Labor Market Pulse · Information Technology · October 2026
Information Technology Labor Market Report: Sioux City, IA-NE-SD MSA — October 2026
Sioux City IT pay splits: security and admin roles surge, network stalls.
Systems Administrator pay rose significantly to $92,892 and Cybersecurity Analyst pay edged past the national median at $108,169, even as Network Engineer pay fell significantly to $72,063 against a 4.1% national unemployment backdrop.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Metro unemployment rate: 3.2%-3.7% — vs 4.1% national rate
- Systems Administrator pay: $92,892 — Up significantly; national median $102,503
- Network Engineer pay: $72,063 — Down significantly; national median $115,757
- Iowa labor force participation: 66.9% — Down from 67.8% a year ago
Key takeaways
Systems Administrator pay is outrunning the national market.
Metro median hit $92,892, below the national $102,503 but closing fast with a significant local increase against only moderate national growth. Organizations budgeting against national survey data risk underpricing this role locally.
Network Engineer pay is falling here while rising nationally.
Local median dropped significantly to $72,063 even as the national figure rose to $115,757 — a $43,000 gap. This may signal softening local demand for traditional network infrastructure work as cloud and hybrid architectures reduce headcount needs, relevant to build-vs-buy decisions on network operations.
Cybersecurity premium has flipped local over national.
Metro Cybersecurity Analyst pay ($108,169) now edges out the national median ($107,327), both rising significantly or moderately. A metro this size paying above the national rate points to acute local scarcity.
Tight labor supply defines this metro.
Unemployment near 3.2%-3.7% sits well below the 4.1% national rate, while Iowa's labor force participation is declining. IT leaders competing for infrastructure and support talent face a structurally smaller candidate pool that reflects long-term demographic and participation trends.
Median advertised pay by role — Sioux City, IA-NE-SD MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist | $77,750 | $83,875 | $137,626 | Moderate increase | $145,881 |
| Systems Administrator | $68,081 | $92,892 | $115,793 | Significant increase | $102,503 |
| Network Engineer | $69,912 | $72,063 | $89,251 | Significant decline | $115,757 |
| Software Engineer | $79,155 | $137,252 | $167,477 | Significant increase | $154,403 |
| Help Desk/IT Support Specialist | $39,168 | $44,698 | $46,776 | Moderate decline | $53,129 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst * | $78,778 | $108,169 | $124,593 | Significant increase | $107,327 |
| IT Project Manager | $100,227 | $123,690 | $130,104 | Stable | $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
Sioux City metro unemployment held near 3.2%-3.7% through mid-to-late summer 2026, tighter than both the Iowa statewide rate and the national 4.1%, reflecting a labor force too small to meet employer demand. Statewide labor force participation fell to 66.9% in September amid retirements and workers returning to education, compounding local talent scarcity for infrastructure, security, and support roles that already compete against a tight regional supply.
What it means
Local Systems Administrator pay climbed significantly to a $92,892 median while Network Engineer pay fell significantly to $72,063 — a divergence that likely reflects which roles employers are actively defending against attrition and which have seen demand soften, pointing to role-specific shifts rather than a uniform market correction. Cybersecurity Analyst pay rose significantly here too, now exceeding the national median ($108,169 vs. $107,327), suggesting local employers are paying a scarcity premium that sets this metro apart from national benchmarks. Consider reviewing retention budgets role-by-role, since this metro's pay signals show infrastructure and security talent diverging sharply from network-layer roles.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Watch whether Woodbury County unemployment, last at 3.7% in August, tightens further as BLS releases October MSA data. A continued decline would sharpen the case for retention-focused budgeting over external hiring.
Emerging pressure point: Network Engineer pay's significant local decline against national gains warrants a second look next month — confirm whether this reflects a lasting demand drop or a thinning sample of advertised roles before shifting headcount plans.
Early indicator: Iowa's tech sector is projected to grow just 1.5% in 2026, below the 1.9% national pace, while AI-skills postings remain concentrated in a small employer base. Expect continued build-vs-buy tension as specialized AI and cloud talent stays scarce locally.
Potential inflection point: National tech layoffs have already exceeded 133,000 for 2026, concentrated in large tech hubs. Monitor whether displaced talent begins surfacing in the Sioux City candidate pool, particularly for cybersecurity and systems administration roles where local pay is rising fastest.
Sources
- Iowa Workforce Development — Woodbury County unemployment at 3.7% in August 2026
- Iowa Workforce Development — Iowa labor force participation fell to 66.9% in September
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — National unemployment rate at 4.1% in October 2026
- CompTIA — Iowa tech employment projected to grow 1.5% in 2026
- Layoffs.fyi / tech layoff tracker — 133,417 tech employees laid off at 325 companies through Oct 21, 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Sioux City MSA unemployment at 3.2% in June 2026
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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