Help Desk Salary: What You’ll Make and Why
Help desks make around $42,814 to $61,220 on average in the US, depending on experience, location, skills, and other factors.
According to various salary aggregate websites, a help desk’s salary in the US ranges between $42,814 and $61,220, with an average salary of $50,460. As of June 2022, the base salaries for help desks are listed as follows:
| Payscale | ZipRecruiter | Indeed | Salary.com | Glassdoor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $42,814 | $46,369 | $47,064 | $54,832 | $61,220 |
Keep in mind: Salary aggregate websites typically rely on data submitted anonymously by individuals using their site. Some websites may have received larger amounts of data of either higher or lower than average salaries, which may affect the site’s calculated average.
Read more: What Is a Help Desk? How to Become One
What influences a salary?
The salary for a Help Desk professional can vary depending on a number of factors, such as experience, location, and education. In this article, we will take a closer look at how these factors can impact your salary.
Years of experience
Salary increases are generally tied to your experience level. In general, the more years you spend working as a help desk, the more you can expect to earn. Here’s how experience can impact your help desk salary, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Compensation Survey.
| Level of experience | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry-level (less than 1 year) | $32,595 |
| Early career (1 to 4 years) | $39,084 |
| Mid career (5 to 9 years) | $49,167 |
| Experienced (10 to 19 years) | $60,640 |
| Late career (20+ years) | $78,735 |
Location
Where you live can also impact how much you can make as a help desk. Typically, working in a large metropolitan area correlates to a higher salary, as well as a higher cost of living.
Here is a list of some major cities with their corresponding average help desk salary according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
| City | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $69,643 |
| Boston, MA | $61,171 |
| Washington DC, DC | $58,976 |
| New York City, NY | $57,701 |
| Seattle, WA | $56,860 |
| Cincinnati, OH | $45,555 |
| New Orleans, LA | $44,936 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $44,803 |
| Nashville, TN | $44,352 |
| Detroit, MI | $41,944 |
How does this compare to similar jobs?
Here’s how a help desk’s salary stacks up against similar jobs.
| Related Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Technician | $35,082 |
| Desktop Support Technician | $46,753 |
| Technical Support Specialist | $44,685 |
| Systems Administrator | $73,263 |
| Network Administrator | $69,182 |
| Information Technology Specialist | $54,495 |
| Computer Support Specialist | $44,918 |
| Systems Engineer | $92,508 |
| Network Engineer | $90,926 |
How to increase your help desk salary
Now that you have a better idea of what you could expect to earn as a help desk, let’s look at ways to boost your salary.
1. Strengthen your skills
Pursuing and improving in-demand skills could make you more competitive for promotions and higher-paying positions. These skills include:
- Troubleshooting: Understand how to diagnose and solve technical problems
- Remote Support: Be able to provide support to users remotely
- Customer Service: Serve as the primary point of contact for customers and handle customer inquiries
- Asset Management: Keep track of company-owned hardware and software and ensure that it is properly maintained
- ITIL: Familiarity with the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) framework
2. Get a good performance review
One way to increase your salary is to make sure you’re doing a great job at your current position. If you’re consistently getting positive feedback from your manager and clients, that’s a good sign that you’re doing well. If you can back up your performance with hard data, that’s even better. Use your performance review as an opportunity to discuss a raise with your boss.
3. Know Your Value
When it comes to asking for a raise, knowledge is power. Do some research on what other help desk employees in your area are making, and come to your boss armed with that information. Be ready to explain why you deserve a bump in pay, and be open to negotiating.
Article Sources
1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “National Compensation Survey, https://www.bls.gov/ncs/.” Accessed June 2, 2022.
2. US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Occupational Employment and Wages, https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes151232.htm.” Accessed June 2, 2022.
3. Payscale. “Help Desk Technician Hourly Pay, https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Help_Desk_Technician/Hourly_Rate.” Accessed June 2, 2022.
4. Ziprecruiter. “HELP DESK Annual Salary, https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/HELP-DESK-Salary.” Accessed June 2, 2022.
5. Indeed. “Indeed Salary Finder, https://www.indeed.com/career/salaries.” Accessed June 2, 2022.
6. Salary.com. “Help Desk Support Salary, https://www.salary.com/research/salary/benchmark/help-desk-support-specialist-ii-salary.” Accessed June 2, 2022.
7. Glassdoor. “Help Desk Salaries, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/help-desk-salary-SRCH_KO0,9.htm.” Accessed June 2, 2022.