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Job outlook for technical support representatives in the United States
Technical support representative job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected technical support representative job growth rate is 10% from 2018-2028.
About 83,100 new jobs for technical support representatives are projected over the next decade.
Technical support representative salaries have increased 9% for technical support representatives in the last 5 years.
There are over 193,828 technical support representatives currently employed in the United States.
There are 212,082 active technical support representative job openings in the US.
The average technical support representative salary is $34,758.
Are technical support representative jobs in demand?
Technical Support Representative job and salary trends over time
Technical Support Representative jobs over time
Technical Support Representative job growth rate over time
| Year | # Of Jobs | % Of Population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 193,828 | 0.06% |
| 2020 | 197,419 | 0.06% |
| 2019 | 236,584 | 0.07% |
| 2018 | 134,467 | 0.04% |
| 2017 | 130,586 | 0.04% |
Average technical support representative salary over time
Technical Support Representative salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $34,758 | $16.71 | +3.4% |
| 2024 | $33,613 | $16.16 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $32,852 | $15.79 | +1.5% |
| 2022 | $32,356 | $15.56 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $31,828 | $15.30 | +1.6% |
Technical Support Representative jobs by state
Most common states for technical support representatives
| Rank | State | Population | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 414 | 60% |
| 2 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 334 | 38% |
| 3 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 287 | 38% |
| 4 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,901 | 34% |
| 5 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 707 | 34% |
| 6 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 454 | 34% |
| 7 | Alaska | 739,795 | 249 | 34% |
| 8 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 973 | 33% |
| 9 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 429 | 32% |
| 10 | Delaware | 961,939 | 308 | 32% |
| 11 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 1,527 | 30% |
| 12 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 572 | 30% |
| 13 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 1,771 | 29% |
| 14 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,622 | 29% |
| 15 | Kentucky | 4,454,189 | 1,236 | 28% |
| 16 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 871 | 28% |
| 17 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 847 | 28% |
| 18 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 832 | 28% |
| 19 | Georgia | 10,429,379 | 2,777 | 27% |
| 20 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 2,645 | 27% |
Most common cities for technical support representatives
| Rank | City | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dover | 2 | 5% | $41,985 |
| 2 | Tinley Park | 2 | 4% | $34,281 |
| 3 | Springfield | 4 | 3% | $34,244 |
| 4 | Lansing | 3 | 3% | $34,118 |
| 5 | Bethesda | 2 | 3% | $42,570 |
| 6 | Southfield | 2 | 3% | $34,332 |
| 7 | Annapolis | 1 | 3% | $42,901 |
| 8 | Hartford | 2 | 2% | $36,463 |
| 9 | Atlanta | 4 | 1% | $35,837 |
| 10 | Orlando | 3 | 1% | $34,644 |
| 11 | Tallahassee | 2 | 1% | $34,232 |
| 12 | Tampa | 2 | 1% | $34,784 |
| 13 | Phoenix | 7 | 0% | $35,223 |
| 14 | Indianapolis | 2 | 0% | $33,844 |
| 15 | Washington | 2 | 0% | $42,009 |
| 16 | Baton Rouge | 1 | 0% | $34,010 |
| 17 | Birmingham | 1 | 0% | $33,930 |
Technical Support Representative job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of technical support representative experts
Arizona State University
American University
SUNY Oswego
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Rowan University
Arizona State University
University of Nebraska at Omaha
Grand Valley State University
Tiffin University
California State University - Long Beach
Dominican University
The University of Texas at Arlington
Governors State University
New York Institute of Technology
Tufts University
Slippery Rock University
Stetson University
Saint Peter's University
American University
Robert Rucker
LecturerArizona State University
School of Computing, Informatics, and Decision Systems Engineering
What soft skills should all Technical Support Representatives possess?
Robert Rucker: Being able to learn a new technology very quickly is critical since that is what my students encounter.
Anthony Baron
Teaching Assistant, Associate Software EngineerAmerican University
What soft skills should all Technical Support Representatives possess?
Anthony Baron: The main soft skills I would say are needed for Computer Science software engineering are patience, perseverance, creativity, respect, teamwork, and openness to learning and teaching. Programming involves a lot of trial and error, researching, and learning better techniques for solving a problem. Due to this, patience and perseverance to reach the final goal in mind are crucial. When it comes to the learning aspect, there are many languages, frameworks, and libraries, and working with them involves a steeper learning curve than others. On top of this, there are often more elegant ways to program a solution, and many new frameworks and libraries are released throughout the industry. This is where patience and perseverance is also a virtue. Lastly, programming and creating a product are often done in teams, where working together and learning from each other is important.
