Information Systems Manager Salary in 2026: National, by State, City, Specialty & Real Value
An information systems manager in the United States earns a median of $175,140 a year, about $84.20 an hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025). Pay runs from roughly $107,550 at the 10th percentile to $297,510 at the 90th, and it swings further once you account for state, metro, setting, specialty, cost of living, and tax. About 670,570 IT and information-systems managers work nationwide. This guide is the complete picture: national and percentile pay, all 50 states ranked by real (cost-adjusted) value, top metros, settings, specialties, take-home after tax, the path in, the return on the degree, and answers to the questions people ask most.
- National pay overview
- Pay by experience
- Salary by state: all 50 states ranked by real value
- Highest-paying metros
- Salary by work setting
- How it compares to related careers
- Experience, scope, and what they mean for pay
- Specialties and where the pay is
- What moves the pay
- Salary, hourly, and total compensation
- Take-home pay after tax
- How to maximize earnings
- How pay is changing
- Job outlook
- How to become an information systems manager
- Is it worth it? The return on the degree
- Frequently asked questions
- State guides and tools
National pay overview
The national median for IT and information-systems managers is $175,140 a year ($84.20 an hour), with a mean of $192,160. The full wage curve, from entry to senior:
| Percentile | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th (entry) | $107,550 | $51.71 |
| 25th | $138,060 | $66.38 |
| 50th (median) | $175,140 | $84.20 |
| 75th | $220,730 | $106.12 |
| 90th (senior) | $297,510 | $143.03 |
The gap from the 10th to the 90th percentile is about $189,960. A single national number hides that range, which is why the rest of this guide breaks pay down by every factor that moves it, and then translates the headline into cost-adjusted, after-tax dollars.
The mean of $192,160 sits above the median, which tells you the top of the field pulls the average up: a meaningful share of IT and information-systems managers earn well into the upper percentiles through specialty, setting, geography, and seniority. The practical question is what you can earn given where you work, what you specialize in, and how you structure your hours, which matters far more than the field-wide average. Each section below answers one piece of that.
Pay by experience
BLS does not publish pay by years of experience, but the percentiles map closely to a career arc:
| Stage | Typical percentile | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| New graduate | 10th to 25th | $107,550 to $138,060 |
| Mid-career | ~50th | around $175,140 |
| Experienced | ~75th | around $220,730 |
| Senior / specialized / lead | 90th+ | $297,510 and up |
The climb from new graduate to senior is roughly $189,960. Early raises tend to come fastest as you move off new-grad pay; by mid-career the curve flattens, and the people who keep climbing usually do so by specializing, switching to a higher-paying setting or state, taking on lead and management duties, or adding hours through overtime and extra work. Geography and setting can outweigh experience entirely: an experienced IT manager in a low-paying state can earn less than a new graduate in a top-paying one.
Salary by state: all 50 states ranked by real value
This is the table most information systems manager salary pages leave out. Below are every state and Washington, D.C., ranked by real value (the median adjusted for that state’s cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024)) rather than by sticker pay. A high-paying state with high costs can leave you worse off than a moderate-paying, low-cost one. Tap a linked state for the full local breakdown.
