IT Support Specialist Salary, Skills & Requirements (2026)
Advertised pay, starting pay, skills and experience from 10,572 US job postings by 3,855 employers. Data as of October 2026.
What US employers post for IT support specialists: advertised pay, the skills and experience they ask for, and the job titles they use, from 10,572 open job postings (October 2026).
- The median advertised pay for IT support specialists in US job postings is $67,000 a year (2,390 postings from 889 employers, October 2026).
- The middle half of those postings offer $52,000 to $90,000.
- Postings that ask for up to 1 year of experience advertise a median of $56,000 a year (397 postings).
- The skills that most set IT support specialist postings apart are active directory, troubleshooting, Windows.
- Postings that state a minimum ask for a median of 2 years of experience.
IT Support Specialist job postings in the US, October 2026
- $67,000
- Median advertised pay (2,390 postings)
- $52,000–$90,000
- Middle 50% of postings
- $56,000
- Starting pay (postings asking up to 1 year)
- 10,572
- US job postings from 3,855 employers
How much does an IT support specialist make?
The median advertised pay is $67,000 a year, from 2,390 US job postings by 889 employers that state pay. One in ten postings offers $125,000 or more.
Advertised pay in 2,390 US IT support specialist job postings: median $67,000 a year, middle half $52,000 to $90,000.
- Median: $67,000
- 25th percentile: $52,000
- 75th percentile: $90,000
The figures as a table
| Annual pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| $20K–$30K | 1.0% |
| $30K–$40K | 7.9% |
| $40K–$50K | 12.0% |
| $50K–$60K | 17.0% |
| $60K–$70K | 16.1% |
| $70K–$80K | 10.4% |
| $80K–$90K | 9.7% |
| $90K–$100K | 6.5% |
| $100K–$110K | 4.0% |
| $110K–$120K | 3.8% |
| $120K–$130K | 3.2% |
| $130K–$140K | 2.3% |
| $140K–$150K | 1.5% |
| $150K–$160K | 0.9% |
| $160K–$170K | 1.1% |
| $170K–$180K | 0.6% |
| $180K–$190K | 0.5% |
| $190K–$200K | 0.4% |
| $200K–$210K | 0.1% |
| $210K–$220K | 0.4% |
Midpoint of each posting's pay range, hourly pay × 2,080 hours; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
| Median | Middle 50% | Postings | Most common titles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postings that state an hourly rate | $27.00 | $21.00–$33.65 | 819 | IT Support Specialist, IT Support Technician, Technical Support Specialist |
| Postings that state an annual salary | $83,000 | $64K–$110K | 877 | Technical Support Engineer, IT Support Specialist, Technical Support Specialist |
| All pay postings, annualised | $67,000 | $52K–$90K | 2,390 | – |
For comparison, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median annual wage of Computer User Support Specialists (15-1232) at $62,000 (May 2025). Postings advertise pay; the BLS measures what people earn, across all employers and levels.
What is the starting salary for an IT support specialist?
Postings that ask for up to 1 year of experience advertise a median of $56,000 a year (397 postings).
| Experience asked | Median advertised pay | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 years | $56,000 | 397 |
| 2-4 years | $69,000 | 740 |
| 5+ years | withheld | 222 |
IT support specialist levels and pay
Levels as they appear in job titles, ordered by the median experience asked.
| Level in title | Share of postings | Median experience asked | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| No level in title | 89.8% | 2 years | $66,000 |
| Level I | 3.0% | 2 years | – |
| Level II | 2.8% | 3 years | – |
| Senior | 2.6% | 4 years | – |
Highest-paying IT support specialist jobs
Specializations with at least 250 postings that state pay.
| Specialization | Median pay | Postings with pay | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Desktop Support Technician | $62,000 | 254 | 103 |
| Help Desk Technician | $60,000 | 293 | 139 |
IT support specialist pay by state
Single-location US postings; states with at least 100 postings that state pay. States with pay-transparency laws (such as California, Colorado, New York and Washington) are over-represented among postings that state pay.
| State | Median pay | Middle 50% | Postings with pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $73,000 | $60,000–$102,000 | 164 | 8.5% |
| Virginia | $72,000 | $57,000–$89,000 | 112 | 4.5% |
Skills employers ask for in IT support specialist job postings
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Communication | 46% |
| Problem-solving | 26% |
| Customer service | 24% |
| Troubleshooting | 20% |
| Interpersonal skills | 15% |
| Work independently | 15% |
| Microsoft Office | 15% |
| Analytical skills | 13% |
| Attention to detail | 13% |
| Organizational skills | 13% |
Skills named in the posting text; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026. Methodology.
Skills that set IT support specialists apart
- Active directory50.5× as often as in all postings · 12%
- Troubleshooting10.6× as often as in all postings · 20%
- Windows19.9× as often as in all postings · 11%
- Microsoft 36530.6× as often as in all postings · 9%
- Dns28.2× as often as in all postings · 9%
- Dhcp40.4× as often as in all postings · 8%
- Vpn48.5× as often as in all postings · 6%
- TCP/IP26.3× as often as in all postings · 6%
- ServiceNow26.4× as often as in all postings · 5%
- Networking12.1× as often as in all postings · 6%
- Troubleshooting skills9× as often as in all postings · 6%
- Linux9.4× as often as in all postings · 5%
Skills named in at least 5% of these postings and at least 3 times as often as in job postings overall.
