Each year, the Dice Tech Salary Report serves as one of your most important tech career resources, offering deep insights into technologist compensation and benefits. The Report also details which skills and certifications are associated with the highest salaries—crucial information for any technologist figuring out what to learn next to further their career.  

Our latest edition of the Report makes one thing clear: Despite some economic uncertainty related to the ongoing pandemic, 2021 was a very good year for many technologists, as nationwide demand for tech talent led to rising compensation. Below are some key takeaways; take a look at the full Report.

The Average Tech Salary Is Now Six Figures 

While COVID-19 spurred economic uncertainty across the U.S., the forced digitization, mass move to virtual work and increased security concerns resulting from the pandemic only boosted the urgent need for tech talent of all kinds. And organizations across nearly every industry and vertical were willing to pay for it, as the average tech salary of our survey respondents increased 6.9 percent between 2020 and 2021, exceeding six figures ($104,566). That’s the highest average salary ever recorded by the Dice Tech Salary Report. 

A Mix of Cities Enjoyed Significant Tech Salary Growth 

For the past several years, cities across the country have devoted considerable resources to fostering local tech scenes. Those efforts seem to be paying off, with cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, and Seattle all experiencing notable year-over-year increases in technologist salaries—indicative of the high demand that comes with a robust tech scene. 

Technologists Want Traditional Benefits… But Keep an Eye on These Up-and-Comers 

Of course, technologists continue to value “bread and butter” benefits such as paid vacation days, health and dental insurance, and paid sick days—all of which many organizations continue to provide. However, significant percentages of technologists are also interested in benefits gaining prominence in the pandemic, such as a work-from-home stipend and child/elder care options, which are offered by a much smaller subset of employers. With technologists currently in a good place to negotiate their compensation packages, it will be interesting to see if the number of organizations offering these benefits designed for the new world of work increases in coming years. 

Merit Raises Remain a Strong Way to Boost Salary 

Yet again, more technologists saw their salaries rise due to merit raises (likely a sign that, not only are technologists doing excellent work, but organizations are recognizing market demand and focusing heavily on technologist retention). Changing employers and maneuvering for internal promotion also remained strong ways to grow a paycheck. Far fewer managed to land a cost-of-living bump or a company-wide salary increase. 

The report offers a deeper dive into the current state of technologist compensation. Read it to see how much certain tech skills and disciplines can pay, as well as the salary for your current role.