Linux administrators work in a variety of organizations, installing, configuring, and maintaining Linux operating systems. Furthermore, they facilitate business-critical and development activities by performing server-side operations and troubleshooting tasks. Linux administrators also set up user access and keep an eye on system stability and security. In addition, their expertise creates a working system for a high degree of risk assessment and user assistance. Because Linux is an open-source operating system, managers frequently engage other developers to research and develop system improvements.
For effective functioning, a Linux Administrator must understand server administration, programming, and coding, possess analytical skills and a formidable understanding of Information Security, and have highly polished communication and problem-solving skills. Technical expertise, specifically with the Linux operating system environment, is required for Linux administrators. Candidates with a Bachelor's Degree in a related discipline and at least two years of experience in a server-side administrative function stand a good chance of being hired. Linux Administrators can earn between $92,736 and $131,354 yearly.
What is a Linux Administrator?
What Does a Linux Administrator Do
There are certain skills that many linux administrators have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, communication skills and problem-solving skills.
How To Become a Linux Administrator
If you're interested in becoming a linux administrator, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 73.8% of linux administrators have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 15.0% of linux administrators have master's degrees. Even though most linux administrators have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Linux Administrator Career Paths
As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, a linux administrator can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as build-release engineer, progress to a title such as engineer and then eventually end up with the title infrastructure project manager.
Average Salary for a Linux Administrator
What Am I Worth?
States With The Most Linux Administrator Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active linux administrator jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where linux administrators earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Number Of Linux Administrator Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 2,784 | $88,762 |
| 2 | Texas | 2,031 | $76,255 |
| 3 | Florida | 1,610 | $70,080 |
| 4 | Virginia | 1,547 | $86,551 |
| 5 | Maryland | 1,271 | $90,201 |
| 6 | New York | 1,110 | $80,229 |
| 7 | Illinois | 1,044 | $78,489 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | 998 | $80,509 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | 976 | $84,548 |
| 10 | North Carolina | 908 | $84,542 |
| 11 | Colorado | 844 | $74,024 |
| 12 | Georgia | 829 | $76,785 |
| 13 | Ohio | 792 | $82,273 |
| 14 | Washington | 766 | $85,456 |
| 15 | Arizona | 714 | $82,192 |
| 16 | New Jersey | 632 | $82,256 |
| 17 | Michigan | 571 | $80,927 |
| 18 | Minnesota | 563 | $69,228 |
| 19 | Missouri | 459 | $76,012 |
| 20 | Indiana | 445 | $79,602 |
| 21 | Oregon | 443 | $87,464 |
| 22 | Alabama | 416 | $66,464 |
| 23 | Utah | 412 | $83,300 |
| 24 | Tennessee | 394 | $70,138 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | 381 | $84,301 |
| 26 | South Carolina | 358 | $72,650 |
| 27 | Connecticut | 274 | $83,486 |
| 28 | Kansas | 246 | $76,681 |
| 29 | Kentucky | 241 | $72,875 |
| 30 | Iowa | 234 | $74,804 |
| 31 | New Mexico | 201 | $71,529 |
| 32 | Oklahoma | 190 | $80,166 |
| 33 | Nevada | 185 | $77,942 |
| 34 | Louisiana | 181 | $70,644 |
| 35 | Nebraska | 178 | $76,509 |
| 36 | New Hampshire | 169 | $82,075 |
| 37 | Mississippi | 155 | $66,630 |
| 38 | Idaho | 148 | $84,522 |
| 39 | Arkansas | 146 | $69,640 |
| 40 | Rhode Island | 113 | $78,763 |
| 41 | West Virginia | 108 | $72,513 |
| 42 | Alaska | 101 | $86,495 |
| 43 | Montana | 96 | $74,796 |
| 44 | Hawaii | 93 | $75,289 |
| 45 | North Dakota | 91 | $75,418 |
| 46 | Delaware | 89 | $84,747 |
| 47 | Maine | 87 | $84,852 |
| 48 | Vermont | 75 | $73,529 |
| 49 | South Dakota | 69 | $90,010 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 53 | $67,904 |
Top Colleges for Linux Administrators
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
6. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
8. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
9. Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH • Private
10. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Top Skills For a Linux Administrator
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 6.8% of linux administrators listed python on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and communication skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Linux Administrator Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Linux Administrator templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Linux Administrator resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Linux Administrator Demographics
Linux Administrator Gender Distribution
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among linux administrators, 12.7% of them are women, while 87.3% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among linux administrators is White, which makes up 63.2% of all linux administrators.
- The most common foreign language among linux administrators is Spanish at 28.6%.
Online Courses For Linux Administrator That You May Like
This course will provide you with a basic introduction to Linux® skills using Red Hat® Enterprise Linux 8. It will show you how a Linux system is organized, and will demonstrate introductory system administration tasks, which you will be able to practice on your own. You will be introduced to reasons why Linux and the open source development model are so important in today's computing environment. Linux systems are used everywhere—the internet, point-of-sale systems, and the world's stock...
Master Linux/Unix System administration through a practical and hands on approach...
Get skills needed for RHCA/RHCE. Gain sufficient skill to perform system administration tasks on Red Hat Linux in 2022...
Best States For a Linux Administrator
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a linux administrator. The best states for people in this position are Maryland, South Dakota, California, and Oregon. Linux administrators make the most in Maryland with an average salary of $90,201. Whereas in South Dakota and California, they would average $90,010 and $88,762, respectively. While linux administrators would only make an average of $87,464 in Oregon, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Oregon
$87,464
Avg. Salary
2. Virginia
$86,551
Avg. Salary
3. Maryland
$90,201
Avg. Salary
How Do Linux Administrator Rate Their Jobs?
Top Linux Administrator Employers
We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ linux administrators and discovered their number of linux administrator opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that HostGator was the best, especially with an average salary of $80,611. IBM follows up with an average salary of $77,358, and then comes Rackspace with an average of $83,299. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as a linux administrator. The employers include ActioNet, Cognizant, and ICONMA
Most Common Employers For Linux Administrator
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cisco | $118,594 | $57.02 | 14 |
| 2 | Citi | $108,272 | $52.05 | 19 |
| 3 | Walmart | $106,032 | $50.98 | 15 |
| 4 | AT&T | $104,696 | $50.33 | 26 |
| 5 | CVS Health | $98,637 | $47.42 | 16 |
| 6 | Wells Fargo | $96,429 | $46.36 | 21 |
| 7 | FedEx | $91,285 | $43.89 | 21 |
| 8 | Capital One | $89,703 | $43.13 | 13 |
| 9 | Visa | $88,628 | $42.61 | 13 |
| 10 | T-Mobile | $88,401 | $42.50 | 17 |