D.C. ranks third for highest technology salaries

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Technology professionals in the Washington area earn less than their peers only in Silicon Valley and Boston, according to a new survey.

Area tech salaries averaged $81,750 per year, a 2.3 percent increase from 2006.

The highest average salary was in Silicon Valley at $93,876. The survey was done by Dice.com, a career Web site for technology workers.

“We look forward to moving into first place over the next several years,” Bobbie Kilberg, executive director of the Northern Virginia Technology Council, said Tuesday.

The region’s average was significantly above the national average, which was $74,570. Silicon Valley led the country in 2006 and 2005 as well.

The Washington area’s salaries tend to be high because of the diverse set of employers hiring in the tech field, and because of the specific industries based here, according to Paul Villella, chief executive officer of the Reston recruitment firm HireStrategy.

“Companies tend to be in highly specialized skill areas, which are at the upper end of the salary rankings,” Villella said.

The area also has developed a large pool of qualified candidates that employers tend to flock to, Villella said.

Washington also tends to employ many more experienced workers rather than tech employees just starting their careers, compared with other areas, he said.

Nationally, information-technology managers received the biggest salary increases, and the industries of computer software and government and defense grew faster than average.

melissa.frederick@dcexaminer.com

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