Labor Market Pulse · Information Technology · October 2026
Information Technology Labor Market Report: York-Hanover, PA MSA — October 2026
York's IT pay climbs for security and PM roles, lags for infrastructure.
York's Cybersecurity Analyst pay median of $114,473 and IT Project Manager pay of $122,981 now outpace national figures, while Systems Administrator pay sits flat at $87,117 against a rising $102,503 national median.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- York-Hanover unemployment rate: 3.7% — vs 4.1% U.S., 3.6% Pennsylvania (July/Sept 2026)
- National tech layoffs (YTD): 133,417 — Already exceeds full-year 2025 total
- Metro nonfarm job growth: +1,800 jobs YoY — 195,300 total, July 2026 vs July 2025
- National info-sector hire rate: 1.6% of employment — As of August 2026; signals retention over hiring
Key takeaways
Local sys admin pay is falling behind the national curve.
Metro Systems Administrator pay sits flat at $87,117 while the national median climbed to $102,503, a gap that widens the case for remote or offshore coverage of routine infrastructure work. Organizations competing only on local comparables risk losing candidates to postings that reflect the national trend.
IT Project Manager pay is moving up sharply — a signal worth reading.
York's Project Manager median rose to $122,981, now ahead of the national figure, which is consistent with organizations paying up to secure coordination talent amid AI integration and infrastructure buildout projects. Rising demand for this role locally may reflect growing project complexity alongside simple wage drift.
Cybersecurity pay strength in York outpaces the national market.
Metro Cybersecurity Analyst pay at $114,473 already exceeds the national median of $107,327, even as national postings show cybersecurity among the hardest skills to fill. That premium positioning gives York employers leverage to retain security talent locally and avoid losing it to remote-first competitors.
Software Engineer pay softening locally bucks the national pattern.
Metro Software Engineer pay moved down while the national median held stable at $154,403, a divergence that may reflect fewer local postings competing for the same niche AI/ML premium talent commanding $170,750 nationally. Worth testing whether this reflects reduced local demand or a mix shift toward less senior postings.
Median advertised pay by role — York-Hanover, PA MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Scientist | $117,410 | $158,294 | $165,583 | Moderate increase | $145,881 |
| Systems Administrator | $67,113 | $87,117 | $102,500 | Stable | $102,503 |
| Network Engineer | $72,366 | $104,629 | $115,957 | Stable | $115,757 |
| Software Engineer | $95,786 | $137,500 | $155,323 | Moderate decline | $154,403 |
| Help Desk/IT Support Specialist | $43,129 | $52,259 | $60,000 | Stable | $53,129 |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | $94,754 | $114,473 | $121,827 | Stable | $107,327 |
| IT Project Manager | $105,575 | $122,981 | $130,743 | 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
York-Hanover's 3.7% unemployment rate as of July 2026 sits well below the national 4.1% and tracks Pennsylvania's broader tightening to 3.6% statewide, pointing to a metro-level candidate shortage even as nonfarm employment grew by only 1,800 jobs over the year to 195,300. Tight local labor supply collides with a national tech layoff wave — 133,417 tech employees cut through October 21 — creating a market where York IT employers face thin local bench strength alongside a growing pool of remote-eligible talent displaced from larger tech hubs.
What it means
Metro-level scarcity in infrastructure and support roles — evident in Systems Administrator pay holding flat locally at $87,117 against a rising national median of $102,503 — suggests York employers may be under-pricing roles relative to where national demand is heading, risking quiet attrition to remote opportunities. With 41% of technologists nationally willing to trade salary for remote flexibility and 66% of tech leaders adding contract staff alongside permanent hires, York IT leaders have room to pursue hybrid build-buy models that pair local retention investment with remote or contract capacity for harder-to-fill infrastructure and security seats. Consider reviewing Systems Administrator and Network Engineer pay against national trajectories now, before those roles become retention liabilities, instead of waiting for attrition data to confirm the gap.
Looking ahead
Early indicator: Comcast Technology Center's 634-worker layoff effective December 31 sits outside York county but within commuting range of the broader south-central PA labor pool; watch whether displaced technical talent surfaces in York applicant pools by year-end.
Emerging pressure point: National tech layoffs already exceeding full-year 2025 totals may loosen specialized talent supply even as York's metro unemployment stays near record lows, creating a split market where general IT roles stay tight while niche skills become more available.
Worth watching: Systems Administrator and Network Engineer pay have stayed flat locally for multiple cycles while national medians climb; a continued gap into Q1 2027 would strengthen the case for remote hiring strategies in these functions.
Potential inflection point: AI-related postings now exceed 7% of all national postings, well past the 2022 peak; monitor whether York employers begin advertising AI-adjacent infrastructure and security roles at a premium, as seen in national data.
Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics / PA Dept. of Labor & Industry — York-Hanover unemployment rate of 3.7% as of July 2026
- PA Department of Labor & Industry — Pennsylvania unemployment rate fell to 3.6% in September 2026
- Layoffs tracking aggregator (cited in national research notes) — Tech layoffs reached 133,417 through October 21, 2026
- Industry workforce survey (cited in national research notes) — 41% of technologists would trade salary for remote flexibility
- Pennsylvania WARN Notice System — Comcast Technology Center WARN notice for 634 workers
- Robert Half 2026 Salary Guide — AI/ML engineers averaging $170,750 vs. standard software engineers
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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