Labor Market Pulse · Information Technology · October 2026
Information Technology Labor Market Report: South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI MSA — October 2026
South Bend IT pay splits: infrastructure up, software down sharply.
Metro Network Engineer pay climbed to $105,202 while Software Engineer pay fell sharply even as metro unemployment held at 4.2% in August.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Metro unemployment rate: 4.2% — Unchanged from July; nat'l rate 4.1% in October
- St. Joseph County unemployment: 4.0% — September 2026, down from recent months
- Metro job growth consistency: 33 of 60 months — Months with job gains, Sept 2021-Aug 2026
- Metro Software Engineer pay: $147,509 — Down significantly vs. stable $154,403 national median
Key takeaways
Network Engineer pay is outrunning the national trend locally.
Metro Network Engineer advertised pay rose to a median of $105,202, a significant increase that is closing the gap with the $115,757 national figure. That movement tracks plausibly with data center and battery-plant construction activity in the metro, and suggests infrastructure roles deserve a compensation review ahead of routine cycle timing.
Software Engineer pay dropped sharply while the national figure held steady.
Metro Software Engineer median pay fell significantly even as the national median stayed flat near $154,403, a divergence that may reflect softer local demand for application development relative to infrastructure and network work. Build-vs-buy decisions for software projects may now tilt further toward remote or outsourced delivery given the local pay compression.
Cybersecurity and systems administration pay are both climbing from a lower base.
Cybersecurity Analyst pay rose moderately to $91,478 and Systems Administrator pay rose moderately to $72,680, both still well under national medians. Current conditions suggest room to compete for mid-level security and ops talent locally without matching coastal-market compensation, a cost advantage worth factoring into retention-versus-backfill math.
Flat metro unemployment conceals a tightening skilled-labor market.
Unemployment sitting at 4.2% looks unremarkable, but job gains in only 33 of the past 60 months points to weak organic labor force growth even as construction megaprojects pull skilled workers into the area. IT leaders competing for network, systems, and infrastructure talent should expect slower-than-expected candidate flow even if headline unemployment appears stable.
Median advertised pay by role — South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist | $109,926 | $110,168 | $110,168 | Significant increase | $145,881 |
| Systems Administrator | $67,339 | $72,680 | $77,217 | Moderate increase | $102,503 |
| Network Engineer | $90,000 | $105,202 | $130,000 | Significant increase | $115,757 |
| Software Engineer | $82,488 | $147,509 | $175,995 | Significant decline | $154,403 |
| Help Desk/IT Support Specialist | $44,980 | $48,978 | $51,420 | Stable | $53,129 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst * | $77,413 | $91,478 | $101,368 | Moderate increase | $107,327 |
| IT Project Manager * | $89,657 | $114,590 | $123,652 | 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
South Bend-Mishawaka's unemployment rate held at 4.2% in August, with St. Joseph County easing to 4.0% in September, even as the metro posted job gains in less than half of the last 60 months — a pattern of flat headline numbers masking thin underlying momentum. Construction activity tied to the GM-Samsung SDI battery plant and the Amazon data center continues to absorb skilled trades and technical labor, tightening the pool available for IT infrastructure and facilities-adjacent hiring even as broader metro employment growth stays sluggish.
What it means
Metro Software Engineer pay fell sharply even as Network Engineer and Data Scientist pay rose significantly — a divergence that suggests local demand is consolidating around infrastructure, data, and network roles tied to the area's data center and battery-plant construction pipeline, with general application development seeing less of that pull. IT leaders planning headcount for 2027 should weigh whether scarce local network and systems talent justifies premium retention spending now, given that national information-sector hiring has slowed to 1.6% of employment and external backfill is getting harder. Consider reviewing infrastructure and network engineering compensation against the metro's upward trend before budget cycles lock in next year's bands.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: GM-Samsung SDI and Amazon data center construction are projected to keep absorbing skilled technical labor through 2026, which could extend upward pressure on network and infrastructure pay even if general IT hiring stays flat. Track whether advertised pay for Network Engineer and Systems Administrator roles continues rising month over month.
Emerging pressure point: National tech layoffs have already exceeded 133,000 workers through October, well above all of 2025, while South Bend's own labor force shrank over the past year. Watch whether any of that national tech layoff volume surfaces as inbound candidate interest in a metro where local labor supply is already contracting.
Early indicator: Software Engineer pay compression locally, against a stable national median, may signal softening in-house application development demand relative to infrastructure work. A continued gap over the next reporting cycle would strengthen the case for shifting software delivery toward outsourced or remote capacity.
Potential inflection point: Indiana's labor force participation rate of 63.1% remains above the national 61.8%, but statewide employed-resident counts fell by roughly 8,800 over the past year. If that contraction extends into St. Joseph County, expect longer time-to-fill for specialist infrastructure and security roles even as advertised pay rises.
Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics via USAFacts — South Bend-Mishawaka unemployment rate and monthly job growth pattern
- Indiana University South Bend Economic Research Bureau — GM-Samsung SDI and Amazon data center construction driving labor demand
- Indiana Department of Workforce Development — St. Joseph County unemployment rate for September 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — National information-sector hire rate fell to 1.6% of employment
- Layoffs.fyi / Industry tracking — Tech layoffs exceeded 133,000 workers through October 2026
- Indiana Department of Workforce Development — Indiana employed-resident count fell by about 8,800 over the past year
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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