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Computer systems engineer salary
Average computer systems engineer salary
$76,534
Average Computer Systems Engineer Salary
The average salary for a computer systems engineer stands at $76,534 annually. This figure can vary based on factors such as state, years of experience, and the specific industry. For instance, engineers in technology hubs like California often see higher salaries due to demand and cost of living adjustments.
Salary by State
Factors influencing salary include geographic location. States like Washington and California tend to offer the highest compensation, while other regions may offer competitive but lower salaries. For example, average salaries can range from $72,000 in less populated states to over $90,000 in major urban centers.
Career Opportunities
Computer systems engineers play a crucial role in various sectors, including software development, networking, and cybersecurity. With continued growth in technology, opportunities to advance in this field are abundant. Professionals can enhance their earning potential by gaining specialized skills or pursuing advanced degrees.
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Where can a Computer Systems Engineer earn more?
Computer systems engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average computer systems engineer salary by state
The average computer systems engineer salary in Maryland, Virginia, and California are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average computer systems engineer salary states are South Carolina, Colorado, and Florida.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for computer systems engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | $83,922 | $40.35 |
| 2 | Washington | $82,529 | $39.68 |
| 3 | Delaware | $81,155 | $39.02 |
| 4 | Maryland | $86,116 | $41.40 |
| 5 | Oregon | $80,636 | $38.77 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $87,944 | $42.28 |
| 7 | Rhode Island | $76,404 | $36.73 |
| 8 | Wyoming | $73,739 | $35.45 |
| 9 | Idaho | $76,911 | $36.98 |
| 10 | Kansas | $79,046 | $38.00 |
| 11 | Nevada | $76,606 | $36.83 |
| 12 | California | $83,202 | $40.00 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $75,873 | $36.48 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $74,976 | $36.05 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $75,142 | $36.13 |
| 16 | Utah | $72,537 | $34.87 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $76,670 | $36.86 |
| 18 | New Mexico | $72,440 | $34.83 |
| 19 | Nebraska | $72,737 | $34.97 |
| 20 | New York | $78,757 | $37.86 |
| 21 | Arizona | $73,305 | $35.24 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $77,414 | $37.22 |
| 23 | Ohio | $72,364 | $34.79 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $72,317 | $34.77 |
| 25 | Texas | $71,858 | $34.55 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $73,014 | $35.10 |
| 27 | Illinois | $74,183 | $35.66 |
| 28 | Massachusetts | $72,782 | $34.99 |
| 29 | South Dakota | $70,209 | $33.75 |
| 30 | Maine | $72,630 | $34.92 |
| 31 | Indiana | $70,825 | $34.05 |
| 32 | Michigan | $70,356 | $33.83 |
| 33 | Hawaii | $70,887 | $34.08 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $70,642 | $33.96 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $68,792 | $33.07 |
| 36 | Georgia | $70,490 | $33.89 |
| 37 | Tennessee | $69,469 | $33.40 |
| 38 | Alabama | $68,552 | $32.96 |
| 39 | Iowa | $69,787 | $33.55 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $69,647 | $33.48 |
| 41 | Missouri | $70,900 | $34.09 |
| 42 | Vermont | $68,350 | $32.86 |
| 43 | Alaska | $62,918 | $30.25 |
| 44 | Colorado | $66,607 | $32.02 |
| 45 | Louisiana | $70,962 | $34.12 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $68,256 | $32.82 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $66,179 | $31.82 |
| 48 | Florida | $66,569 | $32.00 |
| 49 | Montana | $63,748 | $30.65 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $67,595 | $32.50 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $67,524 | $32.46 |
Highest paying cities for computer systems engineers
The highest-paying cities for computer systems engineers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Wilmington, DE.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $87,719 | $42.17 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $82,702 | $39.76 |
| 3 | Wilmington, DE | $81,225 | $39.05 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $78,973 | $37.97 |
| 5 | Edison, NJ | $77,437 | $37.23 |
| 6 | Fairfield, CT | $76,809 | $36.93 |
| 7 | Pittsburgh, PA | $74,441 | $35.79 |
| 8 | Chicago, IL | $74,343 | $35.74 |
| 9 | Phoenix, AZ | $73,389 | $35.28 |
| 10 | Austin, TX | $72,169 | $34.70 |
| 11 | Charlotte, NC | $71,588 | $34.42 |
| 12 | Cincinnati, OH | $71,379 | $34.32 |
