9 IT skills where expertise pays the most

Tech companies still hold a competitive edge when it comes to salaries, despite mass layoffs across the industry in recent years. Despite reductions in staff, there are tech skills that continue to demand a premium salary, driving industry competition to hire talent with the right skills.

The average annual salary for tech professionals inside the tech industry is $114,861, while those outside it earn about $108,674, according to the Dice 2025 Tech Salary Report. For salaries within the tech industry, that’s a 2.2% growth year over year, while tech salaries in outside industries have seen a slight decline of .5% year over year.

However, expertise in these particular nine skills is likely to earn you a pay bump across any industry, as technology has become vital for typical business operations. Dice compared salary data from those who identified as experts in these skillsets to those who reported using the skills regularly, uncovering a premium for expert-level tech professionals with these skillsets. Read on to find out how such expertise can make you stand out in any industry.