How much does an administrator make?

The average administrator salary in the United States is $72,882. Administrator salaries typically range between $46,000 and $113,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for administrators is $35.04 per hour. Administrator salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Administrators earn the highest average salary in Washington.

Administrator salary

Q: What state pays Administrators the most?

Washington pays Administrators the most in the United States, with an average salary of $89,753 per year, or $43.15 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as an administrator?

You know if you are being paid fairly as an administrator if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in New Jersey you should be paid close to $88,207 per year.

Q: What is a good starting salary for an Administrator?

A good starting salary for an administrator is $47,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for an administrator in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for administrators is $72,189, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for an administrator can vary by state.

Q: What is the highest-paying administrative job?

The highest-paying administrative job is a hospital administrator. Administrative responsibilities will vary with the specific type of company or work being done. The annual average salary for a hospital administrator is approximately $111,000. This salary reflects the administrator's responsibility to operate all areas of a hospital efficiently. Similarly, the average salary of a city administrator is approximately $94,000 annually. Both positions represent large operations with many departments that must work effectively.

Quoted expert

Dr. Richard Huff Ph.D.

Average administrator salary

$72,882

$35.04 hourly rate

Entry-level administrator salary

$46,000 yearly salary

Updated December 15, 2025

Average Administrator Salary

The average salary for an Administrator in the United States stands at $72,882 annually. This figure can differ based on several factors, including geographic location and the industry in which an administrator works. For instance, administrators in the healthcare sector often earn higher salaries compared to those in education or non-profit organizations.

Salary by State

In states like California, New York, and Texas, administrators typically enjoy some of the highest salaries due to the cost of living and demand for skilled professionals. Here are some of the highest-paying states:

California: $85,000
New York: $80,000
Texas: $78,000

With experience, administrators can expect their salaries to increase, paving the way for opportunities in managerial or specialized roles.

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Administrator salary by:

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Where can an Administrator earn more?

Compare salary by location

121k

101k

81k

61k

41k

Columbus, OH$96,252

Raleigh, NC$70,626

Compare salary by company

147k

127k

107k

87k

Apple$133,400

CONMED$116,879

Administrator salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed and Ziprecruiter, the average salary for an administrator typically falls between $43,618 and $75,366.

zippia

$72,882yearly

indeed[1]

$75,366yearly

Salary.com[2]

$66,206yearly

ZipRecruiter[3]

$43,618yearly

Average administrator salary by state

The highest-paying states for administrators are Washington, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. The lowest average administrator salary states are Alabama, South Carolina, and Louisiana.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for administrators

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Massachusetts	$87,681	$42.15
2	Washington	$89,753	$43.15
3	Oregon	$84,490	$40.62
4	District of Columbia	$85,736	$41.22
5	New Hampshire	$80,839	$38.86
6	Nevada	$81,068	$38.98
7	Pennsylvania	$79,491	$38.22
8	Maryland	$79,269	$38.11
9	Rhode Island	$80,052	$38.49
10	New Jersey	$88,207	$42.41
11	Virginia	$77,122	$37.08
12	Connecticut	$83,308	$40.05
13	Idaho	$78,109	$37.55
14	California	$83,852	$40.31
15	West Virginia	$75,610	$36.35
16	North Dakota	$74,658	$35.89
17	New York	$81,364	$39.12
18	Michigan	$78,666	$37.82
19	Delaware	$79,068	$38.01
20	Ohio	$76,601	$36.83
21	Utah	$72,729	$34.97
22	Alaska	$74,438	$35.79
23	Minnesota	$77,637	$37.33
24	Wyoming	$71,904	$34.57
25	Illinois	$77,766	$37.39
26	Maine	$78,306	$37.65
27	Arizona	$70,999	$34.13
28	Vermont	$68,584	$32.97
29	North Carolina	$68,899	$33.12
30	Wisconsin	$72,975	$35.08
31	South Dakota	$71,392	$34.32
32	Indiana	$71,586	$34.42
33	Texas	$62,605	$30.10
34	Colorado	$59,884	$28.79
35	Montana	$65,452	$31.47
36	Iowa	$69,470	$33.40
37	Kansas	$63,261	$30.41
38	Missouri	$66,704	$32.07
39	New Mexico	$57,307	$27.55
40	Hawaii	$49,427	$23.76
41	Nebraska	$59,936	$28.82
42	Georgia	$59,525	$28.62
43	Florida	$50,139	$24.11
44	Tennessee	$58,690	$28.22
45	Alabama	$53,331	$25.64
46	Kentucky	$59,467	$28.59
47	Oklahoma	$56,973	$27.39
48	Arkansas	$58,093	$27.93
49	Mississippi	$49,306	$23.70
50	South Carolina	$52,338	$25.16
51	Louisiana	$52,116	$25.06

