How much does a Desktop Specialist make in the United States?
As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Desktop Specialist in the United States is $61,039 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $29.
However, a Desktop Specialist's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $76,569
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $55,346 to $69,168
Key Factors That Influence Desktop Specialist Salaries
A Desktop Specialist's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors.
Below, we'll explore how geographic location, education
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Do Desktop Specialist Salaries Vary from State to State?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Desktop Specialists. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
Salaries can also vary between different cities.
Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay.
Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
San Jose: $76,989
San Francisco: $76,146
Oakland: $74,541
San Jose, CA$76,989
San Francisco, CA$76,146
Oakland, CA$74,541
New York, NY$70,280
Paramus, NJ$69,426
Queens Village, NY$69,423
Passaic, NJ$69,365
Bergenfield, NJ$69,359
Stamford, CT$69,225
Huntington, NY$69,200
Newark, NJ$68,749
Bridgeport, CT$68,620
Vallejo, CA$68,498
New Brunswick, NJ$68,474
Petaluma, CA$68,437
Middlesex, NJ$68,321
Somerset, NJ$68,279
Santa Cruz, CA$68,199
Boston, MA$67,827
Monterey, CA$67,613
Seattle, WA$67,473
Santa Rosa, CA$67,461
Los Angeles, CA$67,442
Juneau, AK$67,284
Washington, DC$67,217
Orange, CA$66,999
Santa Ana, CA$66,838
Long Beach, CA$66,777
Anaheim, CA$66,765
Anchorage, AK$66,734
Santa Maria, CA$66,551
Everett, WA$66,539
Danbury, CT$66,324
Bremerton, WA$66,240
Tacoma, WA$66,020
New Suffolk, NY$66,019
Sacramento, CA$66,002
Santa Barbara, CA$65,935
Trenton, NJ$65,868
San Diego, CA$65,868
Brockton, MA$65,800
Fairbanks, AK$65,651
Lompoc, CA$65,495
Lowell, MA$65,446
Ventura, CA$65,434
Nashua, NH$65,422
Stockton, CA$65,416
Modesto, CA$64,970
Poughkeepsie, NY$64,836
Olympia, WA$64,720
Kennewick, WA$64,720
New Haven, CT$64,696
Lawrence, MA$64,476
Hartford, CT$64,415
Riverside, CA$64,403
New Bedford, MA$64,342
Richland, WA$64,342
Bakersfield, CA$64,256
San Bernardino, CA$64,232
New Britain, CT$64,226
Atlantic City, NJ$64,226
New London, CT$64,201
Norwich, CT$64,183
Portsmouth, NH$64,171
Boulder, CO$64,041
Portland, OR$63,957
Worcester, MA$63,951
Minneapolis, MN$63,762
Philadelphia, PA$63,676
Honolulu, HI$63,475
Saint Paul, MN$63,446
Vineland, NJ$63,432
Providence, RI$63,255
Chicago, IL$63,078
Bellingham, WA$63,005
Springfield, MA$62,956
Baltimore, MD$62,938
Chico, CA$62,785
Pittsfield, MA$62,620
Manchester, NH$62,504
Spokane, WA$62,236
Denver, CO$62,230
Albany, NY$61,943
Troy, NY$61,918
Nassau, NY$61,853
Schenectady, NY$61,790
Wilmington, DE$61,741
Burlington, VT$61,656
Salem, OR$61,631
Portland, ME$61,442
Yakima, WA$61,381
Rochester, MN$61,192
Reno, NV$61,161
Fresno, CA$61,161
Milwaukee, WI$61,107
Detroit, MI$61,046
Ann Arbor, MI$61,035
Allentown, PA$61,027
Colorado Springs, CO$60,923
Syracuse, NY$60,893
