6 Tech Jobs That Pay $50k a Year

• The average American makes about $55,630 a year.
• Graphic designers, vloggers, and tech sales representatives make an average of $50k a year.
• People can break into tech without a college degree.
• Tech employers have embraced skills-based hiring practices, dropping degree requirements for middle-skill jobs.

You're not alone if you went into tech hoping to score a six-figure salary. However, not every tech position fetches a top salary, especially in entry-level careers without degree requirements. The highest salaries go to high-skill positions, such as software engineers and computer programmers.

Top-paying careers in tech often require a bachelor's degree or higher. That said, people can break into the tech industry without a four-year degree and make a starting salary of $50,000 or more. Want to learn more about tech jobs that pay $50K a year and how you can start? Continue reading to find out what you need to land a good-paying job in tech.

Is $50k a Good Yearly Salary?

An average salary in the United States starts at about $50,000, so yes! This salary is considered “good” as it is at or above the national average. For a single person living in a state with a low cost of living, making the average annual salary can cover monthly expenses. However, the same may not be said for a high-cost-of-living area with a larger household.

The cost of living is measured to record price differences in housing, food, transportation, and other expenses from region to region. What a person or family needs depends on the size of the household and where they live.

According to the Council For Community and Economic Research's 2022 Cost of Living Index, Manhattan, New York; Honolulu, Hawaii; and San Francisco, California rank as the top three most expensive cities in the country. Kalamazoo, Michigan; Muskogee, Oklahoma; and Harlingen, Texas have the lowest cost of living.

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What Do You Need to Make $50k a Year?

Earning a college degree pays off when it comes to making more money and finding job security. Bachelor's degree holders make an average of $1,330 a week, while people with a high school diploma make $810 a week, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Computer and information technology majors totaled more than 2.4 million in 2019, for which the median annual wage was $85,000. College degrees let people in tech major in a specific area. For instance, graphic designers have a better chance of getting hired with a bachelor's degree in graphic design or a similar major.

Not every career in tech requires a four-year degree — or any college education. People launch lucrative tech careers after graduating from a coding bootcamp or vocational training.

Tech Jobs That Pay $50k A Year

Tech workers get paid based on their experience, education, and talent. The occupations listed below represent the most notable positions that pay $50,000 or more. However, many other tech jobs also offer similar pay — if not more.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tech Jobs That Pay $50k

Which tech job has the highest salary?

Computer and information systems managers make some of the highest salaries in tech. According to the BLS, computer and information systems managers —a position that requires at least a bachelor's degree — earned a median annual salary of $159,010 as of May 2021.

They can make even more with experience and depending on the industry. The top 10% of computer and information systems managers earned more than $208,000 annually, while the lowest 10% of these tech workers made less than $95,220 a year.

Information, finance and insurance, and computer systems design firms paid these high-skilled workers the most, with annual salaries of $165,940-$162,150 as of May 2021.

What tech jobs make $100k a year?

Senior tech workers often make $100K or more annually. Specific positions offer higher-than-average entry-level salaries. Computer hardware engineers, computer and information research scientists, and computer network architects make a median salary above six figures.

Computer hardware engineers made a median annual salary of $128,170 as of May 2021, while computer information and research scientists earned $131,490 and computer network architects earned $120,520 a year. All tech careers have the potential to earn more by gaining industry experience, taking on higher-level roles, earning advanced college degrees and credentials, or switching fields.

For example, web developers made a median annual salary of $77,200 as of May 2021, but they can make a median annual wage of $123,870 in publishing. Similarly, graphic designers in the top 10% of earners made more than $98,260 a year in 2021.

How can I make 6 figures in tech without a degree?

If you have a high school diploma but not a college degree, you could make six figures in tech. After all, some of the most famous techies dropped out of college: Michael Dell, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Steve Jobs.

Careers that, on average, make six figures —such as computer hardware engineers, computer network architects, computer and information research scientists, and computer systems analysts — usually require a bachelor's degree or higher. But employers have begun to abandon degree requirements for middle-skill and some high-skilled jobs. In fact, employers dropped degree requirements from 2017-2019 for about 46% of middle-skill jobs, according to a 2022 study from Harvard Business School's Burning Glass Institute.

People in tech can work their way to a higher salary by advancing to positions as IT managers and sales directors. As of May 2021, these professionals made median annual salaries of $135,230 and $102,520, respectively.