| # | State | Median (nominal) | Cost level (US=100) | Real value | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $214,960 | 105.8 | $203,258 | 24,910 |
| 2 | Virginia | $201,490 | 101.1 | $199,290 | 17,550 |
| 3 | New York | $214,300 | 107.9 | $198,571 | 48,050 |
| 4 | California | $218,290 | 110.7 | $197,155 | 94,720 |
| 5 | Washington | $209,370 | 107.0 | $195,649 | 16,960 |
| 6 | Colorado | $199,420 | 103.1 | $193,514 | 11,510 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $203,460 | 108.8 | $186,995 | 34,470 |
| 8 | North Carolina | $172,860 | 94.3 | $183,258 | 25,650 |
| 9 | South Dakota | $162,240 | 88.6 | $183,144 | 380 |
| 10 | Kansas | $164,830 | 90.1 | $183,006 | 4,050 |
| 11 | Georgia | $173,940 | 96.3 | $180,636 | 18,560 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $176,380 | 98.6 | $178,846 | 10,970 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $195,190 | 109.9 | $177,605 | 5,690 |
| 14 | Texas | $171,530 | 97.1 | $176,731 | 73,060 |
| 15 | Ohio | $163,640 | 92.8 | $176,386 | 19,500 |
| 16 | Missouri | $159,460 | 90.8 | $175,584 | 11,130 |
| 17 | Tennessee | $158,700 | 91.9 | $172,744 | 12,040 |
| 18 | Illinois | $171,730 | 100.0 | $171,802 | 31,680 |
| 19 | South Carolina | $160,860 | 93.7 | $171,586 | 4,930 |
| 20 | Michigan | $163,760 | 96.2 | $170,199 | 16,010 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | $160,140 | 94.1 | $170,190 | 8,880 |
| 22 | Idaho | $162,240 | 95.5 | $169,895 | 1,950 |
| 23 | Oregon | $175,270 | 103.4 | $169,571 | 7,440 |
| 24 | New Hampshire | $176,540 | 104.2 | $169,481 | 3,810 |
| 25 | Delaware | $168,500 | 99.8 | $168,824 | 2,140 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $163,910 | 97.6 | $167,989 | 27,060 |
| 27 | North Dakota | $149,130 | 89.0 | $167,639 | 850 |
| 28 | Connecticut | $171,750 | 103.6 | $165,766 | 10,570 |
| 29 | Utah | $163,610 | 98.9 | $165,490 | 8,810 |
| 30 | Arizona | $166,430 | 100.7 | $165,311 | 14,270 |
| 31 | Maine | $160,260 | 97.0 | $165,131 | 1,450 |
| 32 | Nevada | $165,000 | 100.0 | $165,035 | 3,610 |
| 33 | Iowa | $143,780 | 87.8 | $163,829 | 3,920 |
| 34 | Rhode Island | $167,270 | 102.3 | $163,541 | 1,210 |
| 35 | Maryland | $171,490 | 105.0 | $163,388 | 14,620 |
| 36 | Florida | $168,470 | 103.4 | $162,908 | 35,040 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $137,280 | 87.8 | $156,279 | 3,790 |
| 38 | West Virginia | $139,820 | 89.5 | $156,229 | 1,100 |
| 39 | Alabama | $138,670 | 88.8 | $156,119 | 7,670 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $140,360 | 90.2 | $155,681 | 3,130 |
| 41 | Indiana | $142,040 | 93.3 | $152,193 | 8,060 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $135,780 | 90.1 | $150,694 | 5,070 |
| 43 | New Mexico | $137,730 | 92.2 | $149,362 | 1,500 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $127,220 | 86.9 | $146,336 | 3,420 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $127,500 | 88.2 | $144,546 | 2,860 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $124,280 | 87.0 | $142,928 | 1,710 |
| 47 | Vermont | $138,460 | 98.0 | $141,346 | 1,100 |
| 48 | Montana | $132,860 | 94.6 | $140,377 | 1,180 |
| 49 | Alaska | $133,490 | 102.4 | $130,414 | 970 |
| 50 | Wyoming | $120,850 | 92.7 | $130,379 | 330 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $141,640 | 110.0 | $128,821 | 1,200 |
On real, cost-adjusted value, Massachusetts leads at $203,258, while Hawaii trails at $128,821. By raw sticker pay the order is different: California ($218,290), Massachusetts ($214,960), and New York ($214,300) pay the most nominally, but several of them slide down the list once high housing and prices are counted. That reordering is the single most useful thing this page does, and it is why national averages and sticker rankings can steer you wrong.
