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CIO and IT executive salaries continue to grow as organizations navigate persistent talent shortages, offering a detailed look at CIO salaries IT budgets 2026 trends across major U.S. metro areas.
What the Cherry Bekaert Report Reveals About CIO Salaries IT Budgets 2026
Cherry Bekaert’s 2026 IT Salary Guide outlines how CIO pay, IT budgets and hiring practices are shifting this year across major U.S. tech hubs, based on data from the accounting and advisory firm’s Recruiting & Staffing Services team. The guide benchmarks compensation across seven metro areas, Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Chicago, Louisville, Raleigh and Washington, D.C., and finds IT leaders navigating persistent talent shortages, rising AI adoption in recruitment and a surge in enterprise resource planning hiring.
How Healthcare-Specific CIO Pay Compares
The figures give healthcare executives a useful comparison point against sector-specific data, as health systems are often competing with other industries for top IT talent. In 2024, more than 20% of enterprise healthcare CIOs earned over $600,000 annually, while another 15% earned between $451,000 and $500,000, according to a report from executive search firm WittKieffer. Across industries more broadly, median base pay for CIOs reached more than $220,000 at large enterprises and nearly $210,000 at midsize organizations, with new CIO compensation packages ranging from $1.5 million to $1.8 million at large companies, per the Wall Street Journal.
10 Things to Know About CIO Salaries IT Budgets 2026
Average salary increase budgets for 2026 are projected at around 3.5%, while benefits now account for nearly 30% of total compensation, according to the report. CIO base salaries vary widely by market and organization size: in Washington, D.C., CIO pay at large organizations ranges from $342,000 to $505,000, the highest range among the seven metros surveyed. In Chicago, CIO salaries at large organizations range from $278,000 to $493,000, while in Austin they range from $265,000 to $513,000, the highest ceiling in the dataset.
Regional Pay Differences at Smaller Organizations
At small organizations with less than $50 million in revenue, CIO pay still starts high: $207,000 in Atlanta, Charlotte’s low end is $198,000, and Louisville’s is $186,000, reflecting regional cost-of-living differences.
Talent Shortages Shaping CIO Salaries IT Budgets 2026
Nationally, 76% of employers report talent shortages, particularly in cybersecurity, data analytics and AI-related roles, driving the average cost per hire to $4,683. Hybrid work remains dominant: 70% of job seekers prefer it, and 88% of employers now offer flexible arrangements, with 24% of new IT job postings hybrid and 12% fully remote.
How AI Is Reshaping the Hiring Process Itself
Technology is reshaping recruitment itself: 48% of employers use artificial intelligence for sourcing and screening candidates, 68% use applicant tracking systems and 41% conduct video interviews, per the report.
Which IT Roles Command the Highest Growth Within CIO Salaries IT Budgets 2026
Not all IT jobs are equal, with AI, machine learning and data science roles seeing higher salary growth “because there’s competition, a very limited talent pool, and most of those are newer technologies,” Ryan Delaney, a partner at Cherry Bekaert, said in the report.
The Surge in ERP Hiring
Enterprise resource planning hiring is surging, especially for platforms including NetSuite, Workday, SAP and Oracle. “ERP is hands down the biggest area we’ve seen demand for,” Bryant Covelli, Cherry Bekaert’s client relationship director, said. “Even when firms bring in consultants, they want their own person to manage the relationship and protect their interests.”
Why Employer Branding Matters for CIO Salaries IT Budgets 2026
Strong employer branding is paying off. Organizations with a compelling brand attract twice as many applicants and can cut cost per hire by up to 50%, according to the report.
What Cherry Bekaert Says IT Leaders Need to Prioritize
Cherry Bekaert’s Recruiting & Staffing Services team says IT leaders will need to balance AI-driven efficiency with skills-based hiring to close persistent talent gaps in 2026, a recommendation that applies as directly to health system IT departments competing for the same limited talent pool as it does to other industries.
What This CIO Salaries IT Budgets 2026 Data Means for Healthcare
Given that healthcare CIO compensation already tracks closely with the large-organization ranges Cherry Bekaert found in markets like Washington, D.C., and Austin, health systems evaluating their own CIO and IT leadership compensation may find these cross-industry benchmarks directly relevant to their own hiring and retention strategy. With cybersecurity, data analytics, and AI-related roles commanding the steepest salary growth nationally, health system IT departments building out AI governance and cybersecurity teams should expect to compete on similar terms with employers across all sectors.
What to Watch Going Forward
As the 76% of employers reporting talent shortages continues shaping recruitment strategy through 2026, health systems will likely need to weigh how effectively hybrid work flexibility, employer branding investments, and AI-assisted recruitment can help close the same persistent talent gaps facing IT departments industrywide. Given the surge in ERP hiring demand Cherry Bekaert identified, health systems modernizing their own enterprise resource planning systems may face particularly intense competition for qualified candidates as this CIO salaries IT budgets 2026 trend continues to unfold.
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