Labor Market Pulse · Information Technology · October 2026
Information Technology Labor Market Report: Topeka, KS MSA — October 2026
Topeka network engineer pay outruns the nation as security lags.
Topeka's Network Engineer advertised pay hit $133,180, outpacing the $115,757 national median, while Cybersecurity Analyst pay held flat at $79,952 — nearly 26% below the national figure.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Network Engineer pay premium: +15% — Topeka $133,180 vs. national $115,757
- Cybersecurity Analyst pay gap: -26% — Topeka $79,952 vs. national $107,327
- Shawnee County wage growth: 5.3% — Largest Q4 2025 gain among KS large counties
- KC-metro IT turnover rate: 18% — vs. 15% national average
Key takeaways
Network Engineer pay is pulling away from the national median.
Topeka's advertised Network Engineer pay at $133,180 now exceeds the national figure by over $17,000, a reversal from historical patterns where metro infrastructure roles lagged coastal and KC-metro pay. Data center buildout activity statewide (postings index at 247 versus 2024 baseline) is the likely driver, and IT leaders competing for this talent should expect continued upward pressure through year-end.
Cybersecurity pay gap may signal an outsourcing default.
Local Cybersecurity Analyst pay sits nearly 26% below the national median while national postings for security talent show sustained demand — a gap this wide is more consistent with reliance on managed security service providers than with abundant local supply. Organizations building in-house security capability should benchmark against KC-metro or national figures to avoid under-pricing critical hires.
Systems Administrator compensation is lagging a national role that's heating up.
National Systems Administrator pay is climbing (up, moderate) while Topeka's figure trails the national median by roughly $18,000. Combined with KC-area turnover running at 18% against a 15% national rate, this gap may leave Topeka employers exposed if regional competitors or data center operators begin recruiting administrators more aggressively.
Help Desk pay compression continues even as support roles stay hard to backfill.
Topeka Help Desk/IT Support pay sits below the national median, which itself is declining — a sign that entry-level IT support is softening nationally while local employers may still struggle to fill shifts given the metro's low 3.8% statewide unemployment. Low-wage IT support may become a proving ground for internal mobility into infrastructure or security roles.
Median advertised pay by role — Topeka, KS MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist | $123,690 | $155,870 | $169,863 | Significant increase | $145,881 |
| Systems Administrator | $67,068 | $84,277 | $94,220 | Moderate increase | $102,503 |
| Network Engineer | $83,093 | $133,180 | $157,564 | Significant increase | $115,757 |
| Software Engineer | $129,933 | $163,443 | $175,594 | Moderate increase | $154,403 |
| Help Desk/IT Support Specialist | $37,757 | $44,960 | $49,920 | Moderate increase | $53,129 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | $69,808 | $79,952 | $88,828 | Stable | $107,327 |
| IT Project Manager | $86,465 | $115,894 | $125,471 | 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
Topeka's private employment base held near 91,395 in July with Shawnee County unemployment near 3.4-4.1%, but the metro's largest wage gain among Kansas counties — 5.3% in Q4 2025 — reflects intensifying competition for skilled labor. Statewide data center buildout and Kansas City's tech sector growth are drawing infrastructure and network talent out of Topeka's smaller employer base, tightening local supply even as national tech layoffs (133,417 through October) create a counter-current of available candidates in adjacent markets.
What it means
Metro pay divergence tells the real story: Network Engineer advertised pay in Topeka ($133,180) now runs 15% above the national median, while Systems Administrator and Cybersecurity Analyst roles sit 18-25% below national figures — suggesting local employers are paying up aggressively for scarce infrastructure talent while under-investing in security and admin functions that may be easier to backfill or outsource regionally. This split creates a build-vs-buy inflection point for security operations, where Topeka's below-market Cybersecurity Analyst pay ($79,952 vs. $107,327 national) may reflect reliance on managed security providers. Consider reviewing whether current security staffing reflects a deliberate outsourcing strategy or an unaddressed compensation gap limiting internal capability.
Looking ahead
Emerging pressure point: Statewide data center postings have more than doubled versus 2024 baseline, and if this activity extends toward the Topeka corridor it will compound competition for network and infrastructure talent already seeing significant local pay growth.
Worth watching: Kansas City Fed's Labor Market Conditions Index slipping to 0.22 points toward a 'low hire, low fire' environment — watch whether this suppresses voluntary turnover in Topeka IT teams, raising the cost and difficulty of external hiring for specialized roles.
Potential inflection point: National tech layoffs exceeding 133,000 year-to-date could begin surfacing displaced talent in secondary markets like Topeka as remote-friendly candidates seek lower cost-of-living areas; monitor applicant flow for infrastructure and security postings for early signs.
Expected: KDOL's October Kansas Labor Report releases November 20 and will be the first hard read on whether Shawnee County's wage momentum continued into Q4 — a useful checkpoint before finalizing 2027 compensation budgets.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Mountain-Plains Office) — Shawnee County wage growth of 5.3% in Q4 2025, largest among large KS counties
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Topeka MSA private employment at 91,395 in July 2026
- Indeed Hiring Lab — Kansas data center postings index at 247 vs. 2024 baseline of 100
- Kansas City Federal Reserve — KC-metro tech turnover at 18% vs. 15% national average
- Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City — KC Fed Labor Market Conditions Index at 0.22, described as 'low hire, low fire'
- Layoffs.fyi / tech industry tracking — Tech layoffs of 133,417 employees at 325 companies through October 21, 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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