How do you envision technology impacting Technical Support Representatives in the next 5 years?
Mario Bkassiny Ph.D.: There has been recently a great focus on certain engineering technologies that enable smart systems with fast communications abilities. This has led to a revolution in several technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence, wireless communications and cloud computing. Innovation in these fields will be essential in the upcoming years in order to keep up with the social and economic needs of modern life. The benefits of these innovations will have a long-lasting effect on our society.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Technical Support Representatives?
Derek Nazareth Ph.D.: The pandemic will have a lingering effect in several ways. The current holding pattern on hiring that characterizes many organizations will subside as organizations move towards normalcy. However, a number of practices that moved online will remain that way, due to convenience and cost, including recruitment and on-the-job training. Graduates will need to be more savvy in terms of working independently, as well as communicating and collaborating with others in remote fashion. Other practices that organizations were experimenting with pre-pandemic have become more prevalent in some cases. This includes reliance on consultants and external workers as embodied in the gig economy. That would mean more competition for graduates from outside the geographical area. On the flip side, it also offers graduates the opportunity to compete in remote markets.
What technical skills for a Technical Support Representative stand out to employers?
John Talburt Ph.D.: While employers like to see technical skills like Python and machine learning, they also value experience in more people-oriented and team skills like courses in change management, project management, data governance, and data quality management. These are areas where the technology problems are easier to solve than the cultural change issues.
What's a good job out of college for Technical Support Representatives?
Patricia Coughlan: Communication majors are posed for success in the current job market. The nature of the discipline focuses on understanding and executing effective messaging to diverse audiences, in varied contexts, and communication modes (traditional such as writing and new tech platforms such as social media). The ability to understand verbal, non-verbal and written communication positions a Communication major as ready to impact the needs of employers and their clientele in a variety of fields. Because of the broad nature of a Communication Studies degree, graduates have greater flexibility for their career paths and ultimately their earning potential. Typically, Communication majors have the ability to complete courses in strategic, interpersonal, organizational, political, business, health, leadership, small group, family, and intercultural communication. Having a large swath of these courses broadens a student's portfolio.
Moreover, Communication majors are trained to consider ethical issues, rhetorical arguments, diversity, the power of persuasion, social influence, and to conduct research. In today's climate their strengths in mass media and digital communities are in demand. Communication graduates are easily employed as assistants and leaders in Public Relations, Human Resources, Advertising, Politics, Marketing, Event Planning, Social Media, Healthcare, Jurisprudence, plus more. It is impossible to think of a field that does not have the need for effective communication. My advice to my students on how to increase their earning potential begins early when they are freshman - recognize that every company and person has a need to effectively tell their story and your major suits you to help them do just that!
Hemanth Kumar Demakethepalli Venkateswara Ph.D.
Assistant Research ProfessorArizona State University
School of Computing Informatics
What will help Technical Support Representatives increase their earning potential?
Hemanth Kumar Demakethepalli Venkateswara Ph.D.: Technology is always rapidly changing. A tried and tested approach to improve professionally is by updating oneself through a process of life-long learning. For example, in the AI field, a researcher updates themselves by attending top-tier AI conferences, reading the latest publications from top-tier conferences, re-implementing the results published in a paper, testing out new libraries that are published, and attempting to generate new ideas. A similar approach can be applied to other areas as well.
Deepak Khazanchi Ph.D.
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Community Engagement & Internationalization Officer, Professor of Information Systems & Quantitative Analysis, Director, Executive Master’s of Science in Information Technology (EMIT) Program, Executive Director, Center for Management of IT (CMIT), Fulbright Grantee (Specialist 2014; Core 2020-21)University of Nebraska at Omaha
College of Information Science & Technology
What's a good job out of college for Technical Support Representatives?
Deepak Khazanchi Ph.D.: I think the "best" and "interesting" jobs in my view will be those that leverage emerging technical skills such as AI/ML, data analytics, cybersecurity and medical informatics, with the nontechnical capabilities mentioned above.