Concrete example of the flip: Maryland ranks #17 by sticker pay ($171,490) but only #35 once its cost level of 105 is applied, because high prices eat the higher salary. Meanwhile South Dakota looks middling on sticker (#28) yet climbs to #9 on real value, since a 162,240-dollar median goes much further at a cost level of 89. If you are willing to relocate, the real-value column, not the sticker column, is the one that should guide the decision.
The geographic pattern: the highest sticker pay clusters on the West Coast and in the Northeast, while the best real value often shows up in lower-cost states in the South, Midwest, and Mountain West where a strong salary meets cheap housing. There is no single best state, only the best fit for where you want to live and what your money will buy there.
Highest-paying metros
Within states, metros drive pay further. The largest IT manager job markets by employment, with median pay:
| Metro | Median | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY | $215,300 | 62,430 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $173,810 | 30,690 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL | $173,760 | 24,950 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $232,890 | 23,830 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $204,370 | 23,180 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC | $195,190 | 20,800 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA | $214,960 | 20,530 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $291,660 | 19,070 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA | $173,470 | 15,090 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $177,970 | 14,430 |
The same cost-of-living rule applies inside a state: a higher-paying big metro can lose to a cheaper mid-size city once housing is counted. Big metros also hold the deepest job markets, so they pair the most pay with the most openings, while rural and smaller markets sometimes pay premiums to attract candidates. The state pages work the metro and cost math out city by city.
Salary by work setting
Where IT and information-systems managers work changes pay as much as geography. National medians by employer type:
| Setting | Employed (U.S.) | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services | 131,930 | $179,510 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 73,160 | $176,950 |
| Software Publishers | 35,120 | $202,250 |
| Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services | 26,210 | $179,470 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | 24,970 | $178,670 |
| Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (5221 and 5223 only) | 22,750 | $174,780 |
| Insurance Carriers | 21,900 | $173,790 |
The gap between the highest- and lowest-paying settings is real money over a career, and it usually comes with trade-offs in pace, caseload, autonomy, and schedule rather than in difficulty alone. The largest employer is not always the best payer, so it is worth weighing where the volume of jobs is against where the pay is when you choose a setting.
How it compares to related careers
It helps to see an information systems manager beside the roles people weigh against it, with pay set next to the education each requires:
| Role | National median | Education |
|---|---|---|
| Software Developer | $135,980 | Bachelor’s or self-taught |
| Information Systems Manager (this role) | $175,140 | Bachelor’s + experience |
| Chief Executive | $213,990 | Bachelor’s + experience |
Against software developer at $135,980, this role pays about $39,160 more for the added schooling. The higher-paid chief executive ($213,990) sits $38,850 above, but on a longer or different training path. The right comparison is always pay set against the time, cost, and debt of the credential, not pay alone.
Experience, scope, and what they mean for pay
There is no license; what gates pay is experience, the scope of responsibility, and the size and type of organization. Information-systems managers (IT managers, IT directors, and at the top, CIOs and CTOs) plan and direct an organization’s technology, and pay scales steeply with team size, budget, and seniority. Technical depth combined with leadership and business skills, and increasingly cloud and security strategy, commands the most.
Licensing is not just a hurdle, it shapes pay. Where a role can practice more independently or bill for more services, it tends to command more, and license portability between states affects how easily you can chase a higher-paying market. Always confirm the current rules with the relevant state board, since scope and requirements change and vary widely.
Specialties and where the pay is
Pay rises with the level (manager to director to VP to CIO or CTO) and the employer’s size and sector, with large tech, finance, and consulting paying the most. Owning the organization’s cloud, security, or data strategy and managing larger teams and budgets lifts pay; the very top roles run deep into six figures and beyond.
The practical takeaway: within IT and information-systems managers, specialty and setting usually move pay more than another year of general experience. The top earners are rarely just the most tenured, they are the ones in the higher-paying focus areas, settings, or leadership and ownership roles.
If you are early in the field, the decisions with the biggest long-run payoff are which specialty to pursue and which setting to enter, because both compound over a career and are easier to choose early than to switch later. A credential that takes a year to earn can pay for itself many times over through higher pay and more job options, which is the same logic the ROI section applies to the degree itself.
