Location, location, location
Where you live also makes a difference. The Mid-Atlantic region led with an average salary of $82,507, followed by the Midwest and Pacific regions ($79,531 and $79,500, respectively). The worst average salary was in the Mountain States ($66,444), although that region may have other charms, especially if you like the great outdoors (see "2005 average salary by region," previous page).

				Average salary by number of people managed 2004 to 2005 salary increase by region Anticipated 2005 bonus by region

You're also better compensated if you manage more storage capacity. Those responsible for managing more than 500TB pulled down $92,542 on average, followed by those who manage 100TB to 500TB ($88,055). The principle of the more terabytes managed the more you receive generally also held true in the case of managing people, where those managing 21 to 50 people averaged $97,606 (see "Average salary by storage capacity managed," previous page and "Average salary by number of people managed," at right).

Similarly, working for larger companies generally paid better. Those working at companies with $5.1 billion to $10 billion in annual revenue did better ($87,059) than respondents working at companies with less than $50 million in revenue, which paid average salaries of $67,310.

Based on Storage's 2005 salary survey, this year can be considered a good one for storage professionals--not like the boom years that preceded the dot-com bust, but a steady, incremental advance over the previous year. With the war against terrorism still being waged, massive resources being diverted to recover from natural disasters, and gas and energy prices soaring, steady, incremental salary growth may be the most anyone should expect.

< PREV PAGE   |   1  |   2  |   3  |   4  |   5  |   6  |   NEXT PAGE  >