Technology & IT · Atlanta, GA
Network architects and QA testers are Atlanta's deepest tech pools, while data scientists are plentiful but paid $11,290 below the U.S. median. Careerscape, a national agency, fills these roles through remote recruiters who work only in IT and technology hiring.
BLS May 2025
A location quotient (LQ) above 1 means the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro has a larger share of these jobs than the U.S. as a whole. Atlanta is above 1 in nine of the eleven tech occupations below, so for most roles the problem is competition, not a missing pool.
| Occupation | Jobs in metro | Median pay · vs. U.S. | Concentration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | 36,300 | $132,960−2% | 1.16 |
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | 5,270 | $105,800+1% | 1.52 |
| Information Security Analysts | 4,550 | $131,490+2% | 1.29 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators | 6,140 | $101,000+2% | 1.05 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 8,300 | $119,090+13% | 0.86 |
| Data Scientists | 6,820 | $108,940−9% | 1.40 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 14,430 | $177,970+2% | 1.16 |
| Computer User Support Specialists | 15,980 | $62,110±0% | 1.20 |
| Computer Network Architects | 5,880 | $133,890±0% | 1.76 |
| Database Administrators | 1,780 | $110,950+6% | 1.37 |
| Web Developers | 990 | $93,590+1% | 0.76 |
Computer network architects (LQ 1.76) and QA analysts and testers (1.52) are the deepest pools, and both are paid within about 1.5% of the U.S. median. Two gaps matter when you set a band. Data scientists are plentiful (LQ 1.4), yet the metro median of $108,940 is $11,290 below the U.S. figure. Computer systems analysts are the reverse: thinner here (0.86) and paid $119,090, which is $13,240 above the U.S. median. Web developers are the thinnest pool in the table (0.76). All figures are metro-level, all industries. Jobs and median annual pay for the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area, all employers, from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey (May 2025). “Vs. U.S.” compares with the national median. Concentration is the BLS location quotient: above 1.0 means the job makes up a bigger share of local employment than it does nationally.
Build-out
Metro and state figures with their sources and dates. CBRE measures data center construction by projected power draw, not floor space.
Georgia rules
Georgia exempts qualifying high-technology data centers from state sales and use tax on much of their hardware and equipment under O.C.G.A. § 48-8-3(68.1). The exemption is scheduled to run through December 31, 2031. In the 2026 session lawmakers filed bills to end it early or to pause construction, including SB 408, SB 410 and HB 1012. None became law: SB 410 passed the Senate on March 6, 2026, then stalled in the House.
Power is the other gate. A Georgia Public Service Commission rule adopted on January 23, 2025 requires new Georgia Power customers above 100 megawatts to cover the transmission and distribution costs of serving them during construction, and sends their contracts to the PSC for review. For a hiring plan, the date that matters is when a site gets power, because that is when operations, network and facilities staff have to be in seat.
The build-out recruits from the same pool you do. The network architects, systems administrators and security analysts who run enterprise networks in Atlanta are the people data center operators want for their own operations teams. If you are hiring infrastructure staff here, assume your finalists are also hearing from those operators, and move faster on offers than you would for a software role.
Where it clusters
Office-based software and data work sits in different parts of the metro from the data center build, and the candidate pool follows the commute.
Georgia Tech's campus and the headquarters of NCR Voyix (at 8th and Spring Streets), Equifax and Invesco. The natural base for software, data and product roles that want to recruit graduates.
Alpharetta's large private employers include Fiserv, ADP, Verizon and Equifax, which means payments, payroll and credit-data engineering along GA-400.
Microsoft bought 90 acres here in 2021 for a campus whose plans included offices and housing for 15,000 employees. It later paused planning, and in November 2025 agreed to donate 22.5 acres of the site to the city. Do not count on that campus as a near-term source of tech jobs.
T5's Lithia Springs data center site, where about 1,200 tradespeople a day were working in September 2026. Operations hiring follows construction.
QTS's campus about 20 miles south of Atlanta, filed in 2022 as up to 16 buildings on 615 acres, with full build-out targeted for 2032.
Roles we recruit
Careerscape recruits these roles for Atlanta employers on direct hire, contract and contract-to-hire terms. See the technology staffing service for how we work nationally.
Before you post
Practical points drawn from the BLS data and the build-out above.
Atlanta's median for data scientists is $108,940, well under the U.S. figure. Strong candidates also interview with remote-first employers that pay national rates. Check the data scientist salary guide before you set a band.
Computer systems analysts earn a $119,090 median here, above the U.S., and the pool is thinner than average. A contract or contract-to-hire start can get the work moving while a permanent search runs.
Network architects are Atlanta's deepest tech pool, but data center operators are hiring from it. Compare your offer with the network engineer salary guide and shorten the gap between final interview and offer.
A role in Fayetteville or Lithia Springs draws a different pool than one in Midtown or Alpharetta. Say whether it is on-site, hybrid or remote, and whether it includes shift or on-call coverage.
Georgia Tech reported 18,303 graduate students in its College of Computing in spring 2025. Kennesaw State's B.S. in Cybersecurity is a validated program of study under the NSA's CAE in Cyber Defense designation, valid through 2027.
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FAQ
No. Careerscape is a national agency with a remote team and no Atlanta office. Our recruiters specialize in technology roles and recruit for Atlanta employers by phone and video, drawing on candidates already in the metro and people willing to relocate. You review a pre-screened shortlist in the private Employer Portal, request interviews and leave feedback there.
Computer network architects in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro earned a $133,890 median in May 2025, per BLS, essentially the U.S. median of $134,050. Network and computer systems administrators earn a $101,000 median, slightly above the U.S. These are all-industry metro figures; cleared, data center and senior architect roles often price higher. See the network engineer salary guide.
For infrastructure roles, they add competition. CBRE counted about 2.9 GW of data center capacity under construction in metro Atlanta in the first half of 2026, more than any other U.S. market. Those sites need network, systems and security people once they are powered. Software and data roles feel it less. Plan infrastructure offers with that competition in mind.
Not as of October 2026. The exemption under O.C.G.A. § 48-8-3(68.1) remains in force and is scheduled to expire December 31, 2031. Bills in the 2026 session to repeal it early or pause construction, including SB 408, SB 410 and HB 1012, did not pass. The topic is likely to return in future sessions, so check before you plan a multi-year build.
Yes. Careerscape places contract and temporary IT staff for migrations, rollouts, testing cycles and backfills, with the worker on our payroll for the length of the project. If you may want to keep the person, contract-to-hire lets both sides see the fit first. For permanent roles we run direct hire searches.
Send us the role and we will come back with a shortlist of pre-screened candidates. For the wider Atlanta labor market, see our Atlanta staffing guide.
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