| 13 | Atlanta, GA | $70,671 | $33.98 |
| 14 | Warren, MI | $70,462 | $33.88 |
| 15 | Jacksonville, FL | $67,485 | $32.44 |
| 16 | Denver, CO | $66,591 | $32.01 |
Computer systems engineer salary details
A computer systems engineer's salary ranges from $59,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $98,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a computer systems engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $98,000 | $8,167 | $47 |
| 75th Percentile | $87,000 | $7,250 | $42 |
| Average | $76,534 | $6,378 | $37 |
| 25th Percentile | $67,000 | $5,583 | $32 |
| 10th Percentile | $59,000 | $4,917 | $28 |
Highest paying computer systems engineer jobs
The highest paying types of computer systems engineers are principal systems engineer, lead systems engineer, and team lead engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systems Analyst | $75,383 | $6,282 | $36.24 | 141,289 |
| Systems Support | $64,031 | $5,336 | $30.78 | 156,028 |
| Team Lead Engineer | $114,867 | $9,572 | $55.22 | 235,155 |
| Desktop Engineer | $102,893 | $8,574 | $49.47 | 87,458 |
| Network Engineer | $83,557 | $6,963 | $40.17 | 72,346 |
| Computer Analyst | $75,852 | $6,321 | $36.47 | 75,369 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for computer systems engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Michael Rudisill
Department Head and Professor of Engineering Technology, Northern Michigan University
Top companies hiring computer systems engineers now:
Which companies pay computer systems engineers the most?
Computer systems engineer salaries at Google and NVIDIA are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average computer systems engineer salary at companies like Apple and Mapbox are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $123,863 | $59.55 | |
| 2 | NVIDIA | $119,593 | $57.50 |
| 3 | Apple | $119,550 | $57.48 |
| 4 | Mapbox | $115,885 | $55.71 |
| 5 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $115,868 | $55.71 |
| 6 | Slalom | $113,424 | $54.53 |
| 7 | Box | $113,100 | $54.38 |
| 8 | Microsoft | $112,905 | $54.28 |
| 9 | Parsons | $111,780 | $53.74 |
| 10 | Genentech | $108,914 | $52.36 |
| 11 | Barclays | $108,601 | $52.21 |
| 12 | Dell | $106,973 | $51.43 |
| 13 | Juniper Networks | $106,325 | $51.12 |
| 14 | Cirrus Logic | $105,164 | $50.56 |
| 15 | Dolby Laboratories | $104,395 | $50.19 |
| 16 | HP | $103,988 | $49.99 |
| 17 | DataStax | $103,236 | $49.63 |
| 18 | Oracle | $102,712 | $49.38 |
| 19 | Yahoo | $102,209 | $49.14 |
| 20 | General Motors | $100,208 | $48.18 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Computer systems engineer salary trends
The average computer systems engineer salary has risen by $13,966 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average computer systems engineer earned $62,568 annually, but today, they earn $76,534 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for computer systems engineers over the last decade.
Compare computer systems engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average computer systems engineer salary over time
Compare computer systems engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Computer systems engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $76,500 | $36.80 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $74,000 | $35.58 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $72,300 | $34.78 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $71,500 | $34.37 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $70,300 | $33.78 | +2.4% |
Recently added computer systems engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perspecta | Mid-Career Systems Engineering, High Performance Computing | Fort Meade, MD | 06/29/2025 | $80,000 |
| Early Warning | Systems Engineer II-Client Computing-Mac | Scottsdale, AZ | 06/28/2025 | $105,000 |
| Penn State University | Research Computing Systems Engineer | Parkesburg, PA | 06/18/2025 | $61,800 |
| Qualcomm | Compute Chipset Systems Engineer | San Diego, CA | 06/06/2025 | $134,800 |
| Early Warning Services, LLC | Systems Engineer II-Client Computing-Mac | Chicago, IL | 06/05/2025 | $105,000 |
| Early Warning Services, LLC | Systems Engineer II-Client Computing-Mac | San Francisco, CA | 06/05/2025 | $105,000 |
| Early Warning Services, LLC | Systems Engineer II-Client Computing-Mac | New York, NY | 06/05/2025 | $105,000 |
| E&M Technologies | Journeyman Computer Systems Engineer/Architect (System Architect, NW, Infra, Access) | Offutt Air Force Base, NE | 06/01/2025 | $100,000 |
| Anduril Industries | Cad/Plm Systems Engineer | Costa Mesa, CA | 05/29/2025 | $120,000 |
| Early Warning | Systems Engineer II-Client Computing-Mac | Scottsdale, AZ | 05/25/2025 | $105,000 |
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