Orlando’s Highest-Paying Tech and Defense Skills in 2026

By Brian French | OrlandoBusinessNews.com | October 14, 2026

Quick Answer

The highest-paying tech skills in Orlando sit in the defense modeling, simulation and training cluster. They are network and cloud architecture, simulation software engineering, cleared cybersecurity, and systems engineering. In the Orlando metro, median pay for most of these roles runs from about $125,000 to $157,000 (BLS, May 2025). An active security clearance adds pay on top of that.

Key Takeaways

Orlando’s simulation cluster has about $7 billion a year in simulation-related contracts, according to the National Center for Simulation. It is anchored by Team Orlando’s Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps training commands in Central Florida Research Park.
BLS data for May 2025 put the Orlando metro median at $129,620 for software developers, $129,440 for information security analysts and $156,560 for computer network architects.
Clearance holders nationwide averaged $126,125 in total compensation in ClearanceJobs’ 2026 report. TS/SCI holders averaged $139,261. The Florida average was $118,330.
The Army’s early-2026 renaming of PEO STRI as CPE ST3 and a stopgap budget running to December 11, 2026, add timing risk to new awards and hiring.
The Orlando Economic Partnership found that 57% of local employers report trouble recruiting. Only 18% feel confident their workforce is ready for AI-driven change.

Why Does Orlando Pay a Premium for Simulation and Defense Talent?

Team Orlando is the partnership of military simulation commands, industry and academia centered on Central Florida Research Park, next to the University of Central Florida. Its charter members include the Army’s simulation acquisition office (formerly PEO STRI), the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD), the Air Force Agency for Modeling and Simulation (AFAMS), the Marine Corps’ PM TRASYS, and UCF’s School of Modeling, Simulation and Training. The National Center for Simulation calls the park the world’s largest simulation cluster, with more than 370 member companies.

The Orlando Economic Partnership (OEP) cites more than 45,000 simulation-sector workers and more than $7 billion in annual simulation-related contracts, though one section of the same page says “over $6 billion.” OEP’s aerospace and defense profile, updated in May 2026, lists Lockheed Martin with 5,000 to 10,000 local employees and Leidos with 500 to 1,000. Northrop Grumman and L3Harris also operate in the region.

When the Florida congressional delegation wrote to Army leadership in November 2025, it credited the Army’s simulation acquisition office and the National Center for Simulation with an economic impact of $11.6 billion. The letter also said they support more than 30,000 high-wage jobs averaging over $100,000 a year.

Lockheed Martin’s Orlando work spans missile defense, rotary and mission systems, and simulation. Each December the region hosts I/ITSEC, the world’s largest modeling, simulation and training conference. The 2026 show runs November 30 through December 4 at the Orange County Convention Center and typically draws more than 18,000 attendees.

What Are the Highest-Paying Tech Skills in Orlando Right Now?

The table shows the latest BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) figures for the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metro (May 2025, via Wagedex). The “middle range” runs from the 25th to the 75th percentile.

Occupation	Orlando jobs	Median	Middle range
IT/systems managers	5,190	$171,210	$133K–$218K
Network architects	1,730	$156,560	$115K–$183K
Electronics engineers	1,040	$133,390	$108K–$153K
Software developers	13,440	$129,620	$103K–$163K
Info security analysts	1,890	$129,440	$99K–$161K
Aerospace engineers	240	$124,420	$103K–$144K
Data scientists	1,440	$106,590	$82K–$135K
Computer systems analysts	4,200	$100,780	$78K–$127K

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford MSA. Ranges rounded.

For context, BLS’s May 2024 survey put Orlando’s all-occupation mean wage at $28.95 an hour, against $32.66 nationally. Local computer and mathematical jobs averaged $49.35 an hour, against $56.16 nationally. Orlando tech pay trails the nation but sits near the top of the local market.

How Much Does a Security Clearance Add to Pay?

Clearance is the biggest pay lever here. ClearanceJobs surveyed 11,533 usable respondents between September and December 2025 for its 2026 Compensation Report. Average total compensation for cleared professionals reached $126,125, a record and up nearly 6%. By clearance level:

Secret: $107,439
Top Secret: $126,839
TS/SCI: $139,261
CI polygraph: $148,128
Full-scope polygraph: $149,875

By field, nationally, cleared systems engineers averaged $159,327 and cleared software professionals averaged $155,223. IT security averaged $142,823 and data science $143,365.

