Austin is no exception to the long-standing trend of tech professionals earning incomes that are double or even treble those of other workers in the area.

Austin's IT workers make an average of $150,026 a year, compared to all other industries' average of $78,224. It is consistent with a national trend where tech earnings are more than 65% higher on average than those of other professions.

A recent analysis from the Austin Chamber of Commerce on the Central Texas economy shows a difference of around $72,000. The survey also reveals that, overall, average yearly earnings have increased by 8.5 percent since 2020, lagging only slightly behind the salary growth of over 10 percent seen by IT jobs during the same period.

Jobs in IT manufacturing are exceptionally well paid. According to the chamber, earnings in this industry are often higher, averaging $159,593.

With over 80,000 high-tech information and other IT jobs making up a sizeable portion of the local labor force, Austin enjoys a sparkling reputation as a tech powerhouse in addition to its rising salaries. In Austin, 16.7% of occupations are in the technology sector, compared to 9.2% nationwide.

As Austin rides that wave, the city and other organizations have worked to attract workers to manufacturing employment and other booming sectors of the tech sector in Central Texas. In June, Workforce Solutions, Mayor Steve Adler, and others unveiled a "hire local" initiative and stressed the significance of hiring Austin residents to fill positions with businesses expanding or moving here.

However, despite these initiatives to help locals find employment in the expanding tech industry, this salary gap occurs at a time when issues with affordability are making some longstanding residents feel forced out. Additionally, a shift out from the city's center has an ironic effect on a tech hub: a digital divide.

Residents believe that the rise in living expenses is a threat to digital equity, according to a recent report by the research firm MEASURE. That's because getting to publicly accessible internet sources takes more time and money as people are forced farther away by housing costs.