Labor Market Pulse · Information Technology · October 2026
Information Technology Labor Market Report: Williamsport, PA MSA — October 2026
Williamsport's thin IT labor data masks a real talent squeeze.
Local network engineer pay of $58,978 trails the $115,757 national median by nearly half, a gap that points to a data reliability problem as national cybersecurity and cloud pay keep climbing.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Lycoming County unemployment: 3.8% — vs 4.2% U.S., 3.6% PA statewide (July/Sept 2026)
- Network engineer pay gap: $58,978 — vs $115,757 national median — unusually wide
- Tech sector layoffs (national, YTD): 133,417 — 325 companies, already exceeds all of 2025
- Data center hiring growth (national): +20% — Postings growth over 3 months, per Indeed
Key takeaways
Local network engineer pay looks unreliable.
A metro median of $58,978 against a $115,757 national figure is a near-50% gap too wide to reflect a real cost-of-labor difference. Thin local posting volume for this role likely distorts the median — treat it as a data quality flag before using it to set an offer.
Cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure pay keep climbing nationally.
Cybersecurity analyst pay is up moderately both locally ($101,428) and nationally ($107,327), consistent with Robert Half data showing cybersecurity specialists and cloud architects among the most expensive roles to hire in Pennsylvania. Small IT teams in Williamsport may find it cheaper to retain and upskill current staff than compete for new cloud-native hires.
Tech layoffs nationally haven't reached this metro — yet.
133,417 tech layoffs nationally through late October, led by large employers like Intel, stand alongside a local labor market still near full employment. Watch whether displaced infrastructure or security talent from larger PA metros like the Comcast Technology Center's 634-worker reduction filters into the Williamsport candidate pool.
Software engineer pay signals strong local demand.
Metro software engineer pay rose moderately to $147,944, nearly matching the $154,403 national median — a narrower gap than most other IT roles in this market. That convergence may suggest local employers are paying up to retain scarce development talent.
Median advertised pay by role — Williamsport, PA MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist * | $116,219 | $145,700 | $163,136 | Stable | $145,881 |
| Systems Administrator * | $75,899 | $93,921 | $105,717 | Stable | $102,503 |
| Network Engineer | $57,710 | $58,978 | $58,978 | Significant increase | $115,757 |
| Software Engineer * | $110,608 | $147,944 | $163,854 | Moderate increase | $154,403 |
| Help Desk/IT Support Specialist | $42,891 | $48,880 | $49,874 | Stable | $53,129 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst * | $83,595 | $101,428 | $117,314 | Moderate increase | $107,327 |
| IT Project Manager * | $80,658 | $115,095 | $128,677 | 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
Williamsport's labor market stays historically tight, with Lycoming County unemployment at 3.8% as of July 2026 and a civilian labor force holding near a record 53,300 — conditions that mirror Pennsylvania's broader strength (3.6% statewide, the lowest since September 2023). Manufacturing remains a structural employment base at roughly 7,500 workers, but the region's small IT labor pool means any single employer's hiring or layoff decision can swing local pay data more than it would in a larger metro.
What it means
Metro network engineer pay reported at $58,978 against a national median of $115,757 is more likely a signal that local advertised postings for this role are too thin to produce a reliable median, which should caution against using it as a planning input. The more durable story is infrastructure and cloud talent: national data center hiring is up 20% over three months while information-sector hiring nationally has slowed to 1.6%, meaning Williamsport employers competing for scarce systems and security talent are increasingly bidding against remote postings from better-funded markets. Current conditions suggest reviewing whether infrastructure and cybersecurity roles are priced against the national distribution, particularly where remote work makes out-of-market competition real, given how thin the local sample is.
Looking ahead
Data quality watch: Monitor whether network engineer advertised pay in the metro stabilizes toward the national range as posting volume grows. A persistently wide gap should prompt sourcing offers from regional or national data rather than the local figure alone.
Talent pool signal: Pennsylvania WARN filings include a 634-worker reduction at the Comcast Technology Center and manufacturing losses statewide. Track whether any of that displaced technical talent surfaces in Williamsport applicant pools over the next two months.
Emerging pressure point: National data center hiring, measured by job ads which track demand and often cover several openings each, grew 20% in three months while tech hub hiring pulled back — a pattern that favors secondary markets like Williamsport for infrastructure roles if local employers position compensation competitively against remote postings.
Expected: BLS October metro-level data releases in mid-to-late November; expect confirmation of whether Williamsport's 3.8% unemployment held or tightened further, shaping how aggressively IT leaders need to compete on pay for scarce administrative and support roles.
Sources
- Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry — Lycoming County unemployment at 3.8% in July 2026
- Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry / BLS — Pennsylvania statewide unemployment at 3.6%, lowest since Sept. 2023
- Indeed Hiring Lab — Data center job postings grew 20% in three months nationally
- Layoffs.fyi / industry tracking — 133,417 tech employees laid off at 325 companies through Oct. 21, 2026
- Pennsylvania WARN Act notices — Comcast Technology Center WARN notice for 634 workers
- Robert Half 2026 Salary Guide — Cybersecurity specialists and cloud architects among most expensive PA roles to hire
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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