Dice report: Average tech salaries rise

U.S. technology professionals saw their average pay increase more than 2 percent to $81,327 last year — the largest annual salary growth since 2008, according to a survey by Dice, a technology and engineering career site.

Not only did pay increase after two straight years of nearly flat wages, but more companies rewarded their top performers. One-third of tech professionals received a bonus in 2011, up from 29 percent in 2010 and 24 percent in 2009. The size of the average bonus also rose — up 8 percent to $8,769.

Overall, U.S. companies are seeing stiffer competition for experienced tech professionals, said Tom Silver, a senior vice president at Dice. However, entry-level salaries continue to be pushed downward.

Austin led the top 20 cities with a 13 percent jump in average tech pay to $89,419. Houston saw a 7 percent increase to $89,307. The Dallas-Fort Worth area saw a 4 percent gain to $84,589.

Still, California’s Silicon Valley topped the list, with average salaries of $104,195. Pay topped six figures for the first time since the Dice survey began a decade ago.

Here’s the full list:

Texas ranked No. 9 nationally, with average tech pay of $83,751. That was up 6.8 percent from 2010.

The jobs that saw the highest salaries last year were:

Dice surveyed 18,325 working tech professionals online from in September through November.