Florida’s cleared average was $118,330, fourth among listed states but below Virginia, Maryland and D.C. Orlando employers compete for cleared people against Washington-area pay scales.

Getting cleared also takes time. KiTalent, an executive search firm, estimated in May 2026 that about two-thirds of technical roles in the Research Park cluster require Secret clearance or higher. It also estimated that TS/SCI onboarding can take 9 to 12 months for people without an existing clearance. Those are one firm’s estimates, not official data. Still, a candidate who already holds an active clearance can start months sooner, and that is why employers pay for it.

The Top 5 In-Demand Skill Sets for 2026

This ranking weighs local pay data and where defense training dollars are flowing. Brackets are estimates from the cited data, not guaranteed offers.

1. Synthetic Environment and Simulation Software Engineering

This is the cluster’s core skill: building virtual training worlds, simulators, terrain databases and the networks that link simulations together, with game engines increasingly used for military training. Orlando also has a commercial gaming workforce, including Electronic Arts’ Tiburon studio, but many of those engineers lack clearances.

Estimated bracket: About $103,000 to $163,000 for the middle of the market, based on Orlando software developers (BLS, May 2025). Cleared senior engineers can top that range. ClearanceJobs’ national cleared software average was $155,223 (2025 survey).
Where to find talent: UCF’s School of Modeling, Simulation and Training, the I/ITSEC exhibit floor and career events, Full Sail University’s simulation and visualization program, and Embry-Riddle’s simulation science program.

2. Cleared Cybersecurity and Systems Security

Training networks, simulators and weapons systems all have to pass federal cybersecurity authorization and continuous monitoring. People who can do that work and already hold clearances are scarce.

Estimated bracket: About $99,000 to $161,000 for Orlando information security analysts (BLS, May 2025). Cleared IT security professionals averaged $142,823 nationally, and TS/SCI holders across fields averaged $139,261 (ClearanceJobs, 2025 survey).
Where to find talent: ClearanceJobs and cleared-only career fairs, veterans transitioning out of the 21 active-duty installations the Florida delegation counts across the state, and UCF’s Behavioral Cybersecurity track.

3. Systems, Embedded and Model-Based Engineering

Missile, sensor and training-device programs need engineers who can tie together hardware, software and requirements, often with model-based systems engineering tools. This is Lockheed Martin’s Orlando bread and butter.

Estimated bracket: About $108,000 to $153,000 for Orlando electronics engineers (BLS, May 2025). Cleared systems engineers averaged $159,327 nationally, and senior-level cleared engineers averaged $150,651 (ClearanceJobs, 2025 survey).
Where to find talent: UCF engineering programs (Aviation Week has ranked UCF the top aerospace and defense workforce supplier six years running, per OEP), co-ops and internships with the primes, and Florida Tech in Melbourne.

4. AI/ML and Data Science for Training Systems

Defense trainers want AI that builds scenarios faster, grades trainees automatically and runs friendly and enemy forces inside simulations. A June 2026 Capstone Partners sector report found industry executives describing exactly those uses.

Estimated bracket: About $82,000 to $135,000 for Orlando data scientists at the 25th to 75th percentile, with the 90th percentile at $165,990 (BLS, May 2025). Cleared data science professionals averaged $143,365 nationally (ClearanceJobs, 2025 survey). The BLS data likely understates pay for specialized defense AI roles.
Where to find talent: UCF’s Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning and Digital Twins tracks, IST research labs, and the Orlando tech community events OEP organizes.

5. Cloud, DevSecOps and Network Architecture

Training is moving toward cloud-hosted, networked environments that connect sites across services and allies. Architects who can design secure, accredited networks command the highest non-management pay in the local data.

Estimated bracket: About $115,000 to $183,000 for Orlando computer network architects (BLS, May 2025). Leaders who move into IT management have a metro median of $171,210.
Where to find talent: Cleared IT pools at Leidos and other integrators, cloud certification programs, the Orange Technical College modeling and simulation certificate as an entry pipeline, and referrals.

How Are 2025-2026 Defense Budget Shifts Affecting Orlando Hiring?

