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Computer systems administrator salary
Average computer systems administrator salary
$72,247
Average Computer Systems Administrator Salary
The average salary for a Computer Systems Administrator stands at $72,247 per year. This figure varies depending on several factors including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry. For instance, professionals working in technology and finance sectors often see higher compensation compared to those in non-profit roles.
Salary by State
In terms of location, states like California and New York offer some of the highest salaries for Computer Systems Administrators, reflecting the demand for skilled IT professionals in metropolitan areas. Conversely, states with lower living costs tend to offer lower salaries but can still provide competitive opportunities.
Factors Affecting Salary
Experience also plays a vital role in determining salary. Entry-level positions may start at around $50,000, while those with several years of experience can command upwards of $90,000. Certifications in relevant technologies and continuous professional development can further enhance earning potential.
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Where can a Computer Systems Administrator earn more?
Computer systems administrator salary estimates from across the web
Average computer systems administrator salary by state
The highest-paying states for computer systems administrators are California, Washington, and Oregon. The lowest average computer systems administrator salary states are Arkansas, New Mexico, and Alabama.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for computer systems administrators
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $81,923 | $39.39 |
| 2 | Washington | $84,108 | $40.44 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $80,693 | $38.79 |
| 4 | Vermont | $79,960 | $38.44 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $79,150 | $38.05 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $80,756 | $38.83 |
| 7 | Maine | $80,502 | $38.70 |
| 8 | Nevada | $76,690 | $36.87 |
| 9 | Idaho | $76,902 | $36.97 |
| 10 | Wyoming | $72,019 | $34.62 |
| 11 | Maryland | $78,748 | $37.86 |
| 12 | South Dakota | $72,607 | $34.91 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $80,691 | $38.79 |
| 14 | New York | $80,506 | $38.70 |
| 15 | District of Columbia | $80,265 | $38.59 |
| 16 | Virginia | $75,162 | $36.14 |
| 17 | California | $84,663 | $40.70 |
| 18 | Delaware | $77,189 | $37.11 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $72,688 | $34.95 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $72,628 | $34.92 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $78,583 | $37.78 |
| 22 | North Dakota | $68,958 | $33.15 |
| 23 | Ohio | $70,747 | $34.01 |
| 24 | Kansas | $71,178 | $34.22 |
| 25 | Arizona | $69,463 | $33.40 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $72,976 | $35.08 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $69,935 | $33.62 |
| 28 | West Virginia | $68,927 | $33.14 |
| 29 | Indiana | $69,976 | $33.64 |
| 30 | Michigan | $69,019 | $33.18 |
| 31 | Colorado | $69,505 | $33.42 |
| 32 | Utah | $67,950 | $32.67 |
| 33 | Illinois | $70,257 | $33.78 |
| 34 | Alaska | $67,153 | $32.29 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $69,728 | $33.52 |
| 36 | Texas | $66,920 | $32.17 |
| 37 | Iowa | $68,192 | $32.78 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $63,939 | $30.74 |
| 39 | Missouri | $68,872 | $33.11 |
| 40 | Montana | $67,031 | $32.23 |
| 41 | Alabama | $62,510 | $30.05 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $66,005 | $31.73 |
| 43 | Georgia | $66,846 | $32.14 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $65,858 | $31.66 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $65,274 | $31.38 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $66,096 | $31.78 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $64,239 | $30.88 |
| 48 | Florida | $57,873 | $27.82 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $64,387 | $30.96 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $61,718 | $29.67 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $59,339 | $28.53 |
Highest paying cities for computer systems administrators
The highest-paying cities for computer systems administrators are San Francisco, CA, Redmond, WA, and Hartford, CT.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $91,912 | $44.19 |
| 2 | Redmond, WA | $84,350 | $40.55 |
| 3 | Hartford, CT | $80,943 | $38.91 |
| 4 | Nashua, NH | $80,909 | $38.90 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $80,725 | $38.81 |
| 6 | Troy, NY | $80,621 | $38.76 |
| 7 | Washington, DC | $80,252 | $38.58 |
| 8 | Jersey City, NJ | $78,780 | $37.88 |
| 9 | Rockville, MD | $78,511 | $37.75 |
| 10 | Newark, DE | $77,203 | $37.12 |
| 11 | Reston, VA | $76,678 | $36.86 |
| 12 | Bloomington, MN | $72,698 | $34.95 |
| 13 | Columbus, OH | $70,451 | $33.87 |
| 14 | Chicago, IL | $70,357 | $33.83 |
| 15 | Phoenix, AZ | $69,679 | $33.50 |
| 16 | Columbus, IN | $69,536 | $33.43 |
| 17 | Troy, MI | $69,239 | $33.29 |
| 18 | Saint Louis, MO | $69,013 | $33.18 |
| 19 | Charlotte, NC | $68,985 | $33.17 |
| 20 | Irving, TX | $67,424 | $32.42 |
Computer systems administrator salary details
A computer systems administrator's salary ranges from $53,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $97,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a computer systems administrator's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $97,000 | $8,083 | $47 |
| 75th Percentile | $84,000 | $7,000 | $40 |
| Average | $72,247 | $6,021 | $35 |
| 25th Percentile | $61,000 | $5,083 | $29 |
| 10th Percentile | $53,000 | $4,417 | $25 |
Highest paying computer systems administrator jobs
The highest paying types of computer systems administrators are senior unix systems administrator, senior administrator, and systems administrator lead.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineer | $96,805 | $8,067 | $46.54 | 126,709 |
| Computer Analyst | $75,852 | $6,321 | $36.47 | 75,369 |
| Information Technology Administrator | $73,195 | $6,100 | $35.19 | 159,499 |
| LAN Administrator | $60,942 | $5,079 | $29.30 | 92,931 |
| Linux Administrator | $79,996 | $6,666 | $38.46 | 56,604 |
| Network/Server Administrator | $78,919 | $6,577 | $37.94 | 167,546 |
Top companies hiring computer systems administrators now:
Which companies pay computer systems administrators the most?