Have a IT support specialist job posting in front of you? See which of its skills your resume is missing.
What does an IT support specialist do?
Employers post these jobs as IT Support Specialist, Technical Support Specialist, Technical Support Engineer, IT Support Technician, Help Desk Technician and other titles. The largest specializations are IT Support Specialist (12%), Help Desk Technician (13%), Technical Support Specialist (8%), Desktop Support Technician (16%), Service Desk Analyst (7%), Technical Support Engineer (5%), IT Technician (6%).
The closest official occupation is Computer User Support Specialists (15-1232.00). Its most important tasks:
- Oversee the daily performance of computer systems.
- Set up equipment for employee use, performing or ensuring proper installation of cables, operating systems, or appropriate software.
- Read technical manuals, confer with users, or conduct computer diagnostics to investigate and resolve problems or to provide technical assistance and support.
- Answer user inquiries regarding computer software or hardware operation to resolve problems.
- Install and perform minor repairs to hardware, software, or peripheral equipment, following design or installation specifications.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
How much experience do you need to be an IT support specialist?
Among 3,572 postings that state a minimum, the median is 2 years. 4% say 0 years and 28% ask for 1 year or less.
Minimum experience asked in 3,572 US IT support specialist job postings: median 2 years, and 28% ask for 1 year or less.
The figures as a table
| Minimum experience asked | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| 0 yr | 5% |
| 1 yr | 23% |
| 2 yrs | 28% |
| 3-4 yrs | 28% |
| 5-7 yrs | 13% |
| 8-9 yrs | 1% |
| 10+ yrs | 1% |
Postings that state a minimum (required or preferred); at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
We do not show a degree figure: in our checks, degree requirements in posting text were found too rarely to publish one. Why.
Full-time 92%, Part-time 8% of the 841 postings that state working hours.
Other names for an IT support specialist: job titles employers use
| Job title | Employers using it |
|---|---|
| IT Support Specialist | 322 (8.3%) |
| Technical Support Specialist | 214 (5.5%) |
| Technical Support Engineer | 172 (4.5%) |
| IT Support Technician | 155 (4.0%) |
| Help Desk Technician | 127 (3.3%) |
| Desktop Support | 100 (2.6%) |
| IT Technician | 99 (2.6%) |
| IT Support Engineer | 92 (2.4%) |
| Desktop Support Technician | 91 (2.4%) |
| Application Support Analyst | 78 (2.0%) |
| Data Center Technician | 77 (2.0%) |
| Service Desk Analyst | 74 (1.9%) |
| Service Desk Technician | 73 (1.9%) |
| Application Support Engineer | 71 (1.8%) |
| Computer Technician | 66 (1.7%) |
| Technical Support Representative | 66 (1.7%) |
| Help Desk Specialist | 66 (1.7%) |
| Help Desk Analyst | 62 (1.6%) |
| Technical Support Analyst | 61 (1.6%) |
| Help Desk Support | 56 (1.5%) |
Titles read in our audit and used by at least 3 employers.
IT support specialist job titles compared
The titles people search for most, from the US job postings that use each exact title (October 2026).
| Job title | Open postings | Employers | Median pay | Median experience | Skills named most |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technical Support Engineer | 255 | 172 | – | – | communication, problem-solving, troubleshooting |
| IT Technician | 138 | 99 | – | – | – |
IT Support Specialist compared with similar careers
| Career | Median pay | Median experience | Postings | Shares N of top 25 skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT Support Specialist | $67K | 2 years | 10,572 | – |
| Systems Administrator | $125K | 4 years | 8,047 | 15 |
| IT Manager | $134K | 5 years | 1,839 | 13 |
| Sales Engineer | $140K | 4 years | 4,954 | 14 |
| Audio Visual Technician | $64K | 2 years | 1,239 | 18 |
Similar careers
| Career | Shares N of the top 25 skills | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Systems Administrator | 15 | $125K |
| IT Manager | 13 | $134K |
| Sales Engineer | 14 | $140K |
| Audio Visual Technician | 18 | $64K |
| Network Engineer | 11 | $134K |
| Cybersecurity Analyst | 6 | $157K |
Applying for IT support specialist jobs?
- IT support specialist resume examples: one-page examples for these roles
- Match your resume to a job: paste a posting and see the skills your resume is missing
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- Find IT support specialist jobs: search open postings
Frequently asked questions
How much does an IT support specialist make?
Source and method
Open US job postings collected from employers' applicant tracking systems, de-duplicated, counted only when their job title was read in our audit. Shares count at most 20 postings per employer, and franchise locations of one brand count as one employer. Pay uses hourly and annual figures only; a figure is shown when leaving out the largest employer moves it by 10% or less. Every figure states its number of postings. Methodology and measured accuracy.
Accuracy check: we read 82 randomly chosen postings counted on this page in full; 74 of them were this career or a closely related one (October 2026).
Download the figures on this page (CSV): every number above with its count of postings. Aggregate figures are licensed CC BY 4.0; cite the page when you reuse them.