as metro-specific advertised pay for infrastructure and security roles moves sharply in both directions, suggesting employers are repricing specific skills rather than lifting the market broadly.
What it means
Divergent metro pay signals — Systems Administrator advertised pay up significantly to $115,554 while Network Engineer and Cybersecurity Analyst both move down sharply — point to employers consolidating infrastructure spend into fewer, broader-scoped roles rather than hiring deep specialists locally, consistent with national build-vs-buy trends favoring outsourced security and cloud functions. Thin local bench strength in cybersecurity and cloud architecture, paired with Louisiana's weak IT wage progression even for tenured staff, makes retention of generalist senior talent a higher near-term risk than acquiring new specialists. Consider reviewing whether security and network engineering functions are better sourced through managed services given the gap between local and national advertised pay for these roles.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: September 2026 BLS metro unemployment data releases in early October; watch whether the 4.3% rate holds as Schlumberger's expansion and LNG-related investment continue absorbing technical labor.
Emerging pressure point: Cybersecurity Analyst and Network Engineer advertised pay are both falling locally while rising nationally — a widening gap that could accelerate outsourcing decisions or trigger counteroffers if postings don't recover.
Early indicator: Integer Technologies' LSU-linked defense-tech hires average $130K, 103% above parish averages — watch whether this premium spreads to other specialized infrastructure and security roles or stays isolated to defense-adjacent employers.
Potential inflection point: Cyber Research Park's projected growth to 2,885 jobs by 2027 could either tighten competition for cloud/security talent or create a deeper regional bench IT leaders can draw from — the direction will shape build-vs-buy math for the next 18 months.
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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