Short version: Computer User Support Specialists (BLS 15-1232, roughly 850,000 people) earn between $19 and $37 an hour nationally, with a mean near $28 an hour and mean annual wage around $57,900. Tier 1 help desk starts $19–$23; Tier 2 and desktop $26–$34; senior support, support leads, and sysadmin-adjacent roles $32–$45. Certifications, tech-company employers, cloud crossover, and clearance work push you up the band. MSPs, high-volume call-center support, and no-cert entry anchor the bottom.
National mean hourly$27.90BLS OES 2025
Typical range$19–$3710th–90th percentile
Mean annual$57,900Full-time equivalent
Tier 1 → Tier 2 jump+$5–$9/hrCommon promotion
On this page
The national pay band
The BLS tracks Computer User Support Specialists under occupation code 15-1232 — the ~850,000 people who answer tickets, walk users through fixes, image and deploy laptops, run identity provisioning, and escalate to sysadmin, network, or cloud engineering when a problem exceeds their runbook. The category covers a wide field: Tier 1 phone and chat agents at MSPs, Tier 2 remote escalation engineers at enterprise IT, desktop-support technicians walking a corporate campus, biotech IT specialists imaging Macs, university helpdesk staff, hospital application-support specialists, and government-contractor support roles requiring clearances.
The wage bands: 10th percentile around $19.10/hr, common for first-year Tier 1 agents at MSPs and BPOs. 25th percentile around $22.40/hr. Median at $27.90/hr, or roughly $58,000 annually. 75th percentile at $33.90/hr — Tier 2 escalation engineers and desktop leads. 90th percentile at $41.20/hr — senior support engineers, cleared government-contractor roles, and support leads at high-paying tech companies. The gap between the 25th and 75th percentile is $11.50/hr — roughly $24,000 a year at full-time hours — which is why certifications and employer type matter more here than in almost any other career-family under $75K.
Pay by state
| State | Mean hourly | Mean annual (FTE) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $36.40 | $75,700 | Seattle metro + Microsoft/Amazon ecosystem; strong biotech IT |
| California | $35.20 | $73,200 | Bay Area at top; SoCal mid; Central Valley much lower |
| Massachusetts | $34.10 | $70,900 | Boston biotech, universities, financial services |
| New Jersey | $33.50 | $69,700 | Pharma corridor, NYC-adjacent enterprise IT |
| New York | $32.90 | $68,400 | NYC financial services drive the mean |
| Virginia | $32.40 | $67,400 | Government contractor density in Northern Virginia |
| Maryland | $31.80 | $66,100 | Fed contractor + NIH ecosystem |
| Colorado | $31.20 | $64,900 | Denver metro, aerospace, and telecom |
| Illinois | $29.40 | $61,200 | Chicago financial services + strong healthcare IT |
| Texas | $28.10 | $58,400 | Austin/Dallas high; rest of state lower |
| Florida | $26.80 | $55,700 | Enterprise IT, healthcare, but no tech-hub premium |
| Georgia | $26.60 | $55,300 | Atlanta metro leads |
| North Carolina | $26.20 | $54,500 | Research Triangle premium |
| Ohio | $25.90 | $53,900 | Columbus + Cleveland enterprise IT |
| Tennessee | $24.30 | $50,500 | Nashville + Memphis lead |
| Mississippi | $22.40 | $46,600 | Low cost of living, MSP-heavy market |
Pay by employer type
| Employer type | Typical hourly range | Benefits & extras |
|---|---|---|
| Managed Service Provider (MSP) — SMB clients | $19–$26 | Volume-driven, modest benefits, high turnover |
| MSP — mid-market and enterprise | $24–$32 | Better benefits, structured tier ladder, night differentials |
| Corporate in-house IT (mid-size, non-tech) | $24–$34 | Full benefits, 401k, PTO, clearer promotion path |
| SaaS / tech company support engineer | $30–$45 | Strong benefits, equity RSUs, remote-friendly |
| Biotech / pharma IT specialist | $32–$44 | Excellent benefits, strong compliance culture |
| University helpdesk / IT support | $22–$32 | Tuition remission, pension, generous PTO |
| Hospital / healthcare IT | $24–$34 | Full benefits, pension in many systems, shift differentials |
| Government contractor (cleared, Secret / TS/SCI) | $32–$50+ | Clearance premium; stable and pension-eligible |
| Public-sector direct (federal, state, local) | $25–$38 | Pension, healthcare, job stability; slower promotion |
| Financial services (banks, hedge funds, PE) | $30–$45 | Large bonuses, strong benefits, high pressure |
Pay by tier and role
Tier 1 — help desk / service desk (phone, chat, ticket triage)
Entry rung. First-year agents at MSPs and BPOs typically earn $18 to $22. Corporate in-house Tier 1 sits at $21 to $25. Tenure of 12 to 18 months plus one CompTIA cert usually pushes to the top of that range or into Tier 2.
