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Computer specialist salary
Average computer specialist salary
$75,950
Understanding Computer Specialist Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Computer Specialist is $75,950 per year. This figure can fluctuate significantly based on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and specific industry demands. For example, states like California and New York typically offer higher salaries compared to other regions.
Moreover, experience plays a crucial role in salary determination. Entry-level positions may start around $50,000, while seasoned professionals can earn upwards of $100,000 annually. Additionally, specialized roles within the IT sector, such as cybersecurity or data analysis, tend to offer competitive compensation.
Salary Variations by State
To further assist job seekers, we provide detailed salary breakdowns by state, showing where Computer Specialists can earn significantly more. For anyone considering a career in technology, understanding these salary dynamics is essential for making informed career decisions.
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Where can a Computer Specialist earn more?
Computer specialist salary estimates from across the web
Average computer specialist salary by state
The highest-paying states for computer specialists are Washington, Maryland, and Oregon. The lowest average computer specialist salary states are New Mexico, Hawaii, and Maine.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for computer specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Dakota | $80,464 | $38.68 |
| 2 | Maryland | $87,569 | $42.10 |
| 3 | Oregon | $86,451 | $41.56 |
| 4 | Nevada | $81,608 | $39.23 |
| 5 | Vermont | $78,010 | $37.50 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $87,410 | $42.02 |
| 7 | Washington | $88,754 | $42.67 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $78,332 | $37.66 |
| 9 | Utah | $74,897 | $36.01 |
| 10 | Virginia | $78,762 | $37.87 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $81,333 | $39.10 |
| 12 | Texas | $77,539 | $37.28 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $81,359 | $39.11 |
| 14 | Delaware | $75,539 | $36.32 |
| 15 | California | $82,266 | $39.55 |
| 16 | Arizona | $73,805 | $35.48 |
| 17 | Nebraska | $72,278 | $34.75 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $74,022 | $35.59 |
| 19 | Ohio | $74,885 | $36.00 |
| 20 | Colorado | $75,888 | $36.48 |
| 21 | Oklahoma | $74,767 | $35.95 |
| 22 | New Hampshire | $73,081 | $35.14 |
| 23 | Alabama | $72,918 | $35.06 |
| 24 | Montana | $73,147 | $35.17 |
| 25 | Georgia | $73,854 | $35.51 |
| 26 | Kansas | $72,237 | $34.73 |
| 27 | Minnesota | $74,194 | $35.67 |
| 28 | New York | $75,205 | $36.16 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $72,193 | $34.71 |
| 30 | Alaska | $68,939 | $33.14 |
| 31 | Florida | $71,180 | $34.22 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $71,959 | $34.60 |
| 33 | New Jersey | $75,698 | $36.39 |
| 34 | Michigan | $70,735 | $34.01 |
| 35 | Tennessee | $70,293 | $33.79 |
| 36 | Idaho | $69,354 | $33.34 |
| 37 | Indiana | $70,183 | $33.74 |
| 38 | Iowa | $67,054 | $32.24 |
| 39 | Wyoming | $65,673 | $31.57 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $71,954 | $34.59 |
| 41 | Louisiana | $71,481 | $34.37 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | $68,224 | $32.80 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $65,037 | $31.27 |
| 44 | Illinois | $69,873 | $33.59 |
| 45 | Maine | $64,520 | $31.02 |
| 46 | Missouri | $70,214 | $33.76 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $67,093 | $32.26 |
| 48 | New Mexico | $65,517 | $31.50 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $62,193 | $29.90 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $62,847 | $30.21 |
| 51 | West Virginia | $63,161 | $30.37 |
Highest paying cities for computer specialists
The highest-paying cities for computer specialists are Seattle, WA, Sacramento, CA, and Bethesda, MD.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle, WA | $89,121 | $42.85 |
| 2 | Sacramento, CA | $88,505 | $42.55 |
| 3 | Bethesda, MD | $87,461 | $42.05 |
| 4 | Lake Oswego, OR | $86,027 | $41.36 |
| 5 | Hartford, CT | $81,457 | $39.16 |
| 6 | Boston, MA | $81,350 | $39.11 |
| 7 | Philadelphia, PA | $78,576 | $37.78 |
| 8 | Richmond, VA | $78,561 | $37.77 |
| 9 | Grand Prairie, TX | $77,747 | $37.38 |
| 10 | North Bergen, NJ | $75,781 | $36.43 |
| 11 | Wilmington, DE | $75,550 | $36.32 |
| 12 | New York, NY | $75,237 | $36.17 |
