The 8 highest paying industries for IT talent

Technology has become a universal top priority for businesses, to the point where IT roles are no longer just the purview of the IT department. Every business unit has a stake in the IT services, apps, networks, hardware, and software needed to meet business goals and objectives, and many of them are hiring their own technologists.

While Silicon Valley still pays top dollar for IT pros, the war for talent has moved beyond the tech industry, with other verticals vying for talented IT workers with the skills to enable digital transformation, process improvement, change management, and the development of apps and services. And as this demand for tech talent grows in industries beyond tech, salaries are on the rise in fields such as consulting, finance, aerospace, defense, and more.

Here are the eight industries with the highest tech salaries, and how much they’ve changed in value since 2023, according to the 2025 Dice Tech Salary Report.

Consulting

In the consulting industry, technology has become an important tool for making decisions, designing solutions, improving processes, and providing insights on optimizing business strategy. You’ll find plenty of IT consulting jobs available, a role that helps organizations identify technology solutions and strategies to improve their hardware, software, networks, and other IT infrastructure. Consulting firms are increasingly turning to tech talent to help build in-house platforms, according to the report from Dice. There’s a demand for skills such as cybersecurity, cloud, IT project management, UX/UI design, change management, and business analysis.

Average salary: $134,472

Change since 2023: +7.4%

Software

The software industry is a natural fit for IT jobs, and there’s always demand for IT pros who can help software vendors design, develop, implement, and maintain their products and services. A broad range of IT roles helps fuel the software industry, the most obvious being software developers and engineers. But you’ll also find demand for quality assurance, DevOps, technical support, and software sales engineers. Project managers, product managers, cybersecurity professionals, data scientists, database administrators, and software architects are also in high demand in the software sector. And as AI becomes increasingly popular, companies are looking for IT pros who can help enable AI features in hardware, software, and services.

Average salary: $129,102

Change since 2023: -1.1%

Banking and finance

The demand for tech workers in the finance industry has only continued to grow as financial services have moved online. Even internally, finance companies such as Discover, have focused on building IT training platforms to upskill workers so they meet the rapidly growing need for talent. There’s a high demand for software engineers, data engineers, business analysts, and data scientists as finance companies move to build in-house tools and services for customers. There’s also a push for digital transformation in the sector, with companies looking to integrate new and emerging technologies, while modernizing legacy finance tech.

Average salary: $128,751

Change since 2023: +2%

Manufacturing

The manufacturing industry relies on technology for automation, robotics, data analytics, AI, IoT, 3D printing, cloud computing, and more. These technologies have become integral to the manufacturing process, drawing an increasing amount of tech professionals to the industry in recent years. RPA has been used in manufacturing to streamline and automate systems, software, and hardware, and there’s also a high demand for software developers and engineers to help create, build, and maintain the software to run manufacturing systems. The manufacturing industry has seen one of the biggest boosts in IT salaries, growing over 15% since 2023.

Average salary: $119,282

Change since 2023: +15.1%

Government (not including education)

Tech jobs in the public sector are in high demand from government, federal, and state agencies looking for IT professionals to support their operations. There’s a high demand for general IT professionals, as well as those with specialization in security, programming, networks, and systems. There’s also a strong focus on privacy and security for the public sector, so cybersecurity professionals are always in high demand. It’s an industry that’s seen as stable with steady growth, making it a secure choice for tech professionals — and salaries have remained stable since 2023, dipping a mere .2%.

Average salary: $113,191

Change since 2023: -.2%

Healthcare

Technology has evolved at a rapid pace in healthcare settings, spiking demand for talented IT and tech professionals. It’s an industry that handles critical, private, and sensitive data so there’s a consistent need for cybersecurity and data professionals. But you’ll also find the same for software engineers, data analysts, business analysts, data scientists, systems administrators, and help desk technicians. There’s also an increase of AI in healthcare, meaning there’s a greater need for IT pros who can help manage AI integration. It’s an industry that can also offer some stability to tech workers, since there will always be a need for them to help keep a vital industry running. 

Average salary: $112,055

Change since 2023: -4.7%

Information Technology

While it’s a general category, IT jobs are in high demand as organizations rush to embrace digital transformation. Companies are looking for software developers, cybersecurity analysts, database administrators, network administrators, service desk professionals, as well as IT managers and executives to support IT infrastructure. It’s an industry that continues to grow as technology becomes a vital facet of everyday life and business. IT is a massive industry that’s been universally absorbed into other industries, with every organization having an IT department and IT needs. And as organizations rush to get on board with AI, there’s an even bigger demand for tech pros who have these new, emerging AI skills.

Average salary: $107,434

Change since 2023: +1.8%

Education

There are ample opportunities for software developers, programmers, UX/UI designers, data analysts, and content designers in the education industry, often referred to as EdTech. Schools and universities often need tech professionals to help manage and run on-site infrastructure, as well as systems for online courses, tutoring, email systems, and more. And there are plenty of education companies focused on developing software and services for education. But despite still being one of the highest paying industries for tech, the average salary dropped nearly 11% from 2023, which may be due to a correction after rampant hiring in education tech during the pandemic, and now education companies are facing budget cuts.

Average salary: $76,282

Change since 2023: -10.9%