{"schema_version": 1, "id": "fairbanks-ak-msa/information-technology/2026-10", "product": "Labor Market Pulse", "metro": {"geography_id": 162, "label": "Fairbanks, AK MSA", "slug": "fairbanks-ak-msa"}, "focus_area": {"key": "information_technology", "slug": "information-technology", "label": "Information Technology"}, "period": "2026-10", "public_after": "2026-10-01", "frozen_at": "2026-11-03T03:09:24.229462+00:00", "headline": "Fairbanks IT pay splits: security surges, support stalls.", "headline_summary": "Fairbanks Cybersecurity Analyst pay climbed significantly to $94,375 while Help Desk pay fell to $48,417, even as metro unemployment tightened to 3.5% from 5.0% in January.", "key_indicators": [{"label": "Fairbanks unemployment rate", "value": "3.5%", "context": "Down from 5.0% in January 2026"}, {"label": "Cybersecurity Analyst advertised pay", "value": "$94,375", "context": "Up significantly, metro vs. $107,327 national"}, {"label": "Help Desk/IT Support advertised pay", "value": "$48,417", "context": "Down significantly, metro vs. $53,129 national"}, {"label": "Alaska cybersecurity talent supply ratio", "value": "67%", "context": "vs. 96% in Washington state"}], "takeaways": [{"headline": "Cybersecurity pay is climbing faster than the rest of the stack.", "body": "Metro Cybersecurity Analyst pay rose significantly to $94,375, outpacing Systems Administrator and Help Desk movement and tracking the statewide 28% annual growth rate in cybersecurity job listings. Fort Wainwright's expansion and federal-adjacent work likely sustain this demand, making security headcount a priority line item even as other IT roles hold flat."}, {"headline": "Support and admin roles are quietly falling behind the national market.", "body": "Systems Administrator pay in Fairbanks ($93,706) sits roughly $8,800 below the national median and Help Desk pay dropped significantly to $48,417, a gap that widens retention risk as remote employers recruit Alaska-based talent at Lower 48 rates plus location incentives. Current conditions suggest these roles are increasingly vulnerable to poaching, so local pay should be reviewed against remote competition and updated from historical local norms."}, {"headline": "Software Engineer pay surged locally while the national figure held flat.", "body": "Metro Software Engineer pay rose significantly to $125,147, a notable local movement against a stable national median of $154,403 \u2014 a sign Fairbanks employers are bidding up scarce engineering talent even as the gap to national pay remains wide. This may reflect a small number of high-stakes hires, worth confirming before adjusting pay bands metro-wide."}, {"headline": "Fort Wainwright's expansion signals rising hiring demand that local supply may struggle to meet.", "body": "An additional combat brigade could bring 300-500 soldiers and associated civilian and contractor demand, but Alaska's constrained labor force and immigration-driven supply reductions mean this demand may not be met locally. IT leaders supporting military-adjacent contracts should plan for extended time-to-fill and consider remote or hybrid sourcing for roles that do not require a security clearance on-site presence."}], "local_conditions": "Fairbanks' unemployment rate tightened to 3.5% in September, down from 5.0% in January, as Fort Wainwright's anticipated combat brigade expansion (300-500 soldiers) and steady University of Alaska Fairbanks enrollment sustain labor demand against a backdrop of near-flat borough job growth (under 1% projected for 2026).  Federal immigration policy shifts have constrained Alaska's labor pool statewide, compounding a structural shortage of high-level technical talent that already forces Fairbanks employers to compete for a thin bench of IT and security professionals.", "implications": "Tightening local unemployment alongside a persistent technical-talent shortage means Fairbanks IT leaders are competing for the same small pool of qualified candidates as remote employers offering Lower 48 wages plus Alaska premiums \u2014 local advertised pay for Cybersecurity Analyst ($94,375) and Network Engineer ($100,066) is rising while Systems Administrator and Help Desk pay lag national medians, suggesting infrastructure and support functions are losing ground in competitiveness. Build-vs-buy calculus shifts toward managed services and remote-hybrid staffing for routine infrastructure and support roles, reserving costly local hires for positions requiring on-site presence or security clearance tied to military and federal work. Consider evaluating which infrastructure and support functions can shift to remote-hybrid or outsourced delivery models before the next hiring cycle.", "looking_ahead": [{"category": "Worth watching", "body": "Fort Wainwright's brigade expansion timeline will clarify civilian and contractor IT demand tied to base support functions over the next two months. Watch for RFPs or contractor postings signaling near-term headcount needs in infrastructure and network roles."