October 2026 – New York – IT, Tech and AI Salary & Contractor Rates
The Reality Behind the Data: Production AI & Wall Street Execution
New York tech compensation continues to lead global markets, driven by financial services, fintech, and enterprise software demand. The conversion of AI from experimental models into live trading systems and enterprise workflows has pushed Prompt Engineer / AI App Dev base pay up 18.1% year-on-year, with base medians reaching $185,900 (and total packages far higher). Immediate downstream demand is absorbing deployment talent: AI/ML Engineers sit at $221,600 median, while MLOps Engineers command $208,700.
Management Softening vs. Wall Street Security Demands
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Coordination Deflation: Non-technical governance roles face ongoing budget corrections—Scrum Master / Agile Coach (-3.1%) and IT Project Manager (-1.5%) continue to decline as capital is redirected to engineering delivery.
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Peak Cybersecurity Premiums: Risk mitigation and regulatory pressure keep security at record highs. CISO base median pay in New York reaches $307,400 (with contractor day rates up to $1,850/day), while DevSecOps Engineers (+11.1%) and Security Architects ($235,600 median, +9.6%) command substantial market premiums.
| Category | Job Title | Yearly Low | Yearly Median (Base) | Yearly High | Annual % Change | Contractor Day Rate (High) | Day Rate Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI, Automation & Data | |||||||
| Head of AI & Automation | $201,600 | $235,200 | $277,200 | +14.8% | $1,700 | +11.2% | |
| AI / Machine Learning Engineer | $154,400 | $181,700 | $218,400 | +14.2% | $1,325 | +10.5% | |
| AI Solutions Architect | $174,300 | $204,800 | $244,700 | +12.5% | $1,490 | +9.2% | |
| MLOps Engineer | $144,900 | $171,200 | $202,700 | +12.8% | $1,155 | +8.9% | |
| Automation / RPA Architect | $147,000 | $169,100 | $201,600 | +5.2% | $1,210 | +4.5% | |
| RPA Developer | $100,800 | $117,600 | $138,600 | +3.8% | $810 | +3.2% | |
| Data Science Lead | $165,100 | $194,500 | $228,100 | +8.4% | $1,355 | +6.6% | |
| Data Scientist | $118,700 | $139,700 | $165,100 | +6.1% | $975 | +5.1% | |
| Data Engineer | $110,300 | $129,200 | $152,300 | +7.5% | $935 | +5.8% | |
| Data Architect | $155,400 | $182,700 | $214,200 | +5.9% | $1,240 | +4.4% | |
| Business Intelligence (BI) Analyst | $86,100 | $102,100 | $121,000 | +2.5% | $695 | +2.1% | |
| BI Developer | $99,800 | $117,600 | $138,600 | +3.1% | $810 | +2.7% | |
| Power Platform / Low-Code Dev | $110,300 | $129,200 | $152,300 | +8.0% | $935 | +6.5% | |
| Prompt Engineer / AI App Dev | $129,200 | $152,300 | $179,600 | +18.1% | $1,090 | +12.0% | |
| IT Ops & Leadership | |||||||
| IT Director / CIO | $210,000 | $252,000 | $298,200 | +1.8% | $1,385 | +2.3% | |
| Head of IT / IT Manager | $136,500 | $159,600 | $189,000 | +1.2% | $1,070 | +1.8% | |
| IT Business Partner | $117,600 | $138,600 | $163,800 | +0.8% | $965 | +1.1% | |
| Service Delivery Manager | $117,600 | $138,600 | $163,800 | +1.1% | $925 | +1.5% | |
| IT Operations Manager | $121,800 | $144,900 | $170,100 | +0.5% | $965 | +1.0% | |
| IT Project Manager | $108,200 | $127,100 | $150,200 | -1.50% | $915 | -0.80% | |
| Program Manager | $155,400 | $182,700 | $214,200 | -0.80% | $1,185 | -0.40% | |
| Scrum Master / Agile Coach | $115,500 | $136,500 | $161,700 | -3.10% | $955 | -2.20% | |
| Business Analyst | $99,800 | $117,600 | $138,600 | +3.1% | $810 | +2.8% | |
| 1st Line Support Technician | $47,300 | $55,700 | $65,100 | +3.8% | $335 | +3.2% | |
| 2nd Line Support Engineer | $63,000 | $74,600 | $88,200 | +4.0% | $475 | +3.5% | |
