{"schema_version": 1, "id": "cape-coral-fort-myers-fl-msa/information-technology/2026-10", "product": "Labor Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 123, "label": "Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL MSA", "slug": "cape-coral-fort-myers-fl-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "information_technology", "slug": "information-technology", "label": "Information Technology"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T03:01:54.086419+00:00", "headline": "Cape Coral IT pay splits sharply between infrastructure and security roles.", "headline_summary": "Metro Network Engineer pay rose significantly to $102,000 while Cybersecurity Analyst pay fell to $68,165 \u2014 36% below the national median of $107,327.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Lee County unemployment rate", "value": "4.6%", "context": "Sept 2026, down from 5.2% in Aug but above 4.2% US"}, {"label": "Cybersecurity Analyst pay gap", "value": "-36%", "context": "Metro $68,165 vs national $107,327 median"}, {"label": "Florida information security analyst jobs", "value": "13,770", "context": "4th-highest state total, $117,000 median pay"}, {"label": "Metro monthly job growth", "value": "667 jobs/month", "context": "2026 avg, 6th-highest growth metro nationally"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Cybersecurity pay is falling locally while national demand rises.", "body": "Metro Cybersecurity Analyst advertised pay dropped significantly to $68,165, roughly 36% below the $107,327 national median, even as Florida's 13,770 information security analyst positions rank fourth-highest nationally. Gap this wide suggests local employers may be underpricing a role with scarce specialized supply, increasing exposure to remote-work poaching from better-paying metros."}, {"headline": "Systems Administrator compensation is eroding even as national rates climb.", "body": "Metro Systems Administrator pay fell significantly to $79,483 while the national median rose moderately to $102,503 \u2014 a divergence of roughly 22%. Current conditions suggest employers treating infrastructure support as commoditized just as national data shows the opposite, a mismatch worth testing against actual time-to-fill on open requisitions."}, {"headline": "Network Engineer and Software Engineer pay gains mark where real competition sits.", "body": "Both roles posted significant local pay increases, with Software Engineer advertised pay ($127,500) now outpacing its national median ($154,403) by a narrower margin than typical for this metro. Rising local competition for these roles is consistent with the national data-center and infrastructure buildout trend, which filled three of the top five national hiring sectors this quarter."}, {"headline": "Statewide AI talent scarcity raises the cost of in-house build strategies.", "body": "Florida ranks 35th nationally in AI readiness with only 11.3% of businesses using AI tools, pushing employers to recruit outside the state for specialized skills. Mid-market IT operations in this metro may find fractional or outsourced AI/ML expertise more economical than competing for talent against better-funded tech hubs."}], "local_conditions": "Lee County's unemployment rate improved to 4.6% in September, the fourth straight monthly decline, but remains above both the national 4.2% and Florida's historical advantage over U.S. averages, and sits 0.5 points above year-ago levels when measured through August. Softening information-sector employment statewide (-3,600 jobs year-over-year) combines with a metro economy still adding jobs month-over-month (averaging 667/month in 2026) to produce a labor market that looks tighter in headline terms than its underlying trend suggests.", "implications": "Divergent local pay signals \u2014 Network Engineer and Software Engineer rates up significantly while Systems Administrator and Cybersecurity Analyst rates fall sharply \u2014 appear to reflect a market re-pricing core infrastructure and security roles downward even as demand concentrates on roles tied to network modernization and application development. That split complicates headcount planning: organizations may be underpricing security talent relative to the 29% national growth outlook for information security analysts and the $117,000 median Florida commands for the role, risking quiet attrition into remote or out-of-state opportunities. Consider reviewing cybersecurity and systems administration pay positioning against national trend lines, since local softness may reflect mispriced postings even where demand holds steady.\n\n", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Worth watching", "body": "Lee County unemployment has improved for four straight months but remains elevated versus a year ago through August (5.2% vs 4.7%). Watch whether the September improvement holds through year-end or reflects seasonal noise tied to tourism and construction cycles."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "National tech layoffs have already surpassed 133,000 workers year-to-date through late October, concentrated in large tech-hub employers. Monitor whether any of that displaced talent, particularly in cloud and security specializations, begins appearing in regional candidate pools."}, {"category": "Early indicator", "body": "The widening gap between local and national Cybersecurity Analyst pay may trigger retention tests over the next two months as remote-first employers continue recruiting nationally. Watch exit interview data and counteroffer activity in security and infrastructure teams specifically."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "Florida's statewide information-sector job losses (-3,600 year-over-year) contrast with metro-level infrastructure hiring signals tied to data center buildout nationally. Confirmation of local data center or colocation investment announcements would support sustained Network Engineer demand as a lasting trend."}], "roles": [{"role": "Data Scientist", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 106401.0, "metro_p50": 113414.6, "metro_p75": 118046.0, "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": 60000.0, "metro_p50": 79483.0, "metro_p75": 82058.75, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 102503.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Network Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 81744.5, "metro_p50": 102000.0, "metro_p75": 114507.5, "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": 78826.0, "metro_p50": 127500.0, "metro_p75": 143593.25, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "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": 41133.25, "metro_p50": 48524.4, "metro_p75": 53446.25, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 53129.0, "national_trend_direction": "down", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Cybersecurity Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 62926.75, "metro_p50": 68165.0, "metro_p75": 78894.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 107327.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "IT Project Manager", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 90470.5, "metro_p50": 118454.0, "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": [{"source_name": "Florida Gulf Coast University Regional Economic Research Institute", "source_url": null, "statement": "Lee County unemployment rate and monthly trend"}, {"source_name": "Florida Department of Commerce", "source_url": null, "statement": "Florida information-sector job losses year-over-year"}, {"source_name": "Bureau of Labor Statistics", "source_url": null, "statement": "Florida information security analyst job count and median pay"}, {"source_name": "State AI readiness assessment", "source_url": null, "statement": "Florida AI readiness ranking and business AI adoption rate"}, {"source_name": "Layoffs tracking aggregator", "source_url": null, "statement": "National tech layoffs exceeding 133,000 through October 2026"}, {"source_name": "Bureau of Labor Statistics", "source_url": null, "statement": "Cape Coral metro average monthly job growth ranking"}], "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": "cape-coral-fort-myers-fl-msa/information-technology/2026-10.html", "pdf": "cape-coral-fort-myers-fl-msa/information-technology/2026-10.pdf"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:19:28.885741+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/cape-coral-fort-myers-fl-msa/information-technology/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/cape-coral-fort-myers-fl-msa/information-technology/2026-10.pdf"}