Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Job outlook for operating system programmers in the United States
Are operating system programmer jobs in demand?
Operating system programmer job and salary trends over time
Operating system programmer jobs over time
Operating system programmer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 366 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 0 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 724 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 2,103 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 2,260 | 0.00% |
Average operating system programmer salary over time
Operating system programmer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $75,544 | $36.32 | +3.4% |
| 2025 | $73,055 | $35.12 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | $71,401 | $34.33 | +2.5% |
| 2023 | $69,673 | $33.50 | +3.0% |
| 2022 | $67,639 | $32.52 | +0.4% |
Operating system programmer jobs by state
Most common states for operating system programmers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 136 | 20% |
| 2 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 617 | 10% |
| 3 | Alaska | 739,795 | 74 | 10% |
| 4 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 804 | 9% |
| 5 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 104 | 8% |
| 6 | Vermont | 623,657 | 52 | 8% |
| 7 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 491 | 7% |
| 8 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 372 | 7% |
| 9 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 50 | 7% |
| 10 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 43 | 7% |
| 11 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 236 | 6% |
| 12 | Delaware | 961,939 | 60 | 6% |
| 13 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 388 | 5% |
| 14 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 334 | 5% |
| 15 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 226 | 5% |
| 16 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 162 | 5% |
| 17 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 100 | 5% |
| 18 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 55 | 5% |
| 19 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 42 | 5% |
| 20 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 446 | 4% |
Operating System Programmer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of operating system programmer experts
University of Guam
Indiana University Southeast
Weber State University
James Sellmann Ph.D.
Dean, Professor of Philosophy and Micronesian StudiesUniversity of Guam
College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
What general advice would you give to an Operating System Programmer?
James Sellmann Ph.D.: General advice is to keep in mind that you must leverage your skills, especially your soft skills of being able to work with people, to communicate effectively and to be able to solve problems. Be real. Don't try to pretend to be someone else to impress others. Be your authentic self. And show up on time.
Chris Sexton
Visiting Lecturer of Computer ScienceIndiana University Southeast
Computer Science Department
What hard/technical skills are most important for Operating System Programmers?
Chris Sexton: As with soft skills, technical skills in teamwork matter, a candidate must have the ability to work with revision control, be it git or some similar system. In addition, it is vital that fundamental computing skills such as operating the shell of a Linux machine are good signs that a candidate will be able to adapt to new systems.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Operating System Programmers?
Dr. Kyle Feuz Ph.D.: Any time you have a certification, license or degree it's going to give you a leg up compared to your peers with similar skill sets but no certification. Often the certification or degree will help your resume make it through an initial screening process but then it's up to you to demonstrate that you have the knowledge and skills the certification is supposed to represent. It's also important to know what career you want to pursue. Certifications are usually targeted to a very limited skill set. If that skill set is a critical part of the job description then the certification will be a strong mark in your favor. Some fields even require certification before you will be considered for the position. However, if the skill set is only tangentially related to the job description then there is little benefit in having the certification.