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The average salary for an Engineer of System Development is currently $112,462 per year. This figure represents a competitive wage, with the possibility of higher earnings based on specific factors. For instance, engineers with advanced skills in software development or systems architecture may command greater salaries. Additionally, experience plays a crucial role in determining compensation.
In general, entry-level positions may start around $80,000 annually, while seasoned professionals can earn upwards of $150,000, especially in tech hubs. Various roles such as software architects, systems analysts, or project managers within the engineering domain can influence salary potential.
States like California and New York are known for offering higher salaries for engineers due to the high demand in tech industries. Cities such as San Francisco and New York City frequently present the highest-paying opportunities, making relocation a viable option for career advancement.
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The average engineer of system development salary in California, Washington, and Oregon are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average engineer of system development salary states are Ohio, Colorado, and South Dakota.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $133,583 | $64.22 |
| 2 | Washington | $116,334 | $55.93 |
| 3 | Arizona | $104,700 | $50.34 |
| 4 | Oregon | $110,740 | $53.24 |
| 5 | Delaware | $104,402 | $50.19 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $108,580 | $52.20 |
| 7 | Utah | $101,767 | $48.93 |
| 8 | Idaho | $101,825 | $48.95 |
| 9 | Arkansas | $99,716 | $47.94 |
| 10 | Nevada | $103,763 | $49.89 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $100,222 | $48.18 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $103,157 | $49.59 |
| 13 | Kentucky | $101,586 | $48.84 |
| 14 | Iowa | $100,132 | $48.14 |
| 15 | Tennessee | $100,828 | $48.48 |
| 16 | Connecticut | $102,065 | $49.07 |
| 17 | New Mexico | $97,629 | $46.94 |
| 18 | Mississippi | $101,067 | $48.59 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $95,844 | $46.08 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $98,120 | $47.17 |
| 21 | Vermont | $94,262 | $45.32 |
| 22 | West Virginia | $97,309 | $46.78 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $91,626 | $44.05 |
| 24 | Texas | $93,972 | $45.18 |
| 25 | Virginia | $90,363 | $43.44 |
| 26 | Michigan | $88,444 | $42.52 |
| 27 | North Dakota | $88,663 | $42.63 |
| 28 | South Carolina | $95,030 | $45.69 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $96,031 | $46.17 |
| 30 | Kansas | $89,706 | $43.13 |
| 31 | Montana | $86,960 | $41.81 |
| 32 | Maine | $87,515 | $42.07 |
| 33 | New York | $94,965 | $45.66 |
| 34 | Oklahoma | $91,330 | $43.91 |
| 35 | New Jersey | $95,957 | $46.13 |
| 36 | Alabama | $85,782 | $41.24 |
| 37 | Louisiana | $91,161 | $43.83 |
| 38 | Maryland | $85,998 | $41.35 |
| 39 | Georgia | $87,080 | $41.87 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $86,458 | $41.57 |
| 41 | Alaska | $84,840 | $40.79 |
| 42 | Florida | $86,188 | $41.44 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $87,796 | $42.21 |
| 44 | Colorado | $83,805 | $40.29 |
| 45 | Indiana | $82,854 | $39.83 |
| 46 | Illinois | $86,225 | $41.45 |
| 47 | Minnesota | $85,760 | $41.23 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $83,181 | $39.99 |
| 49 | Ohio | $83,875 | $40.32 |
| 50 | Wisconsin | $82,556 | $39.69 |
| 51 | Missouri | $81,299 | $39.09 |
The highest-paying cities for engineers of system development are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Portland, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $143,348 | $68.92 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $117,011 | $56.26 |
| 3 | Portland, OR | $109,846 | $52.81 |
| 4 | Phoenix, AZ | $104,874 | $50.42 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $100,175 | $48.16 |
| 6 | Jersey City, NJ | $95,987 | $46.15 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $95,219 | $45.78 |
| 8 | Austin, TX | $94,737 | $45.55 |
| 9 | Arlington, VA | $90,829 | $43.67 |
| 10 | Charlotte, NC | $87,584 | $42.11 |
| 11 | Atlanta, GA | $86,980 | $41.82 |
| 12 | Chicago, IL | $86,287 | $41.48 |
| 13 | Annapolis, MD | $86,190 | $41.44 |
