Computer systems administrator vs lead administrator

The differences between computer systems administrators and lead administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a computer systems administrator and a lead administrator. Additionally, a lead administrator has an average salary of $94,444, which is higher than the $72,247 average annual salary of a computer systems administrator.

The top three skills for a computer systems administrator include computer system, linux and customer service. The most important skills for a lead administrator are payroll, office equipment, and expense reports.

Computer systems administrator vs lead administrator overview

	Computer Systems Administrator	Lead Administrator
Yearly salary	$72,247	$94,444
Hourly rate	$34.73	$45.41
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	136,907	57,229
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a computer systems administrator do?

Computer systems administrators are responsible for organizing and installing a company's computer system, including the WAN, LAN, and other data for communication. They gather information from the users to determine where to improve and troubleshoot hardware and software issues. These administrators ensure that the system they design for a company meets the needs of their users. They maintain the security of their systems and provide technical support for projects. They mainly administer a company's network, database, and security systems.

What does a lead administrator do?

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.

Computer systems administrator vs lead administrator salary

Computer systems administrators and lead administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Computer Systems Administrator	Lead Administrator
Average salary	$72,247	$94,444
Salary range	Between $53,000 And $97,000	Between $63,000 And $141,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Richmond, CA
Highest paying state	California	Oregon
Best paying company	Meta	Koch Industries
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between computer systems administrator and lead administrator education

There are a few differences between a computer systems administrator and a lead administrator in terms of educational background:

	Computer Systems Administrator	Lead Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 52%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Computer Science	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Computer systems administrator vs lead administrator demographics

Here are the differences between computer systems administrators' and lead administrators' demographics:

	Computer Systems Administrator	Lead Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 82.7% Female, 17.3%	Male, 37.2% Female, 62.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.5% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between computer systems administrator and lead administrator duties and responsibilities

Computer systems administrator example responsibilities.

Create SNP pipeline script in Perl to automate SNP prediction.
Manage static IP address reservations in the corporate and DHCP in the production network.
Manage a mix facility of IBM and DEC mainframe computers, VAX super-mini computers and PDP-11 mini computers.
Design, install, configure and manage Citrix XenApp/XenDesktop environment.
Manage & monitor database servers and perform weekly/monthly data backup schedules and recovery strategies.
Convert manual offices to computerize environment using standalone PCs and UNIX systems.

Lead administrator example responsibilities.

Manage and coordinate office operations and procedures to include payroll preparation, information management/filing systems, and supply requisitions.
Support and troubleshoot all claims questions and provide assistance with more advance issues.
Provide initiatives and suggestions for performance tuning of applications, script auto deployment plans, troubleshoot complex production issues.
Create and implement migration plans to new SharePoint environments.
Provide application training for company's custom provisioning application.
Implement SSO configuration and user provisioning on IDM environments.

Computer systems administrator vs lead administrator skills

Common computer systems administrator skills

Computer System, 12%
Linux, 8%
Customer Service, 5%
Troubleshoot, 5%
DOD, 4%
User Accounts, 3%

Common lead administrator skills

Payroll, 10%
Office Equipment, 8%
Expense Reports, 6%
Windows, 6%
Data Entry, 5%
PowerPoint, 5%

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Computer Systems Administrator
Computer Systems Administrator vs Lead Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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