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Job outlook for senior technical associates in the United States
Senior technical associate job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected senior technical associate job growth rate is 10% from 2018-2028.
About 83,100 new jobs for senior technical associates are projected over the next decade.
Senior technical associate salaries have increased 9% for senior technical associates in the last 5 years.
There are over 25,287 senior technical associates currently employed in the United States.
There are 123,605 active senior technical associate job openings in the US.
The average senior technical associate salary is $95,321.
Are senior technical associate jobs in demand?
Senior technical associate job and salary trends over time
Senior technical associate jobs over time
Senior technical associate job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 25,287 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 39,397 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 21,436 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 20,409 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 20,134 | 0.01% |
Average senior technical associate salary over time
Senior technical associate salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $95,321 | $45.83 | +3.4% |
| 2024 | $92,181 | $44.32 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $90,094 | $43.31 | +1.5% |
| 2022 | $88,733 | $42.66 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $87,284 | $41.96 | +1.6% |
Senior technical associate jobs by state
Most common states for senior technical associates
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 512 | 74% |
| 2 | Vermont | 623,657 | 213 | 34% |
| 3 | Delaware | 961,939 | 226 | 23% |
| 4 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 296 | 22% |
| 5 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 232 | 22% |
| 6 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 122 | 21% |
| 7 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,120 | 20% |
| 8 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 153 | 20% |
| 9 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 1,606 | 19% |
| 10 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,124 | 19% |
| 11 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,068 | 19% |
| 12 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 202 | 19% |
| 13 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,245 | 18% |
| 14 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 544 | 18% |
| 15 | Alaska | 739,795 | 136 | 18% |
| 16 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 1,671 | 16% |
| 17 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 662 | 16% |
| 18 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 558 | 16% |
| 19 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 310 | 16% |
| 20 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 138 | 16% |
Most common cities for senior technical associates
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Rapids | 7 | 4% | $86,828 |
| 2 | Atlanta | 16 | 3% | $83,452 |
| 3 | Tampa | 13 | 3% | $80,012 |
| 4 | Birmingham | 6 | 3% | $77,468 |
| 5 | Boston | 16 | 2% | $97,019 |
| 6 | Washington | 16 | 2% | $82,991 |
| 7 | Baltimore | 14 | 2% | $97,268 |
| 8 | Detroit | 12 | 2% | $88,577 |
| 9 | Miami | 11 | 2% | $80,328 |
| 10 | Irvine | 6 | 2% | $93,162 |
| 11 | Des Moines | 5 | 2% | $68,106 |
| 12 | Chicago | 21 | 1% | $85,234 |
| 13 | San Francisco | 13 | 1% | $102,784 |
| 14 | Denver | 10 | 1% | $56,232 |
| 15 | San Diego | 8 | 1% | $92,199 |
| 16 | Indianapolis | 7 | 1% | $81,954 |
| 17 | San Jose | 7 | 1% | $102,093 |
| 18 | Sacramento | 6 | 1% | $98,772 |
| 19 | Los Angeles | 11 | 0% | $94,092 |
Senior Technical Associate job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of senior technical associate experts
University of Minnesota - Crookston
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Eastern Washington University
Landmark College
Drake University
What general advice would you give to a Senior Technical Associate?
Dr. Neil Eldin PhD, PE: Things don’t just happen. You must develop a career plan to maximize your salary potential when starting your career. Find the right employer for yourself. For example, if you are mobile and willing to travel, target employers with international projects. After working for a few years, you can request a transfer to an overseas assignment, and this will instantaneously almost double your salary. If you are not mobile and your circumstances do not allow your travel, seek employment with major corporations and seek positions that are done at the home office (e.g., estimating, procurement, and contracting).
What Senior Technical Associate skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Neil Eldin PhD, PE: Start on the right foot!! Start your career with the attitude that you need to give your job serious attention to build your technical skills, your people skills, and to establish a good name for yourself in the industry. Make sure you become known as a smart, hardworking person with high morals. Your technical skills will contribute half of your success. The other half you will get from learning how to sell your services. Focus on what the employers’ interests are. Explain how you can contribute to what is important to them. If you do not have what is important to them, go develop such skills.
What will help Senior Technical Associates increase their earning potential?
Dr. Neil Eldin PhD, PE: Technology has always been a game changer and those who are good at it position themselves in high demands. Keeping up with the new technologies related to whatever your specialty is will help you tremendously. AI looks like the future’s big thing, and I believe it is here to stay. Developing skills in this field will be highly recommended.
