Research Summary. Using a combination of public government and company data as well as data gathered from thousands of job postings, the Zippia data team has created average salary estimates for jobs across the US. Using that data set, the team has identified the types of administrators that are the highest paid based on their average annual salaries.
Here is a summary of our findings for the highest-paying types of administrators:
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Senior Administrator is the highest-paid type of administrator with an average salary of $103,102 and an average hourly rate of $49.57.
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The second highest-paying type of administrator is lead administrator, with an average salary of $94,444.
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The average administrator salary is $72,882 per year, and the average hourly pay is $35.04.
Table Of Contents: Background | Table | Methodology | FAQs
Background
Choosing a career path can be difficult, and while pay shouldn’t be the only thing you consider in your decision, it is a significant factor. So if you’d like to work as an administrator, it helps to have an idea of what the highest-paid types of administrators are so that you can plan your career progression.
Here are the top salaries for different types of administrators:
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Senior Administrator
Average Salary: $103,102
A senior administrator is responsible for managing the overall administrative duties in an organization, including coordinating with higher management to identify process and operations improvement and other business opportunities to grow revenues and increase profitability. Senior administrators monitor and delegate tasks to the administrative staff, resolve discrepancies on record-keeping, respond to the customers’ inquiries and concerns, ensure the adequacy of inventory, and train new staff. They also inspect and update the database regularly for business information and customer details, as well as handling complaints or directing them to the appropriate personnel and department.
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Lead Administrator
Average Salary: $94,444
Lead administrators are information technology (IT) professionals who are responsible for managing and troubleshooting departmental computer operations of an organization. These IT professionals must manage and approve access to their online score data as well as create new users directly in the portal to allow access to the score data. They manage the office supplies of the organization while processing salary management and executive payroll every month. Lead administrators must also coordinate with technicians for hardware, printer, and cabling repairs.
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Sharepoint Administrator
Average Salary: $81,739
Sharepoint Administrators are responsible for providing support and management of the Sharepoint platform to companies. They are responsible for managing sites and accounts, including site configuration, custom features deployment, bandwidth monitoring, managing space, and maintaining backups. They also conduct service management, which entails ensuring server speed, updates, patches installed, proper functioning of remote access, and data security. They manage employee training processes, including conducting orientation and new feature updates, producing training documents, organizing individual sessions for answering queries. Sharepoint Administrators also provide troubleshooting support from small issues such as changing settings to bigger ones requiring working with Sharepoint Developer in amending changes on the platform.
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Nursing Home Administrator
Average Salary: $80,880
A nursing home administrator is responsible for managing and running a nursing home facility and supervising staff. Your typical duties will include managing the budget and making critical decisions, overseeing the recruitment, training, and dismissal of staff members, conducting employee performance reviews, and communicating with prospective and existing residents and their families. Additionally, you are expected to advocate for nursing home residents, develop rules, procedures, and policies for the facility, and oversee residents’ billings for services. As a nursing home administrator, you are also responsible for conducting safety training for all staff.
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Linux Administrator
Average Salary: $79,996
A Linux administrator is responsible for monitoring the efficiency of Linux operating systems to support business operations and high-quality deliverables. Linux administrators handle the resolution of Linux network issues, maintaining its stability and ensuring its safety and security from unauthorized access and malware threats. They also conduct regular maintenance to configure the system navigation and infrastructure, running multiple diagnostic tests to identify defects, and recommending strategic procedures for system enhancement. A Linux administrator must have excellent communication and technical skills, especially in providing technical support on faulty servers.
Below is a full table of the average pay for various administrator that pay the most followed by a more detailed explanation of our methodology.
Highest-Paying Types Of Administrators
Methodology
Zippia uses publicly published information from government sources such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Foreign Labor Certification Data Center (FLC), and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to create its salary estimates.
Our data science team also checks job postings and company-published resources for additional up-to-date salary information for administrators.
Once they’ve gathered the data, the team calculates a weighted average for each job title they’re estimating a salary for. For more details on our salary estimates, you can read the detailed methodology.
Highest-Paying Types Of Administrator Jobs FAQs
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What is the highest-paid administrator job?
The highest-paid administrator job is a senior administrator. Senior Administrators earn an average salary of $103,102, which is $ 49.57 hourly.
A senior administrator is responsible for managing the overall administrative duties in an organization, including coordinating with higher management to identify process and operations improvement and other business opportunities to grow revenues and increase profitability. Senior administrators monitor and delegate tasks to the administrative staff, resolve discrepancies on record-keeping, respond to the customers’ inquiries and concerns, ensure the adequacy of inventory, and train new staff. They also inspect and update the database regularly for business information and customer details, as well as handling complaints or directing them to the appropriate personnel and department.
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What is a good salary for an administrator?
A good salary for an administrator is $72,882 or more. The average administrator salary is $72,882, so those making at least $72,882 are earning above-average paychecks.
Keep in mind, however, that the average administrator salary does fluctuate based on location, as companies will adjust their pay scales based on the cost of living in that area. Research what the average salary is in your area for someone of your expertise and experience level to get a more accurate view on how well you’re being paid.
In addition, if you’re just starting your career as an administrator, the average entry level salary is $0, so don’t base your opinion of your salary on the $72,882 average, as this includes all administrators of all skill and experience levels.
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Do Administrator jobs pay well?
Yes, administrator jobs pay well. As in any industry, some administrator jobs pay better than others, but the average administrator salary of $72,882 is times the average national salary of about $44,225 per year.
In addition to this, many administrator jobs have high earning potential, with the top 10% of administrators earning $0 a year on average.
Administrators’ salaries will fluctuate based on their experience level, industry, and location, so pay attention to these factors when you’re looking for a job as an administrator. Do your research on the going rate for an administrator in your area with your expertise, and don’t be afraid to negotiate your salary based on that information.
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Where do administrators get paid the most?
Administrators get paid the most in Massachusetts. In Massachusetts, administrators earn an average annual salary of $87,681 and an average hourly wage of $42.15.
Following MA, the states with the highest-paid administrators are Washington, Oregon, and District of Columbia, with average annual salaries of $89,753, $84,490, and $85,736 respectively.
The cities with the highest-paid administrator salaries are:
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San Francisco, CA – $96,252
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Seattle, WA – $90,608
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East Brunswick, NJ – $88,198
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Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