| 14 | Minneapolis, MN | $85,794 | $41.25 |
| 15 | Columbus, OH | $83,825 | $40.30 |
| 16 | Denver, CO | $83,685 | $40.23 |
| 17 | Columbus, IN | $82,762 | $39.79 |
An engineer of system development's salary ranges from $82,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $152,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $152,000 | $12,667 | $73 |
| 75th Percentile | $132,000 | $11,000 | $63 |
| Average | $112,462 | $9,372 | $54 |
| 25th Percentile | $95,000 | $7,917 | $46 |
| 10th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
The highest paying types of engineers of system development are software engineer lead, senior systems software engineer, and senior software development engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Systems Engineer | $107,102 | $8,925 | $51.49 | 370,518 |
| Software Design Engineer | $98,799 | $8,233 | $47.50 | 315,080 |
| Software Engineer | $100,260 | $8,355 | $48.20 | 339,938 |
| Systems Engineer | $82,834 | $6,903 | $39.82 | 145,936 |
| Devops Engineer | $104,019 | $8,668 | $50.01 | 257,025 |
| Lead Engineer | $84,927 | $7,077 | $40.83 | 301,777 |
Top companies hiring engineers of system development now:
Engineer of system development salaries at Apple and Safeway are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average engineer of system development salary at companies like Google and Rivian are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $148,385 | $71.34 |
| 2 | Safeway | $143,324 | $68.91 |
| 3 | $142,712 | $68.61 | |
| 4 | Rivian | $137,209 | $65.97 |
| 5 | Amazon | $132,033 | $63.48 |
| 6 | Barclays | $131,973 | $63.45 |
| 7 | Edwards Lifesciences | $131,649 | $63.29 |
| 8 | Motion Recruitment | $125,792 | $60.48 |
| 9 | Xilinx | $123,993 | $59.61 |
| 10 | Smartsheet | $123,802 | $59.52 |
| 11 | Microsoft | $123,729 | $59.49 |
| 12 | Genesco | $123,049 | $59.16 |
| 13 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $122,001 | $58.65 |
| 14 | Hyundai Capital Services | $121,781 | $58.55 |
| 15 | Samsung Electronics Device Solutions (Semiconductor & Display) | $121,200 | $58.27 |
| 16 | Audi USA | $119,947 | $57.67 |
| 17 | Groupon | $119,633 | $57.52 |
| 18 | Shaw Industries | $119,003 | $57.21 |
| 19 | Bosch USA | $118,790 | $57.11 |
| 20 | Annapurna Pictures | $118,574 | $57.01 |
The average engineer of system development salary has risen by $20,878 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average engineer of system development earned $91,584 annually, but today, they earn $112,462 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for engineers of system development over the last decade.
Compare engineer of system development salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare engineer of system development salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $112,000 | $54.07 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $109,000 | $52.29 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $106,000 | $51.10 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $104,000 | $50.20 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $103,000 | $49.36 | +1.8% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relativity | Engine Systems & Test Team-Senior Engine Systems Development Engineer | Long Beach, CA | 06/29/2025 | $142,000 |
| Perspecta | HPC Development-Focused Systems Engineer, Mid-Career | Fort Meade, MD | 06/29/2025 | $112,000 |
| Perspecta | Truesight Automation Developer-Systems Engineer | Alexandria, VA | 06/29/2025 | $86,000 |
| Northrop Grumman | Sentinel Staff Systems Engineer-Architecture Development | Roy, UT | 06/28/2025 | $147,700 |
| Northrop Grumman | Sentinel Staff Systems Engineer-Architecture Development | Roy, UT | 06/28/2025 | $147,700 |
| Amazon.com, Inc. | Systems Development Engineer, Global Maintenance Automation Platform (MAP) | Nashville, TN | 06/27/2025 | $136,100 |
| ZP Group | NOC Development Systems Engineer | Lorton, VA | 06/27/2025 | $130,000 |
| Amazon | System Development Engineer, ADC-Route 53 | Jessup, MD | 06/26/2025 | $89,200 |
| Amazon.com, Inc. | System Development Engineer, ADC-Route 53 | Denver, CO | 06/25/2025 | $89,200 |
| Amazon.com, Inc. | Systems Development Engineer II, Non-Relational Database Services | Seattle, WA | 06/24/2025 | $116,300 |
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