IT Manager

💰 $129K–$188K salary range

Median: $150K  ·  Based on 93 public job postings  ·  Updated September 8, 2026

This IT Manager salary benchmark is built from public job postings at high-growth and AI-native companies — no private placement data. Figures reflect base salary and are refreshed as new postings are collected.

📊 Salary breakdown

IT Manager salary by location

• All locations: $150K median ($129K–$188K typical range)
• New York: $160K median, $156K–$160K range (+7% vs. national)
• San Francisco: $207K median, $194K–$207K range (+38% vs. national)
• Chicago: $162K median, $140K–$170K range (+8% vs. national)

What's typically included

• Health insurance: 63% of postings
• Equity (RSU/options): 40% of postings
• Flexible PTO: 47% of postings
• Parental leave: 15% of postings
• Learning/education budget: 18% of postings
• Visa sponsorship: 1% of postings

Typical experience required: 6–7 years.

IT salaries by seniority

• IT Engineer: $115K
• IT Manager: $150K
• Senior IT Engineer: $154K
• IT Lead: $163K
• Head of IT: $191K
• Staff IT Professional: $217K

What does a IT Manager do?

IT Managers are IT professionals who run the systems, devices, and security the company depends on. This benchmark reflects Manager-level base compensation at high-growth and AI-native companies.

Government wage data

For corroboration, U.S. Department of Labor certified wage filings (FY2025) show a median of $181K for IT Manager roles, ranging $154K–$207K, across 32 filings. This is reported separately from — never blended with — the job-posting median above.

Common questions

What is the average IT Manager salary at an AI startup?
The median pay is $150K, with a typical range of $129K–$188K, based on 93 public job postings collected in 2025–2026.

Where does this salary data come from?
It is aggregated from public job postings on company career pages — no private placement or client data. We require a minimum of 15 postings per role.

Methodology

Figures are the midpoint of each posting's advertised USD salary range, aggregated from 93 public job postings (2025–2026). The range shown is the 25th–75th percentile; the median is the 50th percentile. Equity is separate and not included; where a posting's range reflects on-target earnings (OTE) for commission roles, that is included in the midpoint. Roles require at least 15 postings to be published. Last refreshed September 8, 2026.

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