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Best states for Computer and Information Systems Managers in 2026: cost-of-living adjusted ranking
$182,802
Computer and Information Systems Managers earn $182,802 nationally. After cost-of-living adjustment, Texas and Georgia outrank California in 2026.
The national median for Computer and Information Systems Managers is $182,802. After adjusting for cost of living, the states you might assume are the best — California, New York, Washington — often fall behind Virginia, Texas, and Colorado. This ranking shows exactly where the dollars stretch furthest.
TL;DR
- National median annual wage: $182,802 (BLS OES, May 2025)
- COL-adjusted, Virginia, Texas, and Colorado rank above California and New York
- The occupation is projected to grow 15.2% through 2034, classified as "much faster than average"
- Use this ranking to frame your next relocation or promotion conversation
- Start with the state table in section 4, then run your specific metro through our cost-of-living adjustment calculator
The Number (With Source)
Computer and Information Systems Managers earned a national median annual wage of $182,802 in May 2025 (BLS OES, SOC 11-3021, retrieved 2026-05-22).
The mean annual wage for the same period was $192,167, pulled above the median by high earners concentrated in tech-dense metros. Total national employment for the occupation stands at 670,540.
We use the median throughout this article. The mean appears here once for reference. All state-level wage figures cited in section 4 derive from the same BLS OES May 2025 release.
What the Number Does Not Say
BLS OES reports the median across all employers in a state, public and private, large and small. It does not separate a CISO at a Fortune 500 firm from an IT manager at a regional hospital.
The national figure also masks sharp geographic variation. A $182,802 median in Mississippi buys more than the same figure in San Jose, and the BLS number alone does not tell you that.
BLS suppresses state-level estimates when the sample size is too small to produce a reliable figure. Where a state median is suppressed in the source data, we note that explicitly and do not substitute the mean.
The number you need is the COL-adjusted wage, not the nominal wage.
The Decision Frame: COL-Adjusted State Ranking
How We Built the Adjustment
We applied the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (BEA RPP, 2023, the most recent available year) to BLS OES May 2025 state-level median wages. The formula is straightforward:
COL-adjusted wage = (Nominal state median / State RPP) × 100
A state with an RPP of 110 (10% more expensive than the national average) sees its wages deflated. A state with an RPP of 90 sees them inflated. The result is a purchasing-power-equivalent salary you can compare across state lines.
We included only states where BLS OES reports a non-suppressed median for SOC 11-3021. States with suppressed medians are listed separately at the end of this section.
The Ranking Table
The table below shows nominal median wage, BEA RPP index, and COL-adjusted equivalent. States are sorted by COL-adjusted wage, highest first.
| State | Nominal Median | BEA RPP | COL-Adjusted Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | $198,400 | 103.2 | $192,248 |
| Texas | $189,760 | 95.4 | $198,909 |
| Colorado | $194,200 | 101.6 | $191,141 |
| Washington | $210,300 | 108.5 | $193,825 |
| Georgia | $183,500 | 93.8 | $195,628 |
| North Carolina | $179,800 | 94.1 | $191,073 |
| Arizona | $182,600 | 97.2 | $187,860 |
| California | $228,000 | 118.9 | $191,756 |
| New York | $212,500 | 117.2 | $181,314 |
| Illinois | $190,400 | 102.5 | $185,756 |
| Massachusetts | $207,300 | 113.4 | $182,804 |
| Florida | $176,200 | 99.6 | $176,908 |
| Ohio | $168,900 | 91.3 | $184,994 |
| Michigan | $164,200 | 92.7 | $177,130 |
| Pennsylvania | $172,800 | 98.1 | $176,147 |
Note: State-level nominal medians are drawn from BLS OES May 2025 state estimates. BEA RPP figures are 2023 (most recent available). COL-adjusted figures are RateOrchard calculations; they are not published by BLS or BEA.
Reading the Results
Three findings jump out.
Texas ranks first on a COL-adjusted basis. A nominal median of $189,760 in a state with an RPP of 95.4 translates to a purchasing-power equivalent of $198,909. There is no state income tax, which extends the gap further (state income tax is not captured in RPP).
Georgia is the sleeper. A nominal median of $183,500 in a low-cost state (RPP 93.8) produces a COL-adjusted figure of $195,628, ranking it second. Atlanta's tech sector has grown without the coastal housing premium.
California's headline number is real but the purchasing power is not exceptional. A nominal median of $228,000 looks dominant. After the RPP adjustment of 118.9, the effective purchasing power drops to $191,756, placing California fifth in this ranking.
California's $228,000 nominal median and Texas's $189,760 nominal median are only $7,000 apart in real purchasing power after cost-of-living adjustment.
New York ranks lowest among major tech states. The RPP of 117.2 pulls a nominal median of $212,500 down to $181,314 in adjusted terms, just below the national figure.
What RPP Does Not Capture
The BEA RPP is a statewide average. It does not reflect intra-state variation. San Francisco's cost of living is sharply higher than Sacramento's; both are in the same RPP bucket. Treat the table as a starting framework, not a precise answer for a specific metro.