Computer systems administrator salaries at Meta and PayPal are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average computer systems administrator salary at companies like eBay and Apple are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $135,476 | $65.13 |
| 2 | PayPal | $132,219 | $63.57 |
| 3 | eBay | $129,927 | $62.46 |
| 4 | Apple | $128,677 | $61.86 |
| 5 | $128,405 | $61.73 | |
| 6 | NVIDIA | $125,875 | $60.52 |
| 7 | Amazon | $124,980 | $60.09 |
| 8 | Nutanix | $123,416 | $59.33 |
| 9 | Intuit | $121,286 | $58.31 |
| 10 | StubHub | $120,718 | $58.04 |
| 11 | Microsoft | $119,732 | $57.56 |
| 12 | Brocade Services Corporation | $119,647 | $57.52 |
| 13 | Salesforce | $118,632 | $57.03 |
| 14 | Riverbed Holdings, Inc. | $117,489 | $56.49 |
| 15 | $115,793 | $55.67 | |
| 16 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $115,369 | $55.47 |
| 17 | Applied Materials | $115,329 | $55.45 |
| 18 | Workday | $115,007 | $55.29 |
| 19 | The New York Times Company | $114,863 | $55.22 |
| 20 | $113,647 | $54.64 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Computer Systems Administrator salary by industry
The average computer systems administrator salary varies across industries:
- The average computer systems administrator salary in the technology industry is $84,404, the highest of any industry.
- The average computer systems administrator salary in the finance industry is $82,839.
- Computer systems administrators in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $71,583, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for computer systems administrators
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $84,404 | $40.58 |
| 2 | Telecommunication | $82,839 | $39.83 |
| 3 | Start-up | $79,265 | $38.11 |
| 4 | Finance | $77,758 | $37.38 |
| 5 | Automotive | $72,626 | $34.92 |
| 6 | Manufacturing | $71,583 | $34.41 |
High paying computer systems administrator jobs
Computer systems administrator salary trends
The average computer systems administrator salary has risen by $13,184 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average computer systems administrator earned $59,063 annually, but today, they earn $72,247 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for computer systems administrators over the last decade.
Compare computer systems administrator salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average computer systems administrator salary over time
Compare computer systems administrator salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Computer systems administrator salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $72,200 | $34.73 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $69,900 | $33.59 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $68,300 | $32.83 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $67,500 | $32.45 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $66,300 | $31.89 | +2.4% |
Recently added computer systems administrator salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montana Tech | Network/Computer Systems Administrator II | Butte-Silver Bow, MT | 06/14/2025 | $12,689 |
| Montana Technological University | Network/Computer Systems Administrator II | Butte-Silver Bow, MT | 06/13/2025 | $12,689 |
| Brandes Associates, Inc. | Network and Computer Systems Administrator | Ione, CA | 06/10/2025 | $71,000 |
| Get It-Professional Services | QA Computer System Admin II | Social Circle, GA | 06/10/2025 | $68,000 |
| Protingent | High Performance Computing Systems Administrator | Broomfield, CO | 06/10/2025 | $125,220 |
| Global Channel Management, Inc. | Computer Systems Administrator | Frederick, MD | 06/10/2025 | $83,480 |
| Us01 | IT-High Performance Computing (HPC) System Administrator | San Diego, CA | 06/09/2025 | $100,875 |
| Amazon.com, Inc. | SDE II-Fabrication Manufacturing Execution System, Center for Quantum Computing | Pasadena, CA | 06/06/2025 | $129,300 |
| Smartronix | Network and Computer Systems Administrator Journeyman | Maryland | 05/29/2025 | $103,200 |
| Judicial Branch | Computer Systems Administrator | Hartford, CT | 05/28/2025 | $68,952 |
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