Best states for a junior systems administrator

Q: What is the best state for junior systems administrators?

The best state to be a junior systems administrator is Rhode Island based on junior systems administrator salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for junior systems administrators?

The highest paying state for junior systems administrators is New Mexico based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for junior systems administrators?

The worst state for junior systems administrators is Kentucky, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Kevin Scheibe Ph.D.

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Are you wondering which place in the United States is the best state for junior systems administrators? Knowing how challenging it is to figure out where to start your career or where to move to advance your career, we decided to bring you a list of best states for junior systems administrator jobs.Although there are abundant junior systems administrator jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the West. Rhode Island is the best state in the country for junior systems administrator jobs.

We figured that the best places for junior systems administrator jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.We found that Rhode Island is the best state for junior systems administrator jobs, whereas Kentucky is the worst.

10 best states for junior systems administrators in 2026

1. Rhode Island
Total junior systems administrator jobs: 228
Average annual salary: $68,286
Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000
Location Quotient:
1.05
Junior systems administrator jobs in Rhode Island
2. Washington
Total junior systems administrator jobs: 1,532
Average annual salary: $70,816
Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $84,000
Location Quotient:
1.18
Junior systems administrator jobs in Washington
3. Delaware
Total junior systems administrator jobs: 222
Average annual salary: $69,159
Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000
Location Quotient:
0.99
Junior systems administrator jobs in Delaware
4. Massachusetts
Total junior systems administrator jobs: 2,048
Average annual salary: $67,367
Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $79,000
Location Quotient:
1.25
Junior systems administrator jobs in Massachusetts
5. Wisconsin
Total junior systems administrator jobs: 759
Average annual salary: $67,200
Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Location Quotient:
0.77
Junior systems administrator jobs in Wisconsin
6. Ohio
Total junior systems administrator jobs: 1,476
Average annual salary: $66,866
Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000
Location Quotient:
0.81
Junior systems administrator jobs in Ohio
7. Connecticut
Total junior systems administrator jobs: 583
Average annual salary: $68,013
Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $81,000
Location Quotient:
0.99
Junior systems administrator jobs in Connecticut
8. Pennsylvania
Total junior systems administrator jobs: 1,845
Average annual salary: $65,724
Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $79,000
Location Quotient:
0.89
Junior systems administrator jobs in Pennsylvania
9. Michigan
Total junior systems administrator jobs: 1,203
Average annual salary: $65,788
Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $79,000
Location Quotient:
0.87
Junior systems administrator jobs in Michigan
10. North Carolina
Total junior systems administrator jobs: 1,597
Average annual salary: $65,295
Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $78,000
Location Quotient:
0.93
Junior systems administrator jobs in North Carolina

Junior systems administrator jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a junior systems administrator

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a junior systems administrator

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	Rhode Island	$68,286	$57,000	1,059,639	228
2	Washington	$70,816	$59,000	7,405,743	1,532
3	Delaware	$69,159	$57,000	961,939	222
4	Massachusetts	$67,367	$56,000	6,859,819	2,048
5	Wisconsin	$67,200	$56,000	5,795,483	759
6	Ohio	$66,866	$55,000	11,658,609	1,476
7	Connecticut	$68,013	$56,000	3,588,184	583
8	Pennsylvania	$65,724	$54,000	12,805,537	1,845
9	Michigan	$65,788	$54,000	9,962,311	1,203
10	North Carolina	$65,295	$54,000	10,273,419	1,597
11	Arizona	$65,194	$53,000	7,016,270	1,502
12	New Hampshire	$65,739	$55,000	1,342,795	333
13	Minnesota	$66,738	$56,000	5,576,606	1,045
14	South Carolina	$66,099	$55,000	5,024,369	670
15	California	$69,293	$56,000	39,536,653	4,966
16	Texas	$64,395	$54,000	28,304,596	3,869
17	South Dakota	$64,118	$53,000	869,666	176
18	New York	$67,534	$56,000	19,849,399	2,099
19	Oregon	$65,304	$53,000	4,142,776	823
20	Virginia	$64,301	$53,000	8,470,020	2,794
21	Louisiana	$66,058	$55,000	4,684,333	355
22	Utah	$63,409	$52,000	3,101,833	646
23	Illinois	$65,007	$54,000	12,802,023	1,900
24	Mississippi	$63,481	$53,000	2,984,100	329
25	North Dakota	$61,937	$52,000	755,393	185
26	New Jersey	$66,202	$54,000	9,005,644	1,202
27	Kansas	$62,987	$52,000	2,913,123	464
28	Hawaii	$64,030	$56,000	1,427,538	166
29	Tennessee	$62,703	$52,000	6,715,984	784
30	Nebraska	$62,488	$52,000	1,920,076	359
31	Oklahoma	$62,987	$52,000	3,930,864	424
32	Missouri	$64,103	$53,000	6,113,532	838
33	Nevada	$62,130	$51,000	2,998,039	361
34	Colorado	$61,995	$51,000	5,607,154	1,432
35	Alabama	$60,784	$51,000	4,874,747	826
36	Arkansas	$62,058	$52,000	3,004,279	342
37	Georgia	$63,207	$53,000	10,429,379	1,483
38	Maryland	$61,087	$50,000	6,052,177	1,961
39	District of Columbia	$60,948	$50,000	693,972	524
40	West Virginia	$59,883	$49,000	1,815,857	245
41	Indiana	$61,449	$51,000	6,666,818	834
42	Vermont	$59,225	$50,000	623,657	168
43	Alaska	$56,485	$51,000	739,795	209
44	Wyoming	$56,259	$47,000	579,315	127
45	Montana	$59,869	$51,000	1,050,493	187
46	Maine	$60,872	$52,000	1,335,907	186
47	Florida	$58,190	$50,000	20,984,400	3,000
48	New Mexico	$54,028	$45,000	2,088,070	405
49	Iowa	$58,673	$49,000	3,145,711	526
50	Idaho	$55,149	$46,000	1,716,943	281
51	Kentucky	$54,980	$45,000	4,454,189	447