What technical skills for a Technical Support Representative stand out to employers?
Chirag Parikh Ph.D.: If you ask me, I consider valuable experience over good paycheck. Once you have gained that experience the paycheck will follow. As soon as you are out of college, the knowledge gained is very fresh and raring to go. If put into the right place can enhance your technical skills and you can do wonders.
As a Computer Engineering professor, I would say the job opportunities are tremendous for students out of college as they can venture into hardware field (technical support, hardware engineer, test engineer and much more) as well as software field (software engineer, software developer, software tester and much more). The possibilities are endless.
With COVID and employees working remotely there is still ample opportunity to enhance your technical and interpersonal skills as I believe remote working might stay for a while till things get back to normal.
What's a good job out of college for Technical Support Representatives?
Chirag Parikh Ph.D.: It is given that technical skills are required as you enter the job market. In the area of Computer Engineering, I feel that graduates should have a breadth of knowledge in most areas of computer engineering and a greater depth of knowledge in at least one area. Programming skills are of utmost importance, as you might not know every possible programming language or its syntax but the basic understanding of programming logic is necessary.
I personally value debugging skills as a must to have as having this makes you a well-rounded engineer no matter what area of engineering you belong to. Next in my list is technical writing and verbal communication skill. Most of the engineers are known to underperform in this skill. I value this skill, as employers would want their engineers to be able to create technical documents as well as present their design to other co-workers and sometimes to other stakeholders.
The last skill I feel that employers would like their employees to have would be to work in a multidisciplinary environment with co-workers from different branches of engineering and other backgrounds.
What type of skills will young Technical Support Representatives need?
George Miller: Many organizations realize graduates cannot learn everything in college about their major but want the graduate to have a solid foundation on their field of study. The organization wants to mold the graduate to their company environment with how they do things related to the field of study. Most companies want college graduates to have good communication skills (both oral and written), critical thinking skills and be able to work well in teams. These skills have been a staple for graduates since I can remember. This is why a college graduate takes many general education courses related to these skills and many of their major courses emphasize these skills.
Going back to the previous answer I believe graduates in all fields of study will need a better knowledge of technology and easier adaptability to changing technology. Again, an IS degree is already preparing students for this.
What experience really stands out on Technical Support Representative resumes?
George Miller: For graduates any experience stands out on a resume and it does not need to be related to their field of study. I tell students to do whatever to get experience. This can be with community volunteer work, at their college through clubs and organization and with professional employment.
There are many organization and government paid internship and co-op opportunities for students within all fields. There is no reason why every student cannot find some sort of internship/co-op during a summer break. Many times, an internship/co-op turns into full time employment. Often high schools and colleges are doing major technology upgrades within the summer months (because they are shut down during this period) and would welcome a student as an IS major as an intern. But volunteer work at the local church or favorite charity can also provide valuable experience. As I opened with this answer any experience stands out on a resume. The experience shows that a graduate has drive and determination.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Technical Support Representative job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Lesley Farmer: Many employees have trouble pivoting to online work so in the short term, tech support and instructional design jobs are in high demand. Data privacy and security are also hot topics and need ed tech expertise. Tech maintenance, including cloud services and networks, continue to be needed, rather like car maintenance. Thinking forward, software development is another area of need, particularly with more online-based education. If grads have data analytics expertise, they can find jobs on data management and learning analytics.
Disabilities continue to be an issue, particularly in terms of equity, so jobs dealing with assistive technology and other ed tech supports are possible. Finally, grads should broaden their concept of educational settings; informal education is more important than ever: in business/HR, libraries and museums, recreational and youth-serving clubs, mass media, government and non-profit agencies. All of these entities are involved in training, outreach, PR, and public awareness/education. Be creative and persistent.
What Technical Support Representative skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Lesley Farmer: Internships are probably the best option, even if unpaid. Some institutions provide career placement services, and grads could contact their instructors about possible options. Companies, professional associations, and non-profits also advertise internships.
What general advice would you give to a Technical Support Representative?
Dr. Lesley Farmer: Get to know the site before interviewing, and remember that even interviews are an opportunity to practice communication skills-and to see if there's a good match between you and the site. Once hired, learn about the organizational culture and develop trustful relationships. Make one memorable contribution the first month, but focus on becoming an expert before changing others. In addition, join a local and national professional association to keep current and network.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Technical Support Representative job market given the pandemic?