Christine Bakke
LecturerUniversity of Minnesota - Crookston
Math, Science & Technology Department
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Senior Technical Associates?
Christine Bakke: MIS is a technical business degree which is offered with slightly different emphasis depending on the school's home department. For example, if a business department houses the degree it is often referred to as MIS; however, when Information Technology or Computer Science departments house this degree, the program would be called Information Technology Management (ITM) or Computer Information Systems (CIS). Each university has the autonomy to offer variations based on their specializations. Even though the programs can differ slightly, in general students receiving any of these three degrees receive an education in three areas: technical, management/business, and soft skills. Note that the US Bureau of Labor Statistics directs queries for all three fields (ITM, MIS and CIS) to the same data page (see answer to question 3).
Janos Fustos Ph.D.
ProfessorMetropolitan State University of Denver
Department of Computer Information Systems and Business Analytics
What's a good job out of college for Senior Technical Associates?
Janos Fustos Ph.D.: I hope students are asking that question before they enroll in the first course at a college because otherwise, they would waste lot of time and money to work on a degree or a career path that does not fulfill their goals and personal interest. In that sense any job is a good job that somebody understands, feels that he/she is a good fit and can live up to the imposed challenges, and has the knowledge/skills to work in the field. There are interesting and self-fulfilling jobs to choose from. Certainly, it starts with the definition what a "good" means to an individual, what are the attributes of that definition: is that the professional area, is the salary, is it the challenging nature, is it more about the working environment and the people they can work with, is it the promotion options, the high impact etc. There are several lists available on the internet that provide recommendations and track the different aspects of job selection options for seekers.
Christian Hansen Ph.D.
Professor and Department ChairEastern Washington University
Department of Mathematics
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Senior Technical Associate job market given the pandemic?
Christian Hansen Ph.D.: Within the short-term, the biggest trend in the job market is currently an increased demand for workforce in the healthcare and technology disciplines. In the long-term, healthcare will remain in demand, but I predict the highest future increase will be in the areas of data science, software and computer engineering.
What soft skills should all Senior Technical Associates possess?
Christian Hansen Ph.D.: The soft skills that all graduates should possess include strong communication and teamwork skills regardless of the discipline. Analytical skills will be in high demand, as well as the ability to adapt and learn new technology. Data will continue to play a bigger role in almost any type of business; therefore, the ability to analyze and interpret data for decision making will be increasingly critical. Many jobs in the future are jobs that do not yet exist and as a result, new graduates must have the ability to adapt.
What's a day at work look like for a Senior Technical Associate?
Christian Hansen Ph.D.: In the post-pandemic era, a typical workday for a recent graduate will likely involve some form of remote work. I predict that many businesses will benefit from the reduced cost of remote infrastructure compared to the cost of maintaining brick and mortar office space. Many new graduates will continue to spend their day on a computer while collaborating in teams via Zoom and other teleconference tools. People working in disciplines that have traditionally been "on the ground" will move towards more hybrid modes of work, reducing the need for travel and participating in face-to-face meetings and training.
John Russo
Associate Professor and Program Coordinator of Computer ScienceLandmark College
STEM Department
What technical skills for a Senior Technical Associate stand out to employers?
John Russo: As I mentioned above, the ability to adapt to change. My favorite course is database management systems. I tell my students that the software that we use today likely will not be around for the entire span of their careers. They really need to learn how to quickly work with new technologies, languages and systems. In the span of my career much has changed. I have always found new technologies exciting and refreshing. Employers want to hire graduates who have a set of technical skills in programming languages, database management systems and techniques (such as data mining) but also can learn on the job and be excited to learn new things.
What general advice would you give to a Senior Technical Associate?
Alanah Mitchell Ph.D.: I recommend students work on developing a portfolio of technology knowledge, skills, and tools. Early project and internship experiences can also be very helpful in finding the first career opportunity after graduation.
What Senior Technical Associate skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Alanah Mitchell Ph.D.: Expertise in the area of AI is of great interest right now as well as other technical areas (e.g., analytics, cybersecurity, technology consulting, the metaverse, and more). Of course, I always recommend students focus on developing their adaptability and ability to learn new technical subjects, critical thinking and analytical skills, collaboration skills and the ability to work in a team, project management and detail-oriented skills, and written and oral communication abilities.