Tier 2 — escalation / remote support
Handles what Tier 1 escalates: broken imaging, group-policy problems, Okta or Entra issues, hardware RMAs, network configuration questions. Pay usually runs $25 to $34. Tier 2 with cloud crossover (Intune, Jamf Pro admin, Okta workflows) commands the top.
Desktop support / white-glove IT
In-person or hybrid, walking a campus or supporting a specific business unit (finance, legal, execs). Pay ranges $24 to $38, higher at biotech, private equity, and legal environments. Executive/VIP support is often $32 to $45.
Senior support engineer / support lead
Owns runbooks, deflection projects, junior mentorship, and one or two specialty areas (identity, endpoint, network). Pay runs $32 to $45. Named specialization in Okta, Intune, Jamf, or M365 admin adds a premium.
Application support / product support engineer
Support engineers at SaaS companies who work customer-facing rather than employee-facing incidents. Pay runs $35 to $55, often with equity. This is the highest-paying support role for a candidate without a formal engineering degree.
Certifications that pay
| Certification | Issuer | Typical premium | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CompTIA A+ | CompTIA | +$2–$4/hr | Baseline entry cert; MSPs often require |
| CompTIA Network+ | CompTIA | +$3–$5/hr | Unlocks network-support escalation seats |
| CompTIA Security+ | CompTIA | +$4–$6/hr | DoD 8570 baseline; unlocks government contractor roles |
| Microsoft MD-102 Endpoint Administrator | Microsoft | +$3–$5/hr | Intune/M365 endpoint focus; heavy corporate demand |
| Microsoft MS-102 Microsoft 365 Admin | Microsoft | +$3–$5/hr | Identity + workload admin |
| Apple Certified Support Professional | Apple | +$3–$5/hr | Biotech, creative, and Mac-heavy shops |
| Google Workspace Administrator | +$2–$4/hr | Startups, SMB, non-Microsoft shops | |
| ITIL 4 Foundation | Axelos | +$2–$3/hr | Process fluency; often required for lead roles |
| AWS Cloud Practitioner | AWS | +$3–$5/hr | Bridge to sysadmin and cloud engineer |
| Okta Certified Administrator | Okta | +$4–$7/hr | Identity is where support meets platform |
| Jamf Certified Tech | Jamf | +$3–$5/hr | Mac fleet management |
| Security clearance (Secret / TS / TS/SCI) | Federal | +$4–$15/hr | Not a cert per se; the largest single premium in the category |
Know your band before you accept an offer.
Marqee's Salary Analyzer shows exactly where your hourly rate, shift differentials, and total comp sit for your tier, employer type, and certifications — plus a negotiation script.
Check my band →See how Marqee worksHow to negotiate a real number
Come in with numbers hiring managers already track. Tickets closed per week (top quartile: 80–120 for Tier 1, 40–70 for Tier 2, 25–45 for desktop). First-contact resolution rate (top quartile: 65%+ Tier 1, 55%+ Tier 2). CSAT (top quartile: 4.7+/5). MTTR by category if you have it. Any deflection or self-service work you drove.
