Labor Market Pulse · Information Technology · September 2026
Information Technology Labor Market Report: VT NONMETROPOLITAN AREA — September 2026
Vermont's nonmetro IT market splits: cyber surges, admin stalls.
Cybersecurity Analyst advertised pay climbed to $112,076 in Vermont's nonmetro counties against a national $106,790, while Systems Administrator pay held flat at $87,582 even as the national figure rose to $101,168.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Nonmetro county unemployment range: 2.3%–3.2% — Addison/Caledonia low vs. Essex/Orleans high
- Statewide labor force decline: -7,800 workers — 2.2% annual drop, driven by retirements
- Professional/Technical Services employment: -0.6% to 16,669 jobs — Vs. +1.8% growth in cloud infrastructure jobs
- Vermont statewide unemployment: 2.6% — Third-lowest nationally; U.S. rate 4.1%
Key takeaways
Nonmetro labor scarcity is structural, not seasonal.
A 2.2% annual labor force decline driven by retirements, layered onto 2.6% unemployment, means the candidate pool for on-site infrastructure and support roles will keep shrinking regardless of hiring budget. Plan headcount assuming this constraint persists rather than treating it as a temporary tight-labor-market blip.
Cybersecurity pay is pulling ahead of the pack locally.
Metro advertised pay for Cybersecurity Analyst roles rose significantly to $112,076, outpacing the national median of $106,790 — unusual for a nonmetro area and consistent with national cybersecurity demand (CompTIA: +346% above average growth) reaching into rural talent markets. Treat local cyber comp bands as a fast-moving target, not a stable benchmark.
Systems Administrator roles show the clearest sign of commoditization.
Metro pay for Systems Administrator held stable at $87,582 while national pay rose moderately to $101,168, widening the gap and tracking national data showing network admin roles ($95K median) facing permanent demand compression. This widening spread may signal an opening to shift more of this function to outsourced or managed-services delivery rather than compete for scarce local talent at rising national rates.
Data Scientist pay softened even as national demand accelerated.
Metro Data Scientist advertised pay fell to $133,816 against a rising national median of $148,250 — a divergence worth investigating before assuming it reflects genuine local demand weakness rather than a thin, volatile local posting sample. Given the small nonmetro labor pool, a handful of postings can swing medians sharply; corroborate before resetting comp strategy.
Median advertised pay by role — VT NONMETROPOLITAN AREA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist | $104,899 | $133,816 | $158,380 | Significant decline | $148,250 |
| Systems Administrator | $73,503 | $87,582 | $102,886 | Stable | $101,168 |
| Network Engineer | $76,633 | $112,144 | $143,768 | Moderate increase | $114,400 |
| Software Engineer | $125,723 | $153,180 | $161,876 | Significant increase | $153,652 |
| Help Desk/IT Support Specialist | $42,003 | $52,000 | $58,664 | Moderate increase | $53,644 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | $81,582 | $112,076 | $128,451 | Significant increase | $106,790 |
| IT Project Manager | $96,996 | $124,670 | $136,438 | Significant increase | $117,530 |
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
Vermont's nonmetropolitan counties continue to operate inside one of the tightest labor markets in the country, with statewide unemployment at 2.6% and county-level readings as low as 2.3% in Addison and Caledonia, leaving little slack for employers competing on talent. Labor force contraction of roughly 7,800 workers statewide over the past year, driven primarily by retirements, is compounding scarcity precisely as Professional/Technical Services employment edges down -0.6% while cloud infrastructure roles post modest +1.8% growth — a split that is reshaping where nonmetro employers can realistically find IT talent.
What it means
Shrinking labor supply combined with a declining Professional/Technical Services base means nonmetro IT organizations face a structural rather than cyclical staffing constraint — filling traditional infrastructure and support roles locally will get harder, not easier, over the next several budget cycles. Advertised pay for Cybersecurity Analyst and IT Project Manager roles is rising significantly in-metro, suggesting employers are already repricing scarce specialized skill sets ahead of broader market catch-up, while Systems Administrator pay holds stable — a sign that commodity infrastructure roles are not seeing the same competitive pressure. Consider evaluating whether flat-to-declining local supply for support and admin functions justifies shifting a larger share of that headcount to contract or remote-outsourced arrangements, reserving scarce local hiring budget for cloud and security roles where retention risk is highest.
Looking ahead
Potential inflection point: Vermont's Proposal 3 collective bargaining amendment carries roughly 65% voter support ahead of the November ballot. IT leaders in larger Vermont organizations should watch for early signals on how passage might affect compensation negotiation structures and headcount flexibility.
Expected: UVM Health Network layoff impacts are expected to land in October, potentially releasing IT support and administrative talent into a labor market already starved for candidates. Watch whether this cohort meaningfully eases sourcing pressure for infrastructure and help desk roles.
Emerging pressure point: Continued retirement-driven labor force attrition statewide, combined with a -0.6% decline in Professional/Technical Services employment, suggests nonmetro sourcing difficulty for traditional IT roles will intensify rather than ease through year-end. Build outsourcing or remote-hire contingencies now rather than after the next vacancy opens.
Early indicator: Vermont's CHIPS Act-funded Tech Hub initiative, training 500+ workers alongside K-12 outreach, represents a multi-year pipeline investment rather than near-term relief. Track early enrollment and placement data as a leading signal of whether local sourcing constraints ease by 2027-2028.
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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