Kate Marek Ph.D.: Probably an acceleration of existing trends - remote working, skill-set based job openings (rather than degree-specific), along with an ongoing need for necessary skills such as writing, problem-solving, collaboration, and project management.
What Technical Support Representative skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Kate Marek Ph.D.: If possible, find a paid internship in your area of interest, which will help expand your professional network and build your skillset. Use this time to keep scanning job ads to identify skill sets in demand; look for online mini-courses to make those skill sets.
What general advice would you give to a Technical Support Representative?
Kate Marek Ph.D.: Choose an organization in tune with one's values. Look for a job in growth areas, such as data asset management, data analysis, etc.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Technical Support Representatives to find work opportunities?
Dr. Kay-Yut Chen Ph.D.: The traditional tech hubs, such as the SF Bay Area, will still be a magnet for tech opportunities. However, the pandemic has created a work-from-home trend. Many companies, such as Twitter, are allowing employees to work-from-home permanently.
As a result, having all the tech talent to assemble in a few regions is no longer necessary. Living standards, lower taxes, and affordable cost of living will become more critical than before. Places like the Dallas Fort-Worth metroplex, with no state income tax, lower living costs than the SF Bay Area, particularly in real estate. Still, good infrastructure and a vibrant and diverse population will become more attractive.
I would also expect graduates' location will become a less important factor, relatively, compared to skills, talent, and motivation, of finding exciting information science careers as time goes on.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Technical Support Representatives in the next 5 years?
Stephen Hyzny: As everything involves technology, more educated people will need it in the future. As our cars, houses, and lives connect, people will be required to make it all work.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Technical Support Representatives in the next 3-5 years?
Babak Beheshti Ph.D.: -The enormous growth of IoT and wearables. The number of connected devices is expected to be more than 26 billion in 2020. That includes things like household appliances, controllable lighting, and much more. This trend is likely to continue as it is expected to see the industry grow to 661 billion dollars by 2021.
-We will be witnessing a more widespread commercial deployment of 5G in 2020. With the implementation of the Standalone 5G devices based on the 3gpp release 16, we should be seeing the more robust mobile broadband deployment of 5G, wider availability of 5G smartphones, and a push towards an all 5G Network in select urban areas around the world.
-Significant growth in AI-based technologies, from face recognition and voice recognition to business intelligence and market predictions. As machines and deep learning algorithms get integrated into many applications, many industries will undergo substantial changes. AI systems will continue to interact with our phones; cars will interpret and analyze their surroundings and intelligently drive themselves. Online vendors will monitor our browsing habits, and Google decides what kind of search results to give us, based on who it thinks we are.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Technical Support Representatives in the next 5 years?
Ming Chow: On the one hand, there are many opportunities in tech currently. On the other hand, new college hires will be competing with crowds of people with real experience who were laid off during COVID. Five years is too far ahead to predict.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Technical Support Representative job market given the pandemic?
Ming Chow: -Need to hit the ground running as many employees and companies don't have the time, energy, and training infrastructure.
-The soft skills, including communications, how to deal with change and the basics are becoming more critical-things like using a calendar, following-up, etc.
Abdou Karim Jallow Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorSlippery Rock University
Department of Information Systems
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Technical Support Representatives?
Abdou Karim Jallow Ph.D.: It is obvious that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted and transformed the lives of many people, including students all over the world. A major effect is requiring students to stay and learn from home because of the closure of educational institutions as a precautionary measure. Missing saying the traditional goodbye to friends, fraternities, and sororities, and having to watch commencement ceremonies in bedrooms online will leave an indelible mark in graduates.
This means a great U-shift in memories of college life, including physical interaction and learning environment, and systems adopting a new way of doing things. Graduates will enter the job market with uncertainties of availability of traditional jobs and how to work in a new normal. Many graduates will find themselves having to search for jobs virtually and having to start working remotely from the beginning in most cases and in most industries. What would have been a new beginning, along with the excitement of stepping through the doors of the new office and career, will not be there physically. This will have an impact on these graduates because of the transformation of society as a result of the pandemic.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Technical Support Representatives to find work opportunities?
