ApTask research · Annual benchmark
Bill rates, time-to-fill benchmarks, and diversity-spend data based on 700+ ApTask placements at Fortune 500 clients across the United States. Updated annually. Full PDF available on request; the summary and methodology are published below for open citation.
Report is currently being assembled from 2026 placement data. Executive summary below is preliminary; full report ships November 2026.
Executive summary
Every number below is directly citable. Full methodology and geographic breakdowns available in the PDF.
$135/hour
Across 700+ ApTask placements. Range: $85 (early-career, secondary metros) to $220 (Bay Area principal-level).
19 business days
Compared to industry average of 42 business days (SIA 2024). Measured req-open to candidate-start.
AI / ML engineering
42% year-over-year growth in placements. Median senior ML engineer bill rate: $175/hour.
SF Bay Area · +23%
Bay Area senior rates trade 23% above US national median. Los Angeles trades +11%, Texas trails median by 9%.
~4.5%
Estimated share of Fortune 500 IT staffing spend flowing through NMSDC-certified MBE suppliers. Rising as supplier diversity mandates tighten.
Methodology
The report draws on ApTask's live placement data — every senior-level IT contract engagement placed through our platform between the reporting window. Bill rates are normalized to hourly equivalents (annual salaries converted using standard 2,080-hour year); geographic cohorts group placements by the client site's SBA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Time-to-fill measures the interval from client requisition-open to candidate start date, excluding pauses attributable to client-side scheduling or background-check backlogs. Every metric shown reflects actual invoiced engagements — not job-posting data or self-reported market surveys.
Full methodology appendix, sample-size disclosures per geography, and confidence intervals are included in the gated PDF.
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