What moves the pay
- State and metro, and crucially the cost of living that goes with them, which the real-value table reorders.
- Experience, which lifts pay steadily and then plateaus without a specialty or a step up.
- Work setting and employer, since some settings and employers pay well above others, as the settings table shows.
- Specialty and board certification, a clear premium in most of these fields.
- Hours and structure, since overtime, extra shifts, and contract or travel work can push total pay well above base.
Salary, hourly, and total compensation
The $175,140 median is base pay, and real total compensation often runs higher. These are senior salaried roles where variable pay is significant: annual and performance bonuses are standard, and at larger and public companies equity or stock adds a large share on top of base, so total compensation runs well above the base median, especially at the director and executive levels. When comparing offers, weigh the whole package, base, any bonus or equity, overtime or premiums where they apply, retirement match, and paid time off, since two offers with the same base can differ by thousands once the rest is counted.
Take-home pay after tax
Two IT and information-systems managers on the same $175,140 salary keep very different amounts depending on the state. Worked examples on the national median, single filer, 2026 federal plus FICA plus state:
| State | Gross | Est. take-home | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas (no state income tax) | $175,140 | $130,461 | 25.5% |
| New York | $175,140 | $121,001 | 30.9% |
| California | $175,140 | $118,146 | 32.5% |
That is roughly $12,315 a year more in take-home in no-tax Texas than in California on an identical salary, before cost of living is even counted. Nine states levy no income tax.
Take-home also scales with where you sit on the pay curve. In Texas, an entry-level IT manager earning $138,060 nets about $105,117, while a senior one at $297,510 keeps about $212,975, since higher pay pushes more income into higher federal brackets. The effective rate climbs with income, so a raise is worth somewhat less on take-home than on the headline. Every state page includes a full breakdown and a paycheck calculator to run your own number.
How to maximize earnings
- Target a high-real-value state or metro using the table above, not the highest sticker.
- Move into the higher-paying setting and specialty for your field.
- Add board certification or a specialty credential, which pays a clear premium.
- Use overtime, contract, or travel work to lift total pay, and negotiate the full package.
- Consider leadership or ownership for the higher ceiling.
How pay is changing
Wages for IT and information-systems managers have broadly risen with demand and inflation, but the real story is in the mix: pay grows fastest where labor is scarce and where the role takes on more responsibility. Watch three things if you are planning a career here, the spread between settings (which keeps widening as specialized and higher-skill roles pull ahead), the value of cost-of-living arbitrage (a strong salary in a cheap state has rarely been worth more relative to expensive coastal markets), and the premium on specialty credentials. The figures on this page are the May 2025 BLS estimates, the most recent national data, and the state pages carry the same detail locally.
Job outlook
Employment of computer and information systems managers is projected to grow about 15% from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations, with roughly 55,600 openings a year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. As organizations lean harder on technology, security, and data, demand for people who can plan and lead that work keeps rising, and the role sits among the highest-paid in tech.
For context, the average growth rate across all U.S. occupations through 2034 is about 3%. A large share of yearly openings also comes from replacing workers who retire or move on, so real hiring tends to run ahead of the net-growth figure, and shortage and rural areas often pay the most to attract candidates.
How to become an information systems manager
Information-systems management is a senior, experience-built track at the top of IT pay:
- Earn a bachelor’s in computer science, information systems, or a related field.
- Build years of hands-on IT experience as a developer, analyst, administrator, or engineer.
- Move into a lead or supervisory role, demonstrating leadership and business judgment (an MBA can help).
- Advance through management from manager to director to VP and, at the top, CIO or CTO.
Is it worth it? The return on the degree
The return is excellent for those who reach it: a bachelor’s plus years of experience lead to a median near $175,140, among the highest in tech, with bonus and equity on top at larger employers. The investment is mostly the years of technical experience and the move into leadership, rather than a specific extra credential. Weigh program cost, your starting state and setting, and the specialties you can reach against the debt. The pay tables above, set next to the education column in the comparison section, are the honest way to run that math before committing.