Carson City, NV$60,893
Houston, TX$60,807
Eugene, OR$60,777
Gary, IN$60,704
Springfield, OR$60,655
Bismarck, ND$60,643
Galveston, TX$60,600
Medford, OR$60,508
Fort Collins, CO$60,484
Concord, NH$60,453
Austin, TX$60,435
Mesa, AZ$60,307
Reading, PA$60,301
Phoenix, AZ$60,295
Dallas, TX$60,276
Saint Cloud, MN$60,218
Madison, WI$60,136
Utica, NY$59,971
Rochester, NY$59,874
Des Moines, IA$59,867
Raleigh, NC$59,861
Atlanta, GA$59,770
Battle Creek, MI$59,751
Salt Lake City, UT$59,733
Lancaster, PA$59,642
Harrisburg, PA$59,556
Kansas City, MO$59,495
Champaign, IL$59,483
Kansas City, KS$59,483
Fort Worth, TX$59,477
Columbus, OH$59,466
Boca Raton, FL$59,452
Pittsburgh, PA$59,428
Richmond, VA$59,404
Indianapolis, IN$59,391
Cleveland, OH$59,385
Las Vegas, NV$59,312
Cincinnati, OH$59,312
Petersburg, VA$59,220
Huntsville, AL$59,129
Lansing, MI$59,088
Lebanon, PA$59,080
Pueblo, CO$59,074
Appleton, WI$59,056
Buffalo, NY$59,031
Dayton, OH$59,013
Racine, WI$59,001
Charlotte, NC$58,995
Saint Louis, MO$58,976
York, PA$58,940
Elkhart, IN$58,940
Gastonia, NC$58,928
Billings, MT$58,913
Beaumont, TX$58,897
Lorain, OH$58,885
Benton Harbor, MI$58,873
Toledo, OH$58,860
Binghamton, NY$58,830
Rock Hill, SC$58,824
Rockford, IL$58,793
Springfield, IL$58,769
Elyria, OH$58,763
Fargo, ND$58,763
Flagstaff, AZ$58,720
Fort Lauderdale, FL$58,683
Duluth, MN$58,647
Miami, FL$58,647
Cheyenne, WY$58,604
Grand Forks, ND$58,604
Bangor, ME$58,470
Cedar Rapids, IA$58,402
Durham, NC$58,377
Louisville, KY$58,372
Grand Rapids, MI$58,360
Hialeah, FL$58,354
Casper, WY$58,268
Scranton, PA$58,195
New Orleans, LA$58,177
Virginia Beach, VA$58,171
Akron, OH$58,140
Peoria, IL$58,061
Sarasota, FL$58,048
Nashville, TN$58,006
Omaha, NE$58,006
Green Bay, WI$58,006
Baton Rouge, LA$57,975
Charleston, SC$57,963
Jamestown, NY$57,932
Davenport, IA$57,932
Tucson, AZ$57,902
Saint Petersburg, FL$57,865
Tampa, FL$57,853
Evansville, IN$57,817
Port Arthur, TX$57,817
Bradenton, FL$57,792
Santa Fe, NM$57,682
Orlando, FL$57,572
Clearwater, FL$57,554
Canton, OH$57,426
La Crosse, WI$57,426
Albuquerque, NM$57,389
Newport News, VA$57,383
High Point, NC$57,365
Ogden, UT$57,340
Corpus Christi, TX$57,292
Norfolk, VA$57,255
Laramie, WY$57,255
Rock Island, IL$57,218
Saginaw, MI$57,206
Jacksonville, FL$57,200
Salisbury, NC$57,188
Boise, ID$57,176
Moline, IL$57,145
Fort Myers, FL$57,127
Memphis, TN$57,115
Tulsa, OK$57,084
Waterloo, IA$57,047
Spartanburg, SC$56,986
Lincoln, NE$56,956
Fort Wayne, IN$56,944
Provo, UT$56,938
Cedar Falls, IA$56,864
San Antonio, TX$56,840
Greensboro, NC$56,815
South Bend, IN$56,809
Savannah, GA$56,742
Muskegon, MI$56,718
Birmingham, AL$56,712
Winston Salem, NC$56,682
Lake Charles, LA$56,535
Anderson, IN$56,522
Lexington, KY$56,504
Augusta, GA$56,486
Greenville, SC$56,486
Lima, OH$56,437
Wichita, KS$56,431
Tuscaloosa, AL$56,431
Columbia, SC$56,376
Springfield, OH$56,364
Asheville, NC$56,266
Bloomington, IN$56,223
Knoxville, TN$56,004
Shreveport, LA$55,998
Wilmington, NC$55,918
Roanoke, VA$55,918
Topeka, KS$55,808
Frankfort, KY$55,802
Oklahoma City, OK$55,759
Chillicothe, OH$55,735
Longview, TX$55,729
Melbourne, FL$55,723
