Technology & IT · Phoenix, AZ
Phoenix is an operations-heavy IT market: computer user support specialists make up a 31% larger share of jobs than nationally, while database, web and security talent is thin and most roles pay a little under the U.S. median. Careerscape recruits for Valley employers from a national, fully remote team whose recruiters specialize in technology hiring.
Demand drivers
Phoenix tech demand comes from several directions at once. Companies named here are market context, not clients.
Phoenix adopted zoning rules on July 2, 2025 that govern where data centers may locate, how they are designed and how loud they can be, a sign of how many projects are coming to the city. Facilities, network and operations staff follow the buildings.
SEC filings place GoDaddy and Carvana in Tempe, Insight Enterprises and Microchip Technology in Chandler, and Axon and onsemi in Scottsdale. Together they hire software engineers, IT operations staff and security teams.
The State of Arizona, Banner Health and Wells Fargo are among the metro's largest employers. Employers of that size run large service desks and infrastructure groups, and the metro has 14,310 computer user support specialists, a deeper pool than the U.S. average.
Chip plants and their suppliers need manufacturing systems, automation and network support alongside engineers. The status of each fab project is tracked on our Phoenix staffing guide.
Valley BLS data
The Phoenix metro's strongest concentrations are operational roles: user support specialists (location quotient 1.31), network architects (1.21), systems analysts (1.18) and IT managers (1.12). Software developers, at 29,380 jobs, are slightly more concentrated than nationally (1.14).
| Occupation | Jobs in metro | Median pay · vs. U.S. | Concentration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | 29,380 | $131,750−3% | 1.14 |
| Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | 3,160 | $100,740−3% | 1.11 |
| Information Security Analysts | 2,590 | $130,360+1% | 0.89 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrators | 4,370 | $93,730−5% | 0.91 |
| Computer Systems Analysts | 9,330 | $103,770−2% | 1.18 |
| Data Scientists | 3,480 | $114,540−5% | 0.87 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 11,510 | $169,720−3% | 1.12 |
| Computer User Support Specialists | 14,310 | $62,310+1% | 1.31 |
| Computer Network Architects | 3,330 | $131,990−2% | 1.21 |
| Database Administrators | 810 | $104,280±0% | 0.76 |
| Web Developers | 750 | $76,230−18% | 0.70 |
The thin pools are database administrators (0.76), web developers (0.70), data scientists (0.87), information security analysts (0.89) and systems administrators (0.91). Pay sits below the U.S. median for most roles here. Web developers show the widest gap, $76,230 against $92,650 nationally. Security analysts are the exception, slightly above at $130,360 against $129,180. Data: BLS OEWS, May 2025, cross-industry. Jobs and median annual pay for the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ 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.
Pay and pipeline
For most IT roles, Phoenix employers pay a little less than the national median. Software developers earn a median $131,750 against $135,980, systems administrators $93,730 against $99,130, and data scientists $114,540 against $120,230. That works when you hire locally. It works less well when the candidate also holds a remote offer priced on a national band, which is common for software and data roles. Check the software engineer and systems administrator Salary Guide pages before you set a range.
The practical read: entry-level support and operations roles are relatively easy to fill in Phoenix, mid-level software roles are competitive on pay, and security, database and data-science searches often need candidates from outside the metro or a stronger offer. Contract-to-hire is a good fit for data center operations and service desk leads, where you want to see someone on shift before converting.
Tech hubs
Many technology employers sit in the southeast Valley and Scottsdale, while the fab build-out is pulling activity to north Phoenix. The Loop 101 and Loop 202 commute shapes who will take a hybrid role.
GoDaddy's SEC filings list 100 South Mill Avenue downtown, Carvana is on East Rio Salado Parkway and Amkor is in Tempe. ASU's main campus is here, so new graduates are close at hand.
Insight Enterprises and Microchip Technology are headquartered in Chandler, and Intel's Ocotillo campus, where Fab 52 came online in October 2025, is here too.
Axon is headquartered on North 85th Street and onsemi on North Pima Road.
TSMC's multi-fab campus is drawing manufacturing IT, network and automation hiring along with the trades. See our Phoenix manufacturing page for the production side.
Arizona rules
Arizona adds a few requirements that land directly on IT and security work. A general summary as of October 2026, not legal advice.
| Rule | What it requires | Hiring impact |
|---|---|---|
| Data breach notice, A.R.S. 18-552 | Notify affected people within 45 days of determining a breach. Over 1,000 people: also notify the three national credit bureaus, the Attorney General and the Director of the Arizona Department of Homeland Security. | Security and IT operations teams need someone who can run an investigation and notice process on that clock. Penalties for a knowing, willful violation are capped at $500,000 per breach. |
| E-Verify, A.R.S. 23-214 | Every Arizona employer must verify each new hire through E-Verify, regardless of size. | When a contractor on an agency's payroll converts to your payroll, you become the employer making the hire, so the check falls to you. |
| Phoenix data center zoning (July 2025) | City rules on where data centers may locate, how they are designed and how loud they can be. | New projects inside Phoenix face design and siting review, which can shift construction and staffing timelines. |
| No state non-compete statute | Arizona has no statute governing non-competes; courts judge them case by case. | Ask candidates from local tech employers about restrictive covenants early, since enforceability is less predictable than in states with clear rules. |
The breach-notice law is enforced only by the Arizona Attorney General. Source: Arizona Revised Statutes 18-552 and 23-214 (Arizona Legislature).
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FAQ
Computer user support specialists in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro earned a median $62,310 in May 2025, according to BLS, close to the U.S. median of $61,860. Phoenix has 14,310 of them and a location quotient of 1.31, so it is one of the deeper support pools in the country. Senior service desk and desktop engineering roles pay more. See the IT support pay guide.
For most IT occupations, BLS medians in metro Phoenix sit slightly below the U.S., by up to about 5%, and web developers about 18% below. The Valley's tech mix leans toward operations and support roles, which pay less than software and data roles everywhere. Security analysts are an exception, paid slightly above the U.S. median.
Harder than support or systems roles. Information security analysts (location quotient 0.89), data scientists (0.87) and database administrators (0.76) are all less concentrated in the Phoenix metro than nationally. Expect longer searches, consider remote or relocation candidates, and check pay against the cybersecurity analyst and data scientist guides.
Under A.R.S. 18-552, within 45 days after determining a breach occurred, unless law enforcement asks for a delay. If more than 1,000 people must be notified, the business must also tell the three largest credit reporting agencies, the Attorney General and the Director of the Arizona Department of Homeland Security. Only the Attorney General enforces the law.
Yes. Careerscape recruits across the Valley, remotely, with technology recruiters who specialize by field rather than by city. We have no Phoenix-area office. You get a pre-screened shortlist in a private Employer Portal, and we run contract staffing, contract-to-hire, direct hire and temporary searches.
Send us the role and we will return a pre-screened shortlist. Learn how our technology staffing works or compare metros on the technology overview.
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