| 13 | Westerville, OH | $74,798 | $35.96 |
| 14 | Columbus, GA | $74,216 | $35.68 |
| 15 | Richfield, MN | $74,194 | $35.67 |
| 16 | Phoenix, AZ | $73,876 | $35.52 |
| 17 | Tampa, FL | $71,625 | $34.44 |
| 18 | Charlotte, NC | $71,593 | $34.42 |
| 19 | Saint Louis, MO | $70,269 | $33.78 |
| 20 | Northbrook, IL | $70,109 | $33.71 |
Computer specialist salary details
A computer specialist's salary ranges from $59,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $97,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a computer specialist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $97,000 | $8,083 | $47 |
| 75th Percentile | $86,000 | $7,167 | $41 |
| Average | $75,950 | $6,329 | $37 |
| 25th Percentile | $66,000 | $5,500 | $32 |
| 10th Percentile | $59,000 | $4,917 | $28 |
Highest paying computer specialist jobs
The highest paying types of computer specialists are computer engineer, computer consultant, and technical specialist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineer | $96,805 | $8,067 | $46.54 | 126,709 |
| Computer Consultant | $94,331 | $7,861 | $45.35 | 79,263 |
| Computer Repair Technician | $32,627 | $2,719 | $15.69 | 109,196 |
| Computer Support Technician | $41,852 | $3,488 | $20.12 | 121,180 |
| Computer Technician | $39,767 | $3,314 | $19.12 | 95,688 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for computer specialists, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Dr. Kate Seltzer Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Rowan University
Top companies hiring computer specialists now:
Which companies pay computer specialists the most?
Computer specialist salaries at Apple and Waymo are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average computer specialist salary at companies like Amazon and NVIDIA are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $119,811 | $57.60 |
| 2 | Waymo | $110,112 | $52.94 |
| 3 | Amazon | $110,027 | $52.90 |
| 4 | NVIDIA | $107,437 | $51.65 |
| 5 | AARP | $103,042 | $49.54 |
| 6 | TIBCO Software | $101,530 | $48.81 |
| 7 | Ernst & Young | $99,411 | $47.79 |
| 8 | Microsoft | $98,368 | $47.29 |
| 9 | Wachovia Securities | $95,865 | $46.09 |
| 10 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $94,265 | $45.32 |
| 11 | AT&T | $93,553 | $44.98 |
| 12 | Spacelabs Healthcare | $92,147 | $44.30 |
| 13 | MathWorks | $90,812 | $43.66 |
| 14 | Best Buy | $90,738 | $43.62 |
| 15 | Dell | $88,417 | $42.51 |
| 16 | Oracle | $88,125 | $42.37 |
| 17 | 8x8 | $87,490 | $42.06 |
| 18 | Northern Trust | $87,186 | $41.92 |
| 19 | Thomson Financial | $85,146 | $40.94 |
| 20 | OSI Systems | $84,278 | $40.52 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Computer specialist salary trends
The average computer specialist salary has risen by $11,606 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average computer specialist earned $64,344 annually, but today, they earn $75,950 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for computer specialists over the last decade.
Compare computer specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average computer specialist salary over time
Compare computer specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Computer specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $76,000 | $36.51 | +3.3% |
| 2025 | $73,400 | $35.31 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | $71,800 | $34.51 | +1.5% |
| 2023 | $70,700 | $33.99 | +1.6% |
| 2022 | $69,500 | $33.44 | +1.6% |
Recently added computer specialist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATI Physical Therapy | Work Comp Specialist | Seattle, WA | 06/26/2025 | $78,000 |
| ATI Holdings | Work Comp Specialist | Kent, WA | 06/26/2025 | $78,000 |
| University of North Carolina Greensboro | Class Comp Specialist Temp Staffing | Fort Collins, CO | 06/20/2025 | $55,322 |
| University at Albany | Desktop and Mobile Computing Specialist (MAC) | Albany, NY | 06/19/2025 | $69,000 |
| Shi International Corp | Partner Specialist-Dell End User Compute | Austin, TX | 06/16/2025 | $45,000 |
| Metropolitan Transportation Commission | Computer Specialist I (OA) | New York, NY | 06/10/2025 | $130,994 |
| Uha | Computer Specialist II | Urban Honolulu, HI | 06/10/2025 | $52,117 |
| Shi | Partner Specialist-Dell End User Compute | Austin, TX | 06/04/2025 | $45,000 |
| Best Buy | Apple Computing Specialist | Rogers, AR | 05/26/2025 | $31,305 |
| Uha | Computer Specialist II | Urban Honolulu, HI | 05/26/2025 | $52,117 |
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