Three additional factors that RPP does not capture:
- State income tax. Texas and Florida have none. California tops out at 13.3%. Washington has no income tax but does levy a capital gains tax.
- Remote work eligibility. A Texas-resident manager working remotely for a California employer often earns California wages at Texas costs.
- Tech labor density. States with thinner IT management markets can see faster salary growth as the talent pool tightens, but they also carry more employment concentration risk.
For a full salary profile by state, see our Computer and Information Systems Managers salary page.
Where the Occupation Is Heading
The BLS projects employment for Computer and Information Systems Managers to grow 15.2% between 2024 and 2034, from 667,000 to 769,000 positions (BLS Employment Projections, retrieved 2026-05-22). The category is "much faster than average."
That growth is not uniform across states. States with active public-sector IT modernization programs (Virginia's federal contractor corridor, Texas's state agency consolidation) are generating demand outside the typical private tech sector pattern.
O*NET classifies this role as Bright Outlook, meaning labor market indicators support above-average demand over the near-term projection window (O*NET 11-3021.00).
The trajectory favors managers who can relocate to COL-efficient states now, before compensation compresses as remote work widens the candidate pool.
Suppressed States
The following states returned suppressed BLS OES medians for SOC 11-3021 in the May 2025 release. We do not estimate wages for these states.
- Alaska
- Montana
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Vermont
- Wyoming
If you work in one of these states, use the national median of $182,802 as a baseline and apply your state's BEA RPP manually.
Putting a Number in a Negotiation
If you are using this data in a salary review or a relocation package discussion, here is the sequence we recommend:
- Pull the BLS OES state-level median for your target state from the BLS OES occupation page.
- Look up your state's BEA RPP at the Bureau of Economic Analysis regional data portal.
- Run the COL-adjusted equivalent through our cost-of-living adjustment calculator.
- Document the BLS source date and the BEA RPP year. Employers push back on crowdsourced figures; they cannot dispute a federal dataset.
- Anchor to the COL-adjusted figure, not the nominal median of the city where the company is headquartered.
If your employer is headquartered in California and you are being offered a Texas-equivalent role, the data in this article supports asking for a wage closer to the California nominal median, because that is the talent market your employer is drawing from.
For a deeper walkthrough of the career path that leads to this role, see how to become a Computer and Information Systems Manager.
Sources and Methodology
| Source | Observation Date | What We Used |
|---|---|---|
| BLS OES SOC 11-3021 | May 2025 | National and state-level median and mean annual wages; total employment |
| BLS Employment Projections | 2024-2034 cycle | Growth rate (15.2%), base and projected employment |
| O*NET 11-3021.00 | 2026 | Bright Outlook classification, education and experience requirements |
| BEA Regional Price Parities | 2023 (most recent) | State-level RPP index used to deflate nominal wages |
We divided each state's BLS OES May 2025 median by its BEA RPP index and multiplied by 100 to produce the COL-adjusted median. This methodology is consistent with standard purchasing-power comparisons in labor economics literature. The adjusted figures are RateOrchard calculations and are not published by any federal agency.
FAQ
What is the median salary for Computer and Information Systems Managers in the US?
The national median annual wage is $182,802 as of May 2025, per BLS OES data for SOC 11-3021. The mean is higher at $192,167, pulled up by top earners in high-cost tech metros. For salary negotiation, the median is the more defensible reference point. State-level figures vary from roughly $164,000 in lower-wage states to over $228,000 in California.
Which state pays the highest salary for IT managers after cost of living?
On a cost-of-living adjusted basis, Texas ranks first among major states with an effective purchasing power equivalent of approximately $198,909, compared to a nominal median of $189,760. Georgia ranks second at roughly $195,628 adjusted. California's nominal lead of $228,000 falls to about $191,756 after adjustment for its higher price level.
Is Computer and Information Systems Manager a good career in 2026?
The BLS projects 15.2% employment growth between 2024 and 2034, placing this occupation in the "much faster than average" category. National employment is expected to expand from 667,000 to 769,000 roles. O*NET carries a Bright Outlook designation for the occupation. The combination of high median pay and above-average growth makes it one of the stronger management tracks in the technology sector.
Does Texas really pay IT managers as well as California?
In nominal terms, California's median of $228,000 exceeds Texas's $189,760 by roughly $38,000. After applying BEA Regional Price Parities, that gap narrows to about $7,000 in real purchasing power. Add Texas's lack of state income tax, and some profiles come out ahead in Texas depending on total compensation structure and specific metro area.
How is the BEA Regional Price Parity different from a cost-of-living index?
BEA RPP is a federal statistical measure published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. It captures the relative price of goods and services across states using a consistent national methodology. Consumer-facing cost-of-living indexes (like NerdWallet's or CNN Money's) use different basket weights and update on different cycles. For a wage comparison grounded in federal data, RPP is the more defensible input.
What education and experience are required for this role?
O*NET classifies the role at Job Zone 5. The typical entry point requires a bachelor's degree and 5 or more years of related experience. On-the-job training is not a standard entry path. In practice, many employers expect a master's degree or a combination of experience and relevant certifications for senior-level positions.