Highest paying states for junior systems administrators

Rank	State	Avg. Junior Systems Administrator Salary
1	Rhode Island	$68,286
2	Washington	$70,816
3	Delaware	$69,159
4	Massachusetts	$67,367
5	Wisconsin	$67,200
6	Ohio	$66,866
7	Connecticut	$68,013
8	Pennsylvania	$65,724
9	Michigan	$65,788
10	North Carolina	$65,295
11	Arizona	$65,194
12	New Hampshire	$65,739
13	Minnesota	$66,738
14	South Carolina	$66,099
15	California	$69,293
16	Texas	$64,395
17	South Dakota	$64,118
18	New York	$67,534
19	Oregon	$65,304
20	Virginia	$64,301
21	Louisiana	$66,058
22	Utah	$63,409
23	Illinois	$65,007
24	Mississippi	$63,481
25	North Dakota	$61,937
26	New Jersey	$66,202
27	Kansas	$62,987
28	Hawaii	$64,030
29	Tennessee	$62,703
30	Nebraska	$62,488
31	Oklahoma	$62,987
32	Missouri	$64,103
33	Nevada	$62,130
34	Colorado	$61,995
35	Alabama	$60,784
36	Arkansas	$62,058
37	Georgia	$63,207
38	Maryland	$61,087
39	District of Columbia	$60,948
40	West Virginia	$59,883
41	Indiana	$61,449
42	Vermont	$59,225
43	Alaska	$56,485
44	Wyoming	$56,259
45	Montana	$59,869
46	Maine	$60,872
47	Florida	$58,190
48	New Mexico	$54,028
49	Iowa	$58,673
50	Idaho	$55,149
51	Kentucky	$54,980

Expert opinions on the best states for junior systems administrators

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for junior systems administrators to find work opportunities?
Kevin Scheibe Ph.D.
Professor of Information Systems and Business Analytics, Iowa State University
Interestingly, the organizations that engage with our university to hire students for internships and full-time positions are still there. While hiring for some companies has declined, others have contacted us with more new posts. Our university career fair will be entirely virtual this year, so it will be interesting to see the data afterward. We have consistently seen the demand for students, in the Midwest, and I do not see that changing. There may be an increased interest as people can work in exciting and challenging careers without relocating to large metropolitan areas.

Junior systems administrator best states FAQs

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Best states for Junior Systems Administrators

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total junior systems administrator jobs:	228
Average annual salary:	$68,286
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$57,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$81,000
Location Quotient:	1.05

Best states for a junior systems administrator

10 best states for junior systems administrators in 2026

1. Rhode Island

2. Washington

3. Delaware

4. Massachusetts

5. Wisconsin

6. Ohio

7. Connecticut

8. Pennsylvania

9. Michigan

10. North Carolina