How much do help desk specialists make?

• Washington, DC averages $68,374 a year ($32.87 an hour)

• New York, NY averages $66,851 a year ($32.14 an hour)

• San Francisco, CA averages $59,080 a year ($28.40 an hour)

• Boston, MA averages $58,502 a year ($28.13 an hour)

• Baltimore, MD averages $51,396 a year ($24.71 an hour)

• Charlottesville, VA averages $44,927 a year ($21.60 an hour)

• Grand Rapids, MI averages $42,879 a year ($20.61 an hour)

• Minneapolis, MN averages $42,232 a year ($20.30 an hour)

• Cornelius, NC averages $41,425 a year ($19.92 an hour)

• Denver, CO averages $41,324 a year ($19.87 an hour)

Years of experience and salary for help desk specialists:

• An entry-level position (less than one year experience) averages $15.75 an hour.

• An early career (one to four years of experience) averages $17.28 an hour.

• A mid-career (five to nine years of experience) averages $19.87 an hour.

• An experienced career (ten to 19 years of experience) averages $20.96 an hour.

• A late-career(20 or more years) averages $23 an hour.

Industry types and average help desk specialist salary:

• Manufacturing: $61,719 a year

• Finance: $54,553 a year

• Professional: $52,897 a year

• Technology: $51,482 a year

• Health Care: $50,648 a year

• Government: $46,702 a year