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Cisco salary estimate

$123,536yearly

$59.39 hourly rate

Entry-level salary
$93,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

How much does Cisco pay?

The average Cisco salary in the United States is $123,536 per year. Cisco salaries range between $93,000 a year in the bottom 10th percentile to $162,000 in the top 90th percentile. Cisco pays $59.39 an hour on average. Geographic location also impacts Cisco salaries. Cisco employees in San Jose, CA get paid the most.

Highest paying jobs at Cisco

The highest paying jobs at Cisco are lead technician, manager, systems engineering, solutions architect, and engineering technician lead. Lead technician jobs at Cisco earn an average yearly salary of $148,392, Cisco manager, systems engineering jobs average $145,890, and Cisco solutions architect jobs average $144,031.

The lowest paying Cisco roles include administrative assistant and internship. Cisco administrative assistant average salary is $52,174 per year. So while the average Cisco salary is $123,536 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.

Highest paying jobs at Cisco

RankJob titleAverage Cisco salaryHourly rate
1Lead Technician$148,392$71.34
2Manager, Systems Engineering$145,890$70.14
3Solutions Architect$144,031$69.25
4Engineering Technician Lead$142,387$68.46
5Information Technology Architect$141,919$68.23
6System Software Developer$134,114$64.48
7Database Administrator$131,795$63.36
8Program Manager$127,618$61.35
9Systems Administrator$125,923$60.54
10Software Engineer$125,255$60.22
11Project Manager$124,329$59.77
12Data Scientist$124,201$59.71
13Member, Technical Staff$122,612$58.95
14Business Analyst$115,807$55.68
15Information Technology Analyst$115,188$55.38
16User Experience Designer$113,390$54.51
17Java Developer$109,978$52.87
18Consultant$109,199$52.50
19Project Specialist$97,493$46.87
20Customer Support Engineer$96,853$46.56

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Average Cisco salary by state

Cisco pays the highest salaries in California due to higher costs of living and competition in the state.

RankStateAverage Cisco salaryHourly rate
1California$140,056$67.33
2Washington$136,084$65.43
3Nevada$118,202$56.83
4New York$114,729$55.16
5Arizona$114,268$54.94
6Massachusetts$114,027$54.82
7New Jersey$110,541$53.14
8Connecticut$109,423$52.61
9Texas$108,503$52.16
10District of Columbia$108,217$52.03
11Colorado$107,823$51.84
12Maryland$106,320$51.12
13Virginia$105,218$50.59
14Pennsylvania$103,527$49.77
15North Carolina$101,056$48.58
16Minnesota$100,767$48.45
17Georgia$100,189$48.17
18Illinois$99,562$47.87
19Ohio$99,237$47.71
20Michigan$99,063$47.63

How much does Cisco pay by location?

The average Cisco salary varies by location. Cisco salaries are the highest in San Jose, CA, at $143,717 per year. Cisco pays the second highest average salary in Bellevue, WA, at $136,474 per year. It's important to factor in the cost of living when negotiating a salary or choosing a place to work.

Highest paying Cisco locations

RankLocationAverage Cisco salaryHourly rate
1San Jose, CA$143,717$69.09
2Bellevue, WA$136,474$65.61
3New York, NY$114,644$55.12
4Boxborough, MA$113,990$54.80
5Iselin, NJ$110,558$53.15
6Richardson, TX$108,132$51.99
7Centennial, CO$107,744$51.80
8Fulton, MD$106,253$51.08
9Herndon, VA$105,998$50.96
10Parkton, NC$101,102$48.61
11Richfield, OH$100,212$48.18
12Lawrenceville, GA$99,966$48.06
13Chicago, IL$99,778$47.97
14Miami, FL$97,109$46.69

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Cisco salaries by department

Salaries at Cisco vary depending on the department you work in. Cisco salaries in the business development department are the highest with an average salary of $134,342. Employees in the engineering department at Cisco receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $126,845 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at Cisco include the customer service and the finance organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $100,493 and $113,490, respectively.

Average Cisco salary by department

RankDepartmentAverage Cisco salaryHourly rate
1Business Development$134,342$64.59
2Engineering$126,845$60.98
3Marketing$122,767$59.02
4IT$122,217$58.76
5Non Profit/Government$121,816$58.57
6Plant/Manufacturing$118,123$56.79
7Sales$114,028$54.82
8Finance$113,490$54.56
9Customer Service$100,493$48.31

How much does Cisco pay by department?

