2026 Los Angeles Tech Salary Guide

Explore projected salaries for Los Angeles tech workers in 2026 with the Tech Salary Guide from Motion Recruitment, featuring data on over 100 positions and insights into workplace & industry trends impacting the LA tech world.

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2026 IT Salaries and Market Insights for LA

Motion’s Los Angeles 2026 IT Salary Guide provides the information necessary for your tech job search or hiring plans.

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Map Out Your 2026 Strategy for the Los Angeles Tech Hiring Market

with Expert Insights & Salary Data

Contributing nearly $100 billion, the tech industry is one of the most valuable parts of the Los Angeles economy. Because of this, top-tier tech workers remain in high demand in the City of Angels.
 
However, there is uncertainty in the market, as Agentic AI appears to be evolving how work gets done in IT, fraudulent job postings and candidates are making it more difficult than ever to match the right person with a role, which could explain why so many tech workers are “boomeranging” back to places they previously worked.
 
How does all of this impact your tech goals in 2026? Motion Recruitment Los Angeles Tech Salary guide goes in-depth on the latest trends impacting the tech industry, along with salary data from all of the top roles in IT.

212,000

LA tech workers

There are approximately 212,000 core tech workers currently employed in Los Angeles, with a projected .8% growth rate.

$161K

average salary for Los Angeles IT workers

The average base level compensation for all Los Angeles tech workers is $161,449.

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Emerging Tech in Los Angeles: Agentic AI and the Lack of Upskilling

Los Angeles tech industry workers are more concerned about layoffs than those in any other economic sector, as AI advancements are replacing IT jobs. Yet, few LA tech workers are actively working on improving their skills. Over half of tech workers have made little or no effort to upskill in GenAI. Those in Los Angeles seeking IT roles who prioritize developing their AI skills will have a better chance of success in today's competitive market.

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Q: What Advice Would You Give Los Angeles Tech Job Seekers and Hiring Managers in 2026?

From Scott Brosnan, Executive Director of California Offices, Motion Recruitment:

“Job seekers should merge creativity with technical depth as AI adoption grows in the LA tech market. Hiring managers must modernize their systems and invest in culture to attract talent, despite cautious hiring practices. With fraudulent job postings and resumes on the rise, having credibility in the market through networking can give you an advantage over other job seekers or companies."

What will I find in Motion's IT Salary Guide?

What tech job data and trends are covered in the guide?
  • The state of tech employment in 2026, with the impact of layoffs, economic conditions, IT job creation and the tech talent shortage.

  • The continuing impact of artificial intelligence on the job market, including a spike in data center construction, the need for upskilling in the tech industry and how AI is evolving the wearables market.

  • Tech hiring and workplace trends, including tech workers heading back to the office and IT workers boomeranging back to previous employers.

  • Advice from market experts on what you can do to succeed in 2026.
What valuable insights into IT salary data can I discover?
  • You will find starting salaries for mid and senior level ranges for over 100 specific job titles across technology areas. There are also city-specific variances included, which you can use to measure the regional salary ranges per tech job.
 
  • You will see IT salaries for top roles from the most in-demand technology areas: Software, Data & AI, Security, Infrastructure & DevOps, Mobile, Functional, Product & UX and Executive.

Previous Salary Guides

Tech Hiring Market
Midyear Update 2025

Tech Salary Guide
North America 2025

Tech Hiring Market
Midyear Update 2024

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good IT Salary in Los Angeles?

Determining a good IT salary in Los Angeles requires considering the specific role and experience level due to the region's competitive and evolving landscape. Los Angeles offers a broad range of salaries reflecting its strong presence in technology, entertainment, and digital transformation sectors.

For mid-level IT professionals, salaries can vary considerably. For example, a mid-level DevOps Engineer in Los Angeles earns between approximately $144,000 and $178,000 annually, while a Systems Engineer at mid-level ranges from about $113,000 to $138,000. Support Engineers at the mid-level see salaries between $78,000 and $100,000, highlighting how job function impacts pay.

Senior level roles command higher salaries, with notable figures such as Systems Architects earning between $181,000 and $201,000, and Infrastructure and Security Architects ranging from around $176,000 to $209,000. Senior DevOps Engineers can expect earnings roughly between $158,000 and $197,000, reflecting the expanding viability and critical impact of these roles on business scalability and security.

Overall, a good IT salary in Los Angeles generally aligns with these figures, depending on experience, specialization, and employer sector. Staying attuned to these benchmarks is critical for evaluating compensation and career growth within this competitive market. This data centers on diverse roles, showing the breadth of the IT salary Los Angeles profile across the workforce.

What IT job has the highest salary in Los Angeles?

The highest IT salary in Los Angeles in 2026 is notably found in senior level architecture roles, particularly senior .Net Architects. These positions command salaries ranging from $165,187 up to $240,552 annually, representing the upper echelon of IT compensation in this region.

Senior Cloud Architects also secure a significant salary range, earning between $169,168 and $203,732. Infrastructure and Security Architects earn close to this level, with senior salaries from $175,870 to $208,510, reflecting the critical importance of cloud scalability and cybersecurity in the evolving landscape.

Additionally, senior Cloud Engineers and Cybersecurity Architects are also among the top earners, with salary ranges reaching $213,595 and $199,485, respectively. These roles demonstrate the significant impact of digital transformation initiatives and the need for advanced security architectures.

This data underscores how specialization in architecture and security roles correlates strongly with the highest it salary Los Angeles offers in 2026, driven by the increasing complexity of IT infrastructure and enterprise demands for robust, scalable solutions.

Have IT salaries increased in Los Angeles in 2026?

The IT salary Los Angeles trends for 2026 show a general increase across multiple IT roles compared to previous years. For instance, mid-level Systems Analysts can expect a salary range between $90,244 and $118,195, while senior level professionals in the same role range from $114,602 to $138,645.

Similarly, senior Systems Engineers earn between $128,730 and $164,523 annually. Cloud Engineers, a role critical to digital transformation efforts, show a widening salary scale with senior positions ranging from $155,300 to $213,595.

In fact, these upward salary adjustments highlight the expanding viability of IT careers in Los Angeles, driven by demand for specialized skills in cloud infrastructure, data engineering, and cybersecurity. Software Developers and Data Engineers also reflect this trend, with salaries for senior roles reaching as high as $173,585 and $209,458, respectively.

While these increments vary by role and seniority, the consistent IT salary growth in Los Angeles underlines how companies are investing to stay attuned to the evolving landscape of technology and competitive talent acquisition.