The acquisition reorganization. In 2025 the Army began replacing program executive offices with capability-focused portfolio offices. In early 2026, PEO STRI was renamed Capability Program Executive Simulation, Training, Test and Threat (CPE ST3), reporting under the portfolio acquisition executive for command and control. CPE ST3 remains in Orlando with more than 1,100 soldiers, civilians and contractors, and the Army has said more realignments are coming. The Florida delegation’s November 2025 letter urged the Army to keep a portfolio headquarters in Orlando. Bigger toplines. Capstone Partners reports that the Pentagon’s FY2026 budget raised training investment 7.8% to $159.7 billion. The FY2027 request totals about $1.5 trillion, roughly $1.15 trillion through regular appropriations and $350 billion through reconciliation.

Timing risk. Congress passed a continuing resolution that funds the Pentagon at 2026 levels through December 11, 2026. Stopgap bills generally block new program starts, which means delayed awards and cautious requisitions. Expect some offers to wait until contracts clear.

What Should Employers and Candidates Do Now?

OEP’s December 2025 talent report recommends skills-based hiring and deeper school partnerships, citing UCF and Lockheed Martin as a model. In practice, employers should sponsor clearances for strong uncleared hires early, recruit at I/ITSEC rather than only exhibit there, and pursue cleared engineers directly. For candidates, an active clearance plus a simulation or systems engineering portfolio and a security or cloud certification is the combination that moves offers into the upper quartile.

Brian’s Take

When I managed money, I learned to follow the cash flows, not the press releases. In Orlando the cash flows run through Team Orlando’s contracting offices. That gives this labor market a floor that tourism-heavy Orlando sorely needs. A software developer median near $130,000 in a metro whose overall average wage trails the nation is not noise. It is a structural premium.

But I would not call it a one-way bet. The Army’s rebuild of its acquisition structure is the biggest organizational change the cluster has seen in years. The Florida delegation’s letter asking to keep a headquarters here shows nobody is taking Orlando’s place for granted. Add a continuing resolution running into December, and I expect hiring to be lumpy through early 2027: strong for cleared, proven people and slower for entry-level and uncleared roles.

My advice to employers is to treat clearance sponsorship as a capital investment, not an HR expense. The cleared talent pool is too thin to rent. To candidates, I’d say a clearance plus simulation or AI skills is the most valuable credential in Central Florida tech. Pursue it deliberately, and don’t take the first offer from someone who knows you already hold one.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the highest-paying tech job in Orlando?

Excluding medicine, computer and information systems managers rank near the top, with a May 2025 Orlando metro median of $171,210, according to BLS OEWS data. Among individual contributors, computer network architects lead at a $156,560 median. Electronics engineers ($133,390) and software developers ($129,620) follow. A security clearance can push pay above these medians.

Do I need a security clearance to work in Orlando’s simulation industry?

Not always, but it helps a great deal. Many technical roles tied to Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps training programs require at least a Secret clearance, and core work is often limited to U.S. citizens. Employers do sponsor clearances, but processing can take many months. Candidates who arrive already cleared have a clear advantage on both speed and salary.

What is Team Orlando?

Team Orlando is a partnership of the military’s simulation and training commands, industry and academia. Members include the Army’s CPE ST3 (formerly PEO STRI), NAWCTSD, AFAMS, the Marine Corps’ PM TRASYS, and UCF. Most are based in or near Central Florida Research Park, next to UCF, which the National Center for Simulation calls the world’s largest simulation cluster.

When is I/ITSEC 2026?

I/ITSEC 2026 runs November 30 through December 4, 2026, at the Orange County Convention Center’s South Concourse in Orlando. It is the world’s largest modeling, simulation and training event and typically draws more than 18,000 people from the military, industry and academia. For recruiters, it is the best place each year to meet cleared simulation talent in person.

How does Orlando defense pay compare with Washington, D.C.?

Lower on average. ClearanceJobs’ 2026 report put Florida’s average cleared compensation at $118,330, against $136,369 in D.C., $138,748 in Virginia and $139,303 in Maryland. Orlando’s lower housing costs and Florida’s lack of a state income tax narrow some of that gap, which is a key selling point for local recruiters.

Will defense budget changes slow Orlando hiring in 2026?

They may delay it more than reduce it. The FY2027 request seeks about $1.5 trillion, but a continuing resolution holds Pentagon funding at 2026 levels through December 11, 2026, and blocks most new starts. The Army’s acquisition reorganization adds uncertainty. Expect steady demand for cleared specialists but slower requisitions for new programs until full-year funding passes.