Best paying Cisco engineering salaries

RankPositionAverage Cisco salaryHourly rate
1Engineering Director$197,755$95.07
2Software Development Manager$164,405$79.04
3Architect$144,669$69.55
4Engineering Technician Lead$142,387$68.46
5Project Leader$139,681$67.15
6Senior Project Manager$139,072$66.86
7Database Administrator$131,795$63.36
8Oracle Functional Consultant$126,991$61.05
9Software Engineer$125,255$60.22
10Data Scientist$124,201$59.71
11Hardware Engineer$123,767$59.50
12Member, Technical Staff$122,612$58.95
13Java/J2ee Developer$113,676$54.65
14Java Developer$109,978$52.87
15Data Analyst$108,063$51.95

Best paying Cisco IT salaries

RankPositionAverage Cisco salaryHourly rate
1Solutions Architect$144,031$69.25
2Information Technology Project Manager$142,320$68.42
3Senior Project Manager$139,072$66.86
4Business Architect$129,516$62.27
5Scrum Master$127,921$61.50
6Systems Administrator$125,923$60.54
7Senior System Administrator$125,666$60.42
8Computer Systems Analyst$123,362$59.31
9Information Technology Analyst$115,188$55.38
10Consulting Network Engineer$110,093$52.93
11Network Support Engineer$103,127$49.58
12Technical Support Specialist$93,431$44.92
13Technical Assistant$57,494$27.64

Best paying Cisco marketing salaries

RankPositionAverage Cisco salaryHourly rate
1Senior Manager, Product Management$152,916$73.52
2Technical Marketing Engineer$136,988$65.86
3Product Manager$132,797$63.84
4Marketing Manager$131,223$63.09
5Interactive Developer$121,781$58.55
6Business Analyst$115,807$55.68
7Business Operations Analyst$100,241$48.19

Cisco competitors’ average salaries

Average salaries at Cisco competitors, like Meta, Google, and NVIDIA, vary. Meta employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $155,739. The average salary at Google is $140,774 per year, and the average salary at NVIDIA is $138,575 per year.

Highest paying Cisco competitors

RankCompany nameZippia scoreAverage salary
1Meta4.8$155,739
2Google4.8$140,774
3NVIDIA4.9$138,575
4Microsoft4.8$131,100
5Adobe4.8$119,996
6Salesforce4.8$114,753
7NetApp4.7$109,497
8HP4.9$102,566
9Oracle4.6$101,392
10Dell4.8$98,219
11Intel4.7$94,208
12Lancope3.7$93,283
13IBM4.7$86,845
14Collins Aerospace4.7$85,837
15Cognizant4.6$84,395
16Northrop Grumman4.7$77,399
17Lockheed Martin4.8$75,771
18Computer Science Corporation4.6$73,824
19Raytheon Technologies4.6$72,022
20L3Harris4.4$68,528

Recently added Cisco salaries

JobLocationDate addedSalary
Business Systems Analyst-Salesforce (Remote)Nunez, GA06/27/2025$86,400
Business Systems Analyst-Salesforce (Remote)Noma, FL06/27/2025$86,400
Business Systems Analyst-Salesforce (Remote)Ione, OR06/27/2025$86,400
Business Systems Analyst-Salesforce (Remote)Nome, TX06/27/2025$86,400
Business Systems Analyst-Salesforce (Remote)Boone, NC06/27/2025$86,400

What employees say about salary at Cisco

Employee reviews
profile
3.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2024
Pros of working at Cisco

great pay, nice people, nearly all remote

Cons of working at Cisco

lack of vision from executive leadership, hard to be promoted at mid and senior levels, severe budget constraints, yearly layoffs

Cisco benefits

work / life balance

What do you like best about Cisco's CEO and the leadership team?

They talk the talk about doing the right thing always - and try to be transparent.

How would you improve Cisco's culture?

Move talent internally where help is needed instead of mindless cuts across the board which don't account for strategic value.

How did you prepare for the Cisco interview?

Know my background, research all interviewers

How does your compensation at Cisco compare to the industry average?

Higher

What's the diversity at Cisco like?

solid

What brings you the most joy at Cisco?

intellectual challenge and smart people - without those, it becomes boring!