Sioux Falls, SD$55,625
Mobile, AL$55,619
Terre Haute, IN$55,595
Altoona, PA$55,558
Amarillo, TX$55,515
Killeen, TX$55,497
Fayetteville, AR$55,448
Chattanooga, TN$55,430
Sioux City, IA$55,375
Idaho Falls, ID$55,363
Lynchburg, VA$55,314
Gainesville, FL$55,235
Portsmouth, OH$55,204
Little Rock, AR$55,192
Lafayette, LA$55,167
Youngstown, OH$55,167
Daytona Beach, FL$55,131
Clarksville, TN$55,125
Pensacola, FL$55,119
Temple, TX$55,114
Hopkinsville, KY$54,935
Erie, PA$54,923
Florence, SC$54,899
Charleston, WV$54,801
Great Falls, MT$54,771
Macon, GA$54,685
Tallahassee, FL$54,679
Fayetteville, NC$54,667
Waco, TX$54,655
Helena, MT$54,612
Pine Bluff, AR$54,589
Vincennes, IN$54,514
Lubbock, TX$54,490
Alamogordo, NM$54,453
Twin Falls, ID$54,398
Rapid City, SD$54,380
Jackson, MS$54,270
Huntington, WV$54,266
Greenville, MS$54,264
Parkersburg, WV$54,202
Montgomery, AL$54,191
Wichita Falls, TX$54,130
Springfield, MO$54,130
Biloxi, MS$54,099
Monroe, LA$54,038
Johnstown, PA$53,995
Sumter, SC$53,971
Columbus, GA$53,965
Pascagoula, MS$53,849
Abilene, TX$53,849
Kingsport, TN$53,690
Albany, GA$53,690
Gulfport, MS$53,672
Alexandria, LA$53,471
Fort Smith, AR$53,318
El Paso, TX$53,153
Las Cruces, NM$52,878
Harlingen, TX$52,723
Pocatello, ID$52,714
Florence, AL$52,634
Brownsville, TX$52,622
Mcallen, TX$52,494
Dothan, AL$52,408
Columbus, MS$52,046
Altus, OK$51,761
Lawton, OK$51,645
Pierre, SD$51,426
What Skills Can Increase a Desktop Specialist's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Troubleshooting (Mentioned in 10.88% Job Postings): Troubleshooting is a form of problem solving, often applied to repair failed products or processes on a machine or a system. It is a logical, systematic search for the source of a problem in order to solve it, and make the product or process operational again. Troubleshooting is needed to identify the symptoms. Determining the most likely cause is a process of elimination—eliminating potential causes of a problem. Finally, troubleshooting requires confirmation that the solution restores the product or process to its working state. In general, troubleshooting is the identification or diagnosis of "trouble" in the management flow of a system caused by a failure of some kind. The problem is initially described as symptoms of malfunction, and troubleshooting is the process of determining and remedying the causes of these symptoms. A system can be described in terms of its expected, desired or intended behavior (usually, for artificial systems, its purpose). Events or inputs to the system are expected to generate specific results or outputs. (For example, selecting the "print" option from various computer applications is intended to result in a hardcopy emerging from some specific device). Any unexpected or undesirable behavior is a symptom. Troubleshooting is the process of isolating the specific cause or causes of the symptom. Frequently the symptom is a failure of the product or process to produce any results. (Nothing was printed, for example). Corrective action can then be taken to prevent further failures of a similar kind.
