{"schema_version": 1, "id": "bend-or-msa/information-technology/2026-10", "product": "Labor Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 120, "label": "Bend, OR MSA", "slug": "bend-or-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "information_technology", "slug": "information-technology", "label": "Information Technology"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T02:58:25.014283+00:00", "headline": "Bend's IT pay split: network talent up, admins and coders down.", "headline_summary": "Bend Network Engineer pay climbed to $112,338 with significant gains while Systems Administrator pay fell to $72,707 against a rising $102,503 national median, and Software Engineer pay dropped sharply to $158,247 even as developer postings statewide fell 26.9%.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Bend MSA unemployment", "value": "4.8%", "context": "Down from 4.9% in August 2026"}, {"label": "Deschutes County job loss", "value": "-1,520 jobs", "context": "Unadjusted, year-over-year through Sept. 2026"}, {"label": "Oregon software dev postings", "value": "-26.9%", "context": "Q1 2026 vs. prior year, per state data"}, {"label": "Systems Admin pay gap", "value": "$72,707 vs $102,503", "context": "Bend median vs. national median, gap widening"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Network Engineer pay is pulling away from the national rate.", "body": "Metro median hit $112,338 with significant upward movement versus a moderate national gain to $115,757, closing most of the historical gap. Organizations planning infrastructure buildout should expect Bend network talent to price closer to national levels than in prior cycles."}, {"headline": "Systems Administrator pay is diverging sharply from the national trend.", "body": "Local median fell to $72,707 while the national figure rose to $102,503 with moderate gain, a widening gap of roughly $30,000. This may reflect local oversupply or commoditization of generalist admin work, making it a candidate for consolidation or managed-service coverage ahead of new local hires."}, {"headline": "Software Engineer compensation is cooling fast in Bend.", "body": "Metro median dropped significantly to $158,247 even as the national median held stable at $154,403, consistent with Oregon's 26.9% statewide decline in developer postings. Smaller Bend employers may find this a window to compete for engineering talent they couldn't previously afford, though it also signals thinning local demand for in-house development teams."}, {"headline": "Cybersecurity and IT Project Manager pay are both climbing \u2014 a budget-planning signal.", "body": "Cybersecurity Analyst median rose to $110,510 and IT Project Manager to $121,149, both with moderate upward movement and both outpacing several other IT roles locally. Consistent with national data showing 87% of tech leaders paying premiums for specialized skills, these increases suggest security and delivery-management capacity remain priorities even as broader IT hiring softens."}], "local_conditions": "Bend MSA unemployment eased to 4.8% in September from 4.9% in August, yet Deschutes County shed 1,520 nonfarm jobs on an unadjusted basis over the year, pointing to a labor market stabilizing in aggregate while contracting in specific segments. Statewide, IT job postings remain soft \u2014 Oregon postings down 10.4% year-over-year with software developer postings off 26.9% in Q1 \u2014 even as Bend's posted salaries grew 4.0% year-over-year against a statewide decline, suggesting local pay is firming as supply tightens despite weak headline demand.", "implications": "Local Network Engineer pay climbed to a $112,338 median with significant upward movement, outpacing the national figure of $115,757's moderate gain, while Systems Administrator pay fell to $72,707 locally against a rising $102,503 national median \u2014 a split that signals infrastructure and network roles are commanding scarcity premiums in Bend even as generalist admin work softens. Software Engineer pay dropped significantly to $158,247 locally while holding stable nationally at $154,403, consistent with Oregon's broader 26.9% decline in developer postings and sharpening the build-vs-buy calculus for any Bend employer weighing in-house development against contracted or offshore capacity. Consider reviewing network and security role compensation against current advertised rates before the next hiring cycle, since these are the roles showing the clearest local scarcity signal.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Worth watching", "body": "PacificSource's fourth round of layoffs since September 2025 will cut 134 workers across Bend, Springfield, Salem and Portland by December 31. Watch whether any IT, systems or support staff from that cut surface in the local candidate pool, potentially easing pressure on infrastructure hiring."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "Oregon ranks last among states for IT salaries while national tech layoffs have already exceeded all of 2025 (133,417 through October 21). Bend employers competing for scarce network and security talent should expect continued wage pressure in those specific roles even as broader tech layoffs expand the national talent pool."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "Amazon's Hermiston-Pendleton data center buildout is driving 32% year-over-year growth in infrastructure-related postings elsewhere in the state. Monitor whether this regional pull draws Bend-based infrastructure and network talent eastward, tightening local supply further."}, {"category": "Early indicator", "body": "October's Oregon employment report, due November 18, will show whether the state's negative spring employment turn has stabilized or deepened. A weaker print would strengthen the case for deferring software development headcount and favoring contracted or managed capacity."}], "roles": [{"role": "Data Scientist", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 94886.0, "metro_p50": 135646.2, "metro_p75": 156430.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 145881.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Systems Administrator", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 64480.0, "metro_p50": 72707.2, "metro_p75": 78539.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 102503.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Network Engineer", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 81000.0, "metro_p50": 112338.0, "metro_p75": 124842.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 115757.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 119622.0, "metro_p50": 158247.0, "metro_p75": 170000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 154403.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Help Desk/IT Support Specialist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 49008.0, "metro_p50": 56712.6, "metro_p75": 62660.0, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 53129.0, "national_trend_direction": "down", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Cybersecurity Analyst", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 88118.0, "metro_p50": 110510.0, "metro_p75": 130083.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 107327.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "IT Project Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 103140.0, "metro_p50": 121149.0, "metro_p75": 130000.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 118149.8, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}], "industry_snapshot": [], "citations": [], "methodology": "Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay.", "edition_label": "November 2026", "files": {"html": "bend-or-msa/information-technology/2026-10.html", "pdf": "bend-or-msa/information-technology/2026-10.pdf"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:18:41.155178+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/bend-or-msa/information-technology/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/bend-or-msa/information-technology/2026-10.pdf"}