Two levers change the answer most: the price of the program you choose, since cost varies enormously between public and private schools, and the state and setting you start in, since the same degree pays very differently across the by-state and settings tables above. A graduate who controls program cost and starts in a high-real-value state can clear the debt years faster than one who does neither, on the identical credential.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an information systems manager make?
The U.S. median is $175,140 a year, about $84.20 an hour (BLS, 2025), ranging from roughly $107,550 at the 10th percentile to $297,510 at the 90th.
What is the highest-paying state for IT and information-systems managers?
By sticker pay, California ($218,290) leads. But adjusted for cost of living, Massachusetts delivers the most real value ($203,258). The full ranking is in the by-state table.
Do IT and information-systems managers make six figures?
Yes, the national median itself is above $100,000, and most IT and information-systems managers in higher-paying states and settings clear six figures comfortably.
What is the entry-level salary for IT and information-systems managers?
New graduates typically start around the 10th to 25th percentile, roughly $107,550 to $138,060, rising with experience, setting, and specialty.
Where do IT and information-systems managers earn the most after cost of living?
On real value, Massachusetts, Virginia, and New York top the list. High-sticker states often fall once their housing and prices are counted.
Can IT and information-systems managers increase pay with overtime or extra work?
Yes. At $84.20 an hour, overtime at time-and-a-half is about $126.30, and contract or travel roles pay higher hourly rates in exchange for fewer benefits, so total pay can run well above the salary median.
Do these roles pay more in states with no income tax?
On take-home, yes. On the median salary, a single filer keeps about $12,315 more a year in no-tax Texas than in California, before cost of living.
What education do you need to become an information systems manager?
A bachelor’s in computer science or information systems plus several years of IT experience is the typical path; an MBA or master’s can help for senior and executive roles. There is no license.
Is information systems manager a good career?
For those with the experience, strongly yes. At a median near $175,140, it is one of the highest-paying management tracks in tech, with bonus and equity pushing total pay higher still. It requires years of technical experience plus leadership ability, and the responsibility and accountability are real.
What setting pays IT and information-systems managers the most?
Nationally, computer systems design and related services and the higher-paying employer types in the settings table tend to lead, while others pay somewhat less. Specialty and setting matter as much as the employer category.
How long does it take to become an information systems manager?
Usually about four years for a bachelor’s, then several years of IT experience before moving into management. Reaching director and executive levels takes additional years of proven leadership.
What is the highest a IT manager can earn?
The top 10% earn above $297,510, and the ceiling climbs higher with leadership, ownership, specialty certification, and high-cost metros, plus overtime, contract, and travel pay layered on top of base.
Is the IT manager field oversaturated?
Employment of computer and information systems managers is projected to grow about 15% from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations, with roughly 55,600 openings a year, according to the U. Demand varies by region and setting, and rural and shortage areas often compete hardest on pay, so saturation is local rather than national.
Do IT and information-systems managers get paid salary or hourly?
Salaried, with significant variable pay: annual and performance bonuses are standard, and equity or stock is common at larger and public companies, so total comp runs well above base, especially at senior levels.
Can IT and information-systems managers work part-time or flexibly?
These are predominantly full-time leadership roles. Some experienced managers do fractional or interim CIO/CTO and consulting work, which can pay high rates, but part-time is uncommon at this level.
What earns more than an information systems manager?
Chief Executive, at a national median of $213,990, about $38,850 more, though on a longer or different training path.
How much do these roles vary by state?
A lot. State medians span more than $97,440, and after cost of living and state tax the real ranking shifts again. That is what the by-state and take-home sections are for.
State guides and tools
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 and Occupational Outlook Handbook (SOC 11-3021 and related codes); national, state, and metro estimates. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024. Take-home figures are 2026 estimates (federal, FICA, and state) for a single filer and will vary with deductions and filing status. See our methodology.