Match the offer to the tier and employer type from this page. If the base won't move, ask for:
- Certification bonus — $500 to $2,000 for named certs you'll pass.
- Shift differential — evening +$1–$2/hr, overnight +$3–$5, weekend +$2–$3.
- On-call differential — $50–$200 per week on-call plus incident-hour premium.
- Accelerated review — pay review at 6 months instead of 12 with an explicit tier-jump path.
- Tuition reimbursement — $2,500 to $8,000 a year for degree or cert programs.
- Equipment budget — home lab or mobile hotspot for remote roles.
Next roles that raise your pay
- Systems Administrator — natural progression; $65K–$105K.
- Identity Administrator (Okta / Entra) — $75K–$120K.
- Endpoint Engineer (Intune / Jamf) — $80K–$125K.
- Cloud Support Engineer (AWS / Azure / GCP) — $85K–$140K.
- Site Reliability Engineer (via support-to-SRE path) — $110K–$180K.
- Support Engineer at SaaS company (customer-facing) — $75K–$140K plus equity.
- IT Manager — $120K–$180K.
Frequently asked questions
Nationally, Computer User Support Specialists earn between $19 and $37 an hour with a mean hourly wage near $28 and a mean annual wage around $57,900 (BLS OES, 2025). Entry-level Tier 1 help desk agents commonly start $19 to $23. Tier 2 and desktop support typically earn $26 to $34. Senior support engineers, sysadmin-adjacent roles, and support leads reach $32 to $44.
Washington, California, Massachusetts, New York, and New Jersey top the list, all with mean hourly wages above $32 in 2025. Metros like San Francisco, Seattle, New York, Boston, and Washington DC often add $2 to $6 an hour on top of the state mean. States like Mississippi, Arkansas, and West Virginia anchor the bottom near $22 to $24 an hour.
CompTIA A+ (+$2–$4/hr), CompTIA Network+ (+$3–$5/hr), CompTIA Security+ (+$4–$6/hr), Microsoft MD-102 Endpoint Administrator or MS-102 Microsoft 365 Admin (+$3–$5/hr), Apple Certified Support Professional (+$3–$5/hr for Mac-heavy shops), Google Workspace Admin (+$2–$4/hr), ITIL 4 Foundation (+$2–$3/hr), and any cloud entry certification like AWS Cloud Practitioner (+$3–$5/hr as a bridge to sysadmin).
Tier 1 (phone, chat, ticket triage) typically pays $19 to $24 hourly. Tier 2 (escalations, on-site remote, more complex incidents) pays $25 to $32. Desktop support (in-person hardware and software support) pays $24 to $34, higher at Class-A office and biotech environments. Support leads and senior specialists reach $32 to $45.
Managed Service Providers (MSPs) pay the lowest — often $19 to $27 hourly with volume incentives. Corporate in-house IT at mid-size companies pays $24 to $34. Tech companies (SaaS, biotech, fintech) pay $28 to $42 with strong benefits and equity. Universities and hospitals pay $22 to $32 with pension and healthcare that boost total compensation. Government contractors with clearances (Secret, TS/SCI) pay $32 to $50.
Come with numbers — tickets closed per week, first-contact resolution rate, CSAT / NPS, MTTR by category, and any deflection or self-service work. Match the offer to the tier and employer type from this page. If base won't move, ask for a certification bonus ($500–$2K), a shift differential, tuition reimbursement, or an accelerated promotion review at 6 months.
Yes at most employers. On-call shift differentials commonly add $1 to $4 an hour. Overnight shift differentials add $2 to $5. Weekend premium adds $1 to $3. Annual bonuses at corporate in-house IT typically run 3% to 10% of base; tech-company support roles often see 10% to 15% with equity RSUs on top. MSPs and government contractors are usually base-heavy without meaningful bonus.
Want to move up your band with a real plan?
The difference between the 25th and 75th percentile in this occupation is roughly $11.50/hr — or $24,000 a year at full-time hours. Marqee is a Career Concierge: a real person maps your certifications, identifies the employers in your metro paying the top of the band, and negotiates your offer with you.
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