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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2024
Pros of working at Cisco

working from home - lots of career paths good bonus structure

Cons of working at Cisco

pay is not inline with other companies

What do you like best about Cisco's CEO and the leadership team?

he doesn't even register on my radar

How would you improve Cisco's culture?

better pay structure

How did you prepare for the Cisco interview?

brushed up on ccna

How does your compensation at Cisco compare to the industry average?

a bit lower

What's the diversity at Cisco like?

it's getting better - inclusion is a big deal at cisco

What brings you the most joy at Cisco?

i am entiering

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3.0
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2024
Pros of working at Cisco

people, liberty, making the goal

Cons of working at Cisco

leadership, no salary increase , product quality

Cisco benefits

the CAR in EU

What do you like best about Cisco's CEO and the leadership team?

Nothing, pure BS

How would you improve Cisco's culture?

Fire the leadership exec, have their bonus paid on product quality and inovation

How did you prepare for the Cisco interview?

not needed, going retirment

How does your compensation at Cisco compare to the industry average?

not any more

What's the diversity at Cisco like?

that's ok but their are racist against pro EEC people

What brings you the most joy at Cisco?

happy customer

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4.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2023
Pros of working at Cisco

Great team and flexible

Cons of working at Cisco

They are Always reorganizing

Cisco benefits

They had great stockoptions

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4.0
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2023
Pros of working at Cisco

My management team was very transparent, easily approachable, extremely supportive, and genuine.

Cons of working at Cisco

The company itself being so large mad it difficult to implement changes quickly.

Cisco benefits

Great managers, medical benefits were fantastic, a lot of self education available in their LMS.

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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2023
Pros of working at Cisco

Collaborative work environment, Supportive Management

Cisco benefits

Healthcare benefits, Stock grants

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profile
5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2023
Pros of working at Cisco

Flexible learning opportunities and exposure

Cons of working at Cisco

Poor job mobility

Cisco benefits

Working from home

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4.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2021
Pros of working at Cisco

It’s a great place to work.

Cons of working at Cisco

I don’t have the opportunity to advance my career

Cisco benefits

Work/life balance

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3.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2021
Pros of working at Cisco

Technical Challenges

Cons of working at Cisco

management was not engaged with contractors

Cisco benefits

I was a contractor had no benefits

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3.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2021
Pros of working at Cisco

free coffee and opportunity to travel

Cons of working at Cisco

too many hours and no back up person

Cisco benefits

stock purchase plan

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4.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2021
Pros of working at Cisco

environment, payment, office location, co-workers

Cons of working at Cisco

difficult to grow

Cisco benefits

health benefits

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profile
5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2021
Pros of working at Cisco

I was on a contract for a new organization that was constantly making changes. The job I had was dissolved. I have worked for Cisco for 20 years prior. Employee #895

Cons of working at Cisco

Stressed and overburdened director taking frustrations out on the administrative staff. (in contract role) - but we worked it out.

Cisco benefits

Being able to work from home (or in the office). I have a lot of friends at that company from when I worked there previously for 20 years.

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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2021
Pros of working at Cisco

Great people with a large knowledge of modern marketing and how to best use tools that create valuable pipelines for making money.

Cons of working at Cisco

Politics. Lots of people focussed on swinging elbows vs getting the work done.

Cisco benefits

Very Flexible work approach. They favor remote and distance work best practices since they own the Webex brand.

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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2020
Pros of working at Cisco

new technologies, many challenges, great workplace

Cons of working at Cisco

unfairness for promotions,

Cisco benefits

health plan

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4.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2020
Pros of working at Cisco

Great place to grow and learn. Unlimited opportunities for education.

Cons of working at Cisco

Way too much to learn. It often feels like your trying to drink from a firehose.

Cisco benefits

Work from home.

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4.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2020
Pros of working at Cisco

products and coworkers

Cons of working at Cisco

politics, LR and layoffs

Cisco benefits

Restriced Stock Units and medical benefits

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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020
Pros of working at Cisco

Fast pace technology company, pays good, great benefits.

Cons of working at Cisco

None that I can think of.

Cisco benefits

Travel and recognition. Healthcare coverage.

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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Feb 2020
Pros of working at Cisco

It is the best company to work

Cons of working at Cisco

Cool atmosphere

Cisco benefits

Salary hike, and bonuses, lovely campus, great food cafeteria

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5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on May 2019
Pros of working at Cisco

Lots of change, continuous learning, stimulating environment

Cisco benefits

Ability to work anywhere and learning opportunities

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Frequently asked questions about Cisco salaries

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Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Cisco, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Cisco. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Cisco. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Cisco. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Cisco and its employees or that of Zippia.

Cisco may also be known as or be related to Cisco, Cisco Systems, Cisco Systems Foundation, Cisco Systems Inc and Cisco Systems, Inc.