Field Service (Mentioned in 2.9% Job Postings): Managing and optimizing operations to respond to and address customer requests at off-site locations or client sites.
Microsoft Office (Mentioned in 2.48% Job Postings): Microsoft Office is a suite of desktop productivity applications that is designed by Microsoft for business use. You can create documents containing text and images, work with data in spreadsheets and databases, create presentations and posters.
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay.
Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Desktop Specialist's salary.
Presentation: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
Collaboration: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
Desktop Specialist Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Desktop Specialist roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 65% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Software & Networking and Financial Services
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 35% above the average.
In contrast, Desktop Specialist positions in Retail & Wholesale or Hospitality & Leisure typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Desktop Specialist as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Desktop Specialist
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Software & Networking
$82,403
$40.0
35%
Financial Services
$79,351
$38.0
30%
Biotechnology
$73,247
$35.0
20%
Internet
$73,247
$35.0
20%
Pharmaceuticals
$70,195
$34.0
15%
How Education impacts a Desktop Specialist's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Desktop Specialists enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree,
higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data,
the median salary for a Desktop Specialist with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between
$57,914
and $61,498).
Desktop Specialist Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Desktop Specialist's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting.
Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role.
Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
Salaries for a Desktop Specialist can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $53,172 in 2023
to around $51,505 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Desktop Specialist salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Desktop Specialist Over Time
$???
$53,172
$51,992
$51,505
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$53,172
2024
$51,992
2025
$51,505
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Desktop Specialist
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Desktop Specialist
Here are companies hiring for Desktop Specialist and their salaries, click below for more details.
C$128,509/per year
C R Bard IncBiotechnologythe United States
H$124,697/per year
Henry Schein CanadaBiotechnologythe United States
N$123,899/per year
Nordex IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$120,416/per year
Nipro CorpBiotechnologythe United States
E$115,870/per year
EnovisBiotechnologythe United States
A$114,553/per year
Advanced Research Projects Agency - EnergyBiotechnologythe United States
M$112,110/per year
MiniMed IncBiotechnologythe United States
L$111,500/per year
Labcorp Drug DevelopmentBiotechnologythe United States
L$110,229/per year
Life Technologies CorpBiotechnologythe United States
Z$106,224/per year
Zimmer BiometBiotechnologythe United States
P$103,077/per year
Promontory TherapeuticsBiotechnologythe United States
S$102,181/per year
Steris PLCBiotechnologythe United States
G$97,274/per year
Gavin Conferences Pty LtdBiotechnologythe United States
E$94,764/per year
Endeavor BioMedicinesBiotechnologythe United States
R$94,402/per year
Replay Holdings LLCBiotechnologythe United States
P$94,235/per year
Pleno IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$93,666/per year
Simulaids IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$88,880/per year
NOIRLab/CASBiotechnologythe United States
O$86,468/per year
Onward TechnologyBiotechnologythe United States
L$84,895/per year
LED Medical Diagnostics IncBiotechnologythe United States
E$84,682/per year
Eyeco LtdBiotechnologythe United States
P$84,523/per year
PaerosolBiotechnologythe United States
I$83,525/per year
IONIQ Sciences IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$82,815/per year
Stateside PPEBiotechnologythe United States
D$82,041/per year
Digi BioBiotechnologythe United States
Find Your Next Desktop Specialist Job
Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Desktop Specialist job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.
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FAQ about Desktop Specialist
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Desktop Specialist?
The Software & Networking industry offers the highest average compensation for Desktop Specialist roles,
with salaries approximately 35% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
