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Job outlook for lead unix systems administrators in the United States
Lead unix systems administrator job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected lead unix systems administrator job growth rate is 5% from 2018-2028.
About 18,200 new jobs for lead unix systems administrators are projected over the next decade.
Lead unix systems administrator salaries have increased 9% for lead unix systems administrators in the last 5 years.
There are over 22,243 lead unix systems administrators currently employed in the United States.
There are 109,595 active lead unix systems administrator job openings in the US.
The average lead unix systems administrator salary is $140,506.
Are lead unix systems administrator jobs in demand?
Lead unix systems administrator job and salary trends over time
Lead unix systems administrator jobs over time
Lead unix systems administrator job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 22,243 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 15,930 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 18,706 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 7,188 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 7,361 | 0.00% |
Average lead unix systems administrator salary over time
Lead unix systems administrator salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $140,506 | $67.55 | +3.4% |
| 2024 | $135,876 | $65.33 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $132,800 | $63.85 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $131,262 | $63.11 | +1.8% |
| 2021 | $128,997 | $62.02 | +2.4% |
Lead unix systems administrator jobs by state
Most common states for lead unix systems administrators
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 335 | 48% |
| 2 | Alaska | 739,795 | 279 | 38% |
| 3 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 271 | 31% |
| 4 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 557 | 29% |
| 5 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 306 | 29% |
| 6 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 590 | 28% |
| 7 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 474 | 28% |
| 8 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,535 | 25% |
| 9 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 739 | 25% |
| 10 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 2,005 | 24% |
| 11 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 303 | 23% |
| 12 | Vermont | 623,657 | 144 | 23% |
| 13 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 168 | 22% |
| 14 | Michigan | 9,962,311 | 2,132 | 21% |
| 15 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 607 | 20% |
| 16 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 208 | 20% |
| 17 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 114 | 20% |
| 18 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,085 | 19% |
| 19 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,084 | 19% |
| 20 | Delaware | 961,939 | 181 | 19% |
Lead Unix Systems Administrator job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of lead unix systems administrator experts
University of South Alabama
Massachusetts Maritime Academy
University of Washington
Bakersfield College
Tarleton State University
What Lead Unix Systems Administrator skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Sean Walker: To maximize your salary, it is really essential to learn the tools and methods associated with Systems Engineering while also maintaining a sense of creativity. Employers are not only looking for engineers with the ability to apply specific tools but also the ability to think creatively to solve complex systems problems. I often encourage my students to maintain their creative hobbies so that they don't lose those skills. But, more immediately, gaining a graduate education in Systems Engineering can help any engineer increase their earning potential.
What will help Lead Unix Systems Administrators increase their earning potential?
Dr. Joseph Oluwole: My general advice is to seek out administrator and professor mentors who can provide a sounding board and encouragement through the emotional roller coaster that administration can be. I cannot overstate the importance of supportive mentors to the success of a new graduate beginning as an administrator. Even the State of New Jersey, for instance, recognizes the importance of mentoring and created a formal program for new assistant principals and principals to seek support from experienced mentors under the state's New Jersey Leaders to Leaders (NJL2L) program.
What will help Lead Unix Systems Administrators increase their earning potential?
Mark Whalen P.E.: There are many complex systems in existence or being developed that require knowledge and experience across many different technologies. Also, system engineering careers can often lead to managerial positions like becoming a project manager, operations manager or chief engineer.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Lead Unix Systems Administrators?
Les Atlas: Most certainly an impact, a very strong impact. The best lesson for us is from the 1919 Spanish Flu pandemic. That strain of flu still circulates as a seasonal virus. Over 100 years laters, it is now considered a Phase 6 pandemic by the World Health Organization. While it is reduced due to current social distancing and mask wearing, the 1919 Spanish Flu virus still causes community-level outbreaks in multiple parts of the globe. Societal changes from this event of over 100 years ago are still with us.
In fact, they changed society. As is well-documented, after a high level of immunity was reached in the 1920's, the resulting labor shortage enabled workers to demand better living and working conditions, as well as better wages and public health care. As just one example of the societal changes due to the 1919 pandemic, the drop in the male labor force empowered male workers, and also changed the gender composition.
The aftermath of the 1919 pandemic was the start of women joining the labour force. In the United States, the proportion of women in the labour force rose from 18 per cent in 1900 to almost 21 per cent in 1920. In that same year, with the ratification of the 19th Amendment of the Constitution, the Congress of the United States guaranteed all American women the right to vote.
The current COVID-19 pandemic will certainly change the way we live, be it our mobility or the kinds of career options people have. After our current year-long experience in remote learning and work, will we go back to the inefficiencies of going to our office every work day? Or will remote work be acceptable, where one's residence will not be dependent upon the locations of employment. Will we avoid future hotspots of infection, choosing to instead reside and travel in areas where infection is decreasing? Will we prefer to travel on aircraft which are certified to be virus-free and frequent restaurants which are documented to be safer? Future marketing will likely make a sharp turn in this direction.
What general advice would you give to a Lead Unix Systems Administrator?
Maryam Farahani: Thinking about the fields they want to experience or try. And to be intentional about their job search. The best advice is learning as much as they can about what company offers. Visualizing themselves in the next 5 years as a starting point. Do they want to travel a lot, or be in management positions? Do they want to be subject matter expert, or a hands-on engineer or technologist? Their goal may change as they progress in their career but having one makes a big difference in their career choices and keeping them on track.
Dr. Jacqueline Abernathy
Assistant ProfessorTarleton State University
Public Administration
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Lead Unix Systems Administrator job market given the pandemic?
Dr. Jacqueline Abernathy: I think one of the most significant changes to the job market is how the pandemic forced employers to do business virtually if they wanted to do business at all. For non-essential businesses, they had to find a way for employees to work at home if they wanted employees to keep working. This means that jobs that were originally considered location-bound were found to be done remotely, some with little to no modifications.
What this means is that some employers have reconsidered the costs of maintaining physical office space for workers that could telecommute and would rather work at home. Instead of paying rent and utilities for all employees to work in cubicles, they could export those costs to the employee using the spare bedroom they pay for, and home internet, phone, power, the water they pay for themselves. This cost-saving epiphany could affect employers and jobseekers alike in several ways. If a job can be done from anywhere, it means that those who are interested in a job can apply regardless of where they live.
This means a wider pool of talent for employers to choose from instead of just those willing to live within commuting distance. It also means more potential opportunities for jobseekers that might not be willing or able to relocate. But there is a downside, and that is that it increases competition for available jobs. The labor pool is no longer limited to those with skills and experience in a metro area, so those seeking a job are no longer just up against other locals anymore. This means those on the job market might have a more difficult job finding ways to set themselves apart. I think it means more opportunities, potentially, but greater challenges getting hired and a need to find ways to make themselves more marketable than they may have needed to be when labor pools were shallower.