Abdou Karim Jallow Ph.D.: Sometimes new graduates from college can find it hard to get the perfect or preferred job location. This may be different for those with information sciences or information systems and related degrees. Luckily there are big companies, multinational companies as well as some-sized enterprises who need skills in that discipline. Most of these can be found in some of the big cities beyond Silicon Valley such as NY, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Denver, Colorado, Philadelphia, Chicago, DC, Charlotte, Houston, Boston, Dallas, and Minneapolis, just to name a few.
Some of these locations are where some of the big tech companies reside, such as Google, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Twitter, IBM, HP, SAP, etc. The advantage of this degree is that graduates not only can work for tech companies but any company because of the need to manage data, information, process, and technology. Companies all over have or are putting together strategies to harness the potential of big data, and graduates with information sciences, information systems, and related degrees are sought after continuously.
How do you envision technology impacting Technical Support Representatives in the next 5 years?
Abdou Karim Jallow Ph.D.: The trend we have witnessed in the past two decades in terms of development in technology is unprecedented. This has a ripple effect on the field of information sciences and systems. Most traditional jobs have changed or rebranded. For example, consider how information and data processing and management (IDPM) has revolutionized into what is today information management or management information systems; business intelligence is almost transformed into business analytics, data science; high-performance computing, and grid computing is today predominantly engulfed by cloud computing services.
These are changing how data and information are managed. The decision-making process is changing in various information and knowledge-intensive and process-oriented industries such as healthcare, banking, transportation, engineering, education, security, just to name a few, despite the fact that roles and services still remain. New and emerging disciplines and services are added, driven by the advancement and greater capabilities of technology. Without a doubt, in the next few years, data and information services will be revolutionized by technology hugely. Consider the development in artificial intelligence, data science, blockchain, 5G, and broadband networks, all of which have huge potential to impact the discipline. This means that information sciences and information systems courses must adapt to take into consideration the emerging skills required by the professionals and businesses of the future. The education and training of professionals in this domain have to be continuously changing to prepare graduates adequately.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Technical Support Representatives?
Dr. Hala ElAarag: I didn't see any negative impact of coronavirus on our graduates. Our graduates did not have any problem finding internships and jobs during the pandemic. After the pandemic, there will be even more demand and opportunities for our graduates.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Technical Support Representatives to find work opportunities?
Dr. Hala ElAarag: Not really. With the increasing shift of working remotely, the jobs now are not tied to a specific location in the US or anywhere in the world.
How do you envision technology impacting Technical Support Representatives in the next 5 years?
Edward Moskal: Technology will have a significant impact over the next five years. While technology associated with the software, databases, blockchain, cloud computing, and cybersecurity will still have an impact, we are likely to see significant changes and advancements in fields such as artificial intelligence, combinations of augmented and mixed reality, and quantum computing. Industry and business will be driving these advancements, in particular, the healthcare industry and large tech companies like Google and Facebook that have already started establishing a strong presence in these fields.
How do you envision technology impacting Technical Support Representatives in the next 5 years?
Kathleen Riley: I expect some of the changes we've seen in the work world as a result of the pandemic to remain part of our lives long after the virus is no longer a threat. In particular, the pandemic has caused a lot of people to think more favorably about remote work, online meetings and conferences, and other video interactions. Not only do I expect to see increased availability of jobs supporting such technology, but I also anticipate that there will be more opportunities for computer scientists to join companies in other parts of the country without having to move to high cost-of-living areas like the Silicon Valley.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Technical Support Representatives to find work opportunities?
Kathleen Riley: My computer science students from the class of 2020 had a variety of experiences when they entered the job market after graduation. Those who had already signed on at companies like Amazon or Google, whose business stayed strong during the pandemic and whose workplace models adjusted easily to remote work, had a relatively easy time starting their industry jobs. Others, especially those who had planned to work for companies whose business depended on clients or industries which suffered under the pandemic, saw delays, changes in their work plans, and even cancellations of contracts; several found themselves job hunting again over the summer, interviewing remotely and having to assess companies without setting foot outside their own home. Fortunately, there are still a lot of jobs out there for Computer Science graduates, and most of the students I know have found other placements or are well into that process.
We all know about the abundance of computer science opportunities in the Silicon Valley, the Dulles Technology corridor, and other tech hubs, but there is also an abundance of computer science opportunities in large and small cities throughout the country. In addition to businesses whose focus or products are technology-related, many other businesses have significant technology and computer science needs that are provided in-house, and those who thrive and survive will continue to hire.