}, {"category": "Emerging pressure point", "body": "Statewide cybersecurity talent supply sits at a 67% fill ratio versus Washington's 96%, and Fairbanks' smaller labor pool likely faces a wider gap. Expect continued upward pressure on Cybersecurity Analyst and Network Engineer advertised pay as this shortage persists."}, {"category": "Early indicator", "body": "Help Desk and Systems Administrator pay softness against national medians may accelerate turnover toward remote employers offering Alaska location incentives. Track exit interview data and counteroffer activity for early signs of an accelerating gap."}, {"category": "Potential inflection point", "body": "Federal government employment in Alaska remains below year-ago levels even as private-sector hiring grows, a divergence that could affect IT contractor availability tied to federal and military work in the Fairbanks area. Monitor whether released federal or contractor talent enters the local candidate pool."}], "roles": [{"role": "Data Scientist", "data_scope": "state_rollup", "metro_p25": 121026.0, "metro_p50": 152397.6, "metro_p75": 164187.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 145881.0, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}, {"role": "Systems Administrator", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 80771.0, "metro_p50": 93705.6, "metro_p75": 99757.5, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 102503.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Network Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 88607.0, "metro_p50": 100066.0, "metro_p75": 110174.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "metro_trend_magnitude": "moderate", "national_p50": 115757.0, "national_trend_direction": "up", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Software Engineer", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 106922.0, "metro_p50": 125147.2, "metro_p75": 132229.0, "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": 45695.5, "metro_p50": 48417.0, "metro_p75": 54335.0, "metro_trend_direction": "down", "metro_trend_magnitude": "significant", "national_p50": 53129.0, "national_trend_direction": "down", "national_trend_magnitude": "moderate"}, {"role": "Cybersecurity Analyst", "data_scope": "metro", "metro_p25": 87368.0, "metro_p50": 94375.0, "metro_p75": 123273.0, "metro_trend_direction": "up", "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": 80119.0, "metro_p50": 112180.8, "metro_p75": 125888.75, "metro_trend_direction": "stable", "metro_trend_magnitude": "stable", "national_p50": 118149.8, "national_trend_direction": "stable", "national_trend_magnitude": "stable"}], "industry_snapshot": [], "citations": [{"source_name": "Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development", "source_url": null, "statement": "Fairbanks unemployment rate was 3.5% in September 2026, down from 5.0% in January"}, {"source_name": "Fairbanks News-Miner", "source_url": null, "statement": "Fort Wainwright expecting additional combat brigade bringing 300-500 soldiers"}, {"source_name": "Alaska IT labor market research", "source_url": null, "statement": "Acute shortage of high-level technical talent in Alaska driving compensation pressure"}, {"source_name": "Anchorage cybersecurity market analysis", "source_url": null, "statement": "Alaska cybersecurity job listings up 35%, 28% annual growth rate through 2026"}, {"source_name": "Alaska IT labor market research", "source_url": null, "statement": "Alaska cybersecurity talent supply ratio of 67% vs Washington's 96%"}, {"source_name": "Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development", "source_url": null, "statement": "Alaska federal government employment remains below year-ago levels"}], "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": "fairbanks-ak-msa/information-technology/2026-10.html", "pdf": "fairbanks-ak-msa/information-technology/2026-10.pdf"}, "published_at": "2026-11-03T08:21:38.718369+00:00", "report_html_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/fairbanks-ak-msa/information-technology/2026-10.html", "report_pdf_url": "https://reports.wagescape.com/archive/v1/editions/fairbanks-ak-msa/information-technology/2026-10.pdf"}