IT Spending Benchmarks 2026
Updated 26 March 2026
IT spending benchmarks by industry and company size. Use these ranges to assess whether your IT budget is competitive with peers in your sector.
By Industry (as % of revenue)
| Industry | Small Biz | Mid-market | Enterprise | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financial Services / FinTech | 12-16% | 9-12% | 7-10% | Compliance and security requirements drive above-average spend |
| Healthcare / Life Sciences | 10-14% | 8-11% | 6-9% | Electronic health records and regulatory compliance are major cost drivers |
| Technology / Software | 10-14% | 8-12% | 6-9% | Infrastructure and developer tooling dominate; higher than most sectors |
| E-commerce / Retail | 6-10% | 5-8% | 3-6% | Variable by digital maturity; pure-play e-commerce trends toward 8-10% |
| Professional Services | 8-12% | 6-9% | 4-7% | Collaboration tools and client-facing portals drive spend |
| Manufacturing | 5-8% | 3-6% | 2-5% | ERP and OT/IT integration costs increasing with Industry 4.0 adoption |
| Education | 5-8% | 4-7% | 3-6% | Budget constraints limit spend; LMS and student systems are core |
| Logistics / Transport | 5-8% | 4-6% | 3-5% | Fleet management, routing, and supply chain systems are primary costs |
| Media / Entertainment | 6-9% | 5-8% | 4-7% | Content delivery infrastructure and streaming tech drive variable costs |
| Non-profit | 4-7% | 3-6% | 2-4% | Below-average spend due to budget constraints; cloud has improved access |
By Company Size
Startup (1-50)
IT as % of revenue
10-15%
Avg monthly spend
$8,000-$40,000
Key priorities: Cloud infrastructure, SaaS tools, basic security
High percentage driven by foundational tech investment. Founder-led IT with no dedicated team. Per-employee cost is highest in this segment.
SMB (51-250)
IT as % of revenue
7-10%
Avg monthly spend
$25,000-$150,000
Key priorities: First dedicated IT hire, security basics, standardised tooling
Transition period where ad hoc IT investment becomes structured. Biggest risk is security underspend. Average of $800-$1,200 per employee per month.
Mid-market (251-1000)
IT as % of revenue
6-8%
Avg monthly spend
$100,000-$600,000
Key priorities: IT governance, vendor consolidation, first security team
Economies of scale start to show. Enterprise negotiation power with vendors. Internal IT team of 5-20 people is typical. Security spend should reach 10%+ of IT budget.
Enterprise (1001-5000)
IT as % of revenue
5-7%
Avg monthly spend
$400,000-$2,500,000
Key priorities: Digital transformation, legacy modernisation, cyber resilience
Complexity of estate drives maintenance costs. CTO and CIO distinction common. Significant technical debt remediation budget required. Board-level cyber reporting expected.
Large Enterprise (5000+)
IT as % of revenue
4-6%
Avg monthly spend
$1,500,000+
Key priorities: AI/ML adoption, compliance at scale, M&A integration
Lower percentage reflects revenue scale, not lower absolute spend. IT departments of 100-500+ people. Significant vendor management function required.
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