| 3rd Line / Senior Tech Support | $80,900 | $95,600 | $113,400 | +4.0% | $650 | +6.1% | |
| Helpdesk Manager / Service Desk Lead | $90,300 | $106,100 | $125,000 | +2.8% | $695 | +2.5% | |
| Infrastructure & Networking | |||||||
| Infrastructure Manager | $126,000 | $149,100 | $176,400 | +2.1% | $965 | +1.8% | |
| Senior Systems Engineer | $99,800 | $117,600 | $138,600 | +3.5% | $755 | +3.0% | |
| Systems Administrator | $74,600 | $88,200 | $104,000 | +3.2% | $565 | +2.8% | |
| Network Architect | $155,400 | $182,700 | $214,200 | +4.1% | $1,185 | +3.5% | |
| Network Engineer | $86,100 | $102,100 | $121,000 | +2.9% | $650 | +2.5% | |
| Network Security Engineer | $106,100 | $125,000 | $147,000 | +8.2% | $820 | +6.4% | |
| Unified Communications Specialist | $86,100 | $102,100 | $121,000 | +1.8% | $650 | +1.5% | |
| Storage & Virtualisation Engineer | $93,500 | $109,600 | $129,200 | +2.0% | $680 | +1.8% | |
| Data Centre Engineer | $75,600 | $89,300 | $105,000 | +2.2% | $575 | +2.0% | |
| Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) | $131,300 | $154,400 | $182,700 | +9.4% | $1,040 | +7.1% | |
| Cloud & DevOps | |||||||
| Cloud Architect (AWS/Azure/GCP) | $173,300 | $202,700 | $239,400 | +8.8% | $1,355 | +5.7% | |
| Principal Cloud Engineer | $156,500 | $183,800 | $215,300 | +7.9% | $1,250 | +6.2% | |
| Cloud Systems Engineer | $105,000 | $123,900 | $146,000 | +5.5% | $810 | +4.8% | |
| DevOps Engineer | $135,500 | $158,600 | $188,000 | +6.8% | $1,080 | +5.2% | |
| DevOps Lead / Architect | $165,100 | $193,200 | $228,100 | +7.5% | $1,310 | +5.8% | |
| DevSecOps Engineer | $143,900 | $171,200 | $200,600 | +11.1% | $1,195 | +7.4% | |
| Infrastructure as Code Specialist | $126,000 | $149,100 | $176,400 | +6.2% | $1,030 | +5.1% | |
| Cloud Migration Specialist | $130,200 | $153,300 | $180,600 | +5.8% | $1,030 | +4.8% | |
| FinOps Specialist | $122,900 | $146,000 | $171,200 | +9.1% | $975 | +7.0% | |
| Cybersecurity & Risk | |||||||
| Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) | $237,300 | $278,300 | $327,600 | +1.5% | $1,855 | +2.3% | |
| Information Security Manager | $156,500 | $181,700 | $214,200 | +5.8% | $1,195 | +4.9% | |
| Cyber Security Engineer | $118,700 | $139,700 | $165,100 | +7.2% | $975 | +5.8% | |
| Cyber Security Analyst | $86,100 | $102,100 | $121,000 | +5.1% | $650 | +4.2% | |
| Penetration Tester / Ethical Hacker | $113,400 | $132,300 | $156,500 | +6.0% | $925 | +4.8% | |
| SOC Analyst | $75,600 | $89,300 | $105,000 | +4.8% | $575 | +4.0% | |
| Security Architect | $165,100 | $193,200 | $228,100 | +9.6% | $1,310 | +7.2% | |
| Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Lead | $134,400 | $159,600 | $188,000 | +4.2% | $1,030 | +3.8% | |
| Identity & Access Management (IAM) Specialist | $109,200 | $128,100 | $151,200 | +5.0% | $810 | +4.1% | |
| Cloud Security Specialist | $141,800 | $167,000 | $196,400 | +10.2% | $1,120 | +7.8% | |
| Software & ERP | |||||||
| Software Engineering Manager | $163,800 | $192,200 | $226,800 | +3.5% | $1,300 | +2.8% | |
| Lead Software Developer | $140,700 | $165,900 | $195,300 | +4.2% | $1,110 | +3.5% | |
| Senior Full Stack Developer | $121,800 | $144,900 | $170,100 | +4.8% | $965 | +3.8% | |
| Software Engineer (Python/Java/.NET) | $112,400 | $131,800 | $155,400 | +4.5% | $915 | +3.6% | |
| ERP / CRM Manager | $134,400 | $159,600 | $188,000 | +2.0% | $1,070 | +1.8% | |
| Solution Architect | $157,500 | $186,900 | $220,500 | +5.5% | $1,210 | +4.2% | |
October’s numbers make one thing clear: pay for people who build or defend, and be more selective on pure coordination roles.
If you’re hiring or reviewing pay in light of these figures, get in touch — call us on 0207 788 6600 or email james@langleyjames.com.