Provide technical assistance to computer users. Answer questions or resolve computer problems for clients in person, via telephone, or electronically. May provide assistance concerning the use of computer hardware and software, including printing, installation, word processing, electronic mail, and operating systems.
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Licensing, certifications and working conditions
State licensing. CareerOneStop's licensing data records no state license for Computer User Support Specialists, which usually means it is not a licensed occupation. Requirements can still vary by employer and state.
Certifications. CareerOneStop directly links 57 professional certifications to Computer User Support Specialists. 26 of them are in CareerOneStop's "Core" group, for example: AIBIZ, Associate in Information Technology (AIT), Certified Cyber Security Professional - Associate/Practitioner, Certified Cyber Security Professional - Foundation, Certified Healthcare Technology Specialist - Technical/Software Support Staff (CHTS-TS). Certifications are voluntary credentials offered by the organizations named; listing one is not an endorsement.
Working conditions. On average, workers stand or walk about 1.4 hours and sit about 6.5 hours per day. The typical heaviest weight lifted or carried is about 10.0 pounds. For 50.2% of workers the job requires sedentary strength. Shares of workers who interact with the general public (65.5%), have a consistently fast work pace (39.9%), cannot pause their work (15.9%), and are exposed to the outdoors (2.7%). From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Requirements Survey (2023 estimates); figures describe the occupation on average.
Sources: CareerOneStop (licenses and certifications), part of the CareerOneStop suite of web products, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (working conditions, wages). MajorPays has reorganized this information; these agencies have not approved or endorsed it. See it interactively, with state-by-state detail →
More data on this career
Where the jobs are, and what they pay by industry. Nationwide, the industries that employ the most computer user support specialists are Computer Systems Design and Related Services (22% of the jobs counted, median pay $60,440), Elementary and Secondary Schools (6% of the jobs counted, median pay $57,260), Management of Companies and Enterprises (5% of the jobs counted, median pay $63,890), Software Publishers (4% of the jobs counted, median pay $65,530) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Among large industries, the highest median pay is in State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals ($96,200), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services ($66,400), Software Publishers ($65,530). Pay differs by industry for many reasons, including the mix of jobs and where employers are located.
Injury and illness rates. For the broader group "Computer support specialists", which includes this career (BLS did not publish enough cases for this exact occupation), employers reported 15.6 nonfatal injury and illness cases with days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers, compared with 94.6 for all U.S. workers; the median case kept the worker away 5 days (all workers: 8) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023-2024). Rates reflect the work setting as well as the occupation.
Union membership. In the broad group "Computer and mathematical", which includes this career, 3.7% of wage and salary workers belong to a union (all U.S. workers: 10.0%); median weekly pay is $1,665 for union members and $2,045 for workers not in a union (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, 2025). This is a group figure, not specific to computer user support specialists.
Wages employers offered H-1B workers. For computer user support specialists, employers filed 132 certified Labor Condition Applications for H-1B workers covering 163 worker positions in FY2025, with a median lower-bound wage offered of $80,000 (the middle half ran from $61,000 to $104,400) (U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification). These are wages named in employers' applications to hire temporary foreign workers, usually in jobs that need at least a bachelor's degree. They are not what every worker in the occupation earns. The Department of Labor has not endorsed this presentation.
Employer benefits. In the broad group "Professional and related", which includes this career, 86% of civilian workers had access to an employer retirement plan, 85% had access to employer medical care benefits, and 92% had paid sick leave, 73% paid vacation and 78% paid holidays (all civilian workers: 75%, 74%, 83%, 77% and 79%) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey, March 2026). This is a group figure, not specific to computer user support specialists, and having access to a benefit does not mean every worker uses it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has not endorsed this presentation. Employers spent about $74.42 per hour worked on total compensation for the occupational group "Professional and related" in June 2026 ($50.37 in wages and salaries and $24.06 in benefits, 32.3% of the total; all civilian workers: $49.46, with 31.6% in benefits) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation).
Work environment. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, the conditions most often placed at the two highest levels for computer user support specialists are: e-mail (100%), indoors, environmentally controlled (97%), face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams (95%), work with or contribute to a work group or team (93%). Each percentage is the share of respondents choosing the top two levels for that condition (for example 'most of the time' or 'continually'), so it describes how common the condition is in the job, not how a particular workplace is (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Related careers. O*NET lists these occupations as similar to computer user support specialists in the work done and the skills used: Computer Network Support Specialists, Network and Computer Systems Administrators, Computer Systems Engineers/Architects, Computer Systems Analysts, Software Developers, Database Administrators, Computer, Automated Teller, and Office Machine Repairers, Information Security Analysts (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Pay by state. See what computer user support specialists earn in each state, with the pay range and number of jobs: Computer User Support Specialists salary by state (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025).
Compare computer user support specialists with other careers (pay, growth, openings and education side by side).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 PUMS (MajorPays' own estimates from the survey; Census is credited as the source of the original data and has not endorsed them); BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses; BLS Current Population Survey; BLS National Compensation Survey (employee benefits); HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (LCA disclosure data, FY2025). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; these agencies have not approved or endorsed them. See it interactively →
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