Top administrator jobs near you

Highest paying cities for administrators

The highest-paying cities for administrators are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and East Brunswick, NJ.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	San Francisco, CA	$96,252	$46.27
2	Seattle, WA	$90,608	$43.56
3	East Brunswick, NJ	$88,198	$42.40
4	Boston, MA	$87,583	$42.11
5	Washington, DC	$85,804	$41.25
6	Portland, OR	$84,257	$40.51
7	New York, NY	$81,329	$39.10
8	McLean, VA	$80,347	$38.63
9	Las Vegas, NV	$79,771	$38.35
10	Philadelphia, PA	$79,665	$38.30
11	Baltimore, MD	$79,496	$38.22
12	Portland, ME	$79,059	$38.01
13	Detroit, MI	$78,795	$37.88
14	Chicago, IL	$78,359	$37.67
15	Saint Paul, MN	$77,720	$37.37
16	Dublin, OH	$75,801	$36.44
17	Milwaukee, WI	$73,130	$35.16
18	Phoenix, AZ	$71,399	$34.33
19	Indianapolis, IN	$70,938	$34.10
20	Raleigh, NC	$70,626	$33.95

Administrators are the most in-demand in these five cities:

Administrator salary details

An administrator's salary ranges from $46,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $113,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average administrator salary graph, trends, and summary

What is an administrator's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$113,000	$9,417	$54
75th Percentile	$91,000	$7,583	$44
Average	$72,882	$6,074	$35
25th Percentile	$57,000	$4,750	$27
10th Percentile	$46,000	$3,833	$22

Highest paying administrator jobs

The highest paying types of administrators are senior administrator, lead administrator, and sharepoint administrator.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Network/Server Administrator	$78,919	$6,577	$37.94	167,546
Windows System Administrator	$79,845	$6,654	$38.39	94,648
Nursing Home Administrator	$80,880	$6,740	$38.88	137,786
Facilities Administrator	$70,272	$5,856	$33.78	64,826
Department Administrator	$49,768	$4,147	$23.93	84,441
Sharepoint Administrator	$81,739	$6,812	$39.30	57,036

How would you rate the starting salaries for administrators, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Dr. Richard Huff Ph.D.

Assistant professor, assistant chair, Virginia Commonwealth University

While MPA students are not drawn to public service by high salaries, it is reasonable to expect remuneration, which respects their credentials and experience. Many students are mid-level careerists and are likely to remain in their jobs where an advanced degree may improve their opportunities for advancement, and others may be looking for a career change. Also, a cohort of students moving from undergraduate to graduate degrees with internships is common.

These groups likely present varying degrees of salary requirements and qualifications. In the federal service, an MPA qualifies as one at the GS-9 entry-level. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) publishes salary tables at Link The beginning salary varies by location from $53K to $61K, with the higher amount near large metropolitan areas. Higher salaries are common in overseas areas. Progression is based on performance with opportunities to achieve salaries of $150K and over at the executive levels. Overall, beginning salaries for the MPA considering nonprofits and government agencies is estimated at $53K.

Top companies hiring administrators now:

Which companies pay administrators the most?

Administrator salaries at Apple and Western Digital are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average administrator salary at companies like Bunge and BD are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Apple	$133,400	$64.13
2	Western Digital	$129,698	$62.35
3	Bunge	$128,562	$61.81
4	BD	$127,352	$61.23
5	Meta	$125,757	$60.46
6	Cargill	$123,358	$59.31
7	Cantaloupe	$122,158	$58.73
8	ConocoPhillips	$122,098	$58.70
9	Practice Fusion	$122,096	$58.70
10	Novo Nordisk	$120,226	$57.80
11	First Republic Bank	$120,218	$57.80
12	SUPERFUND	$119,605	$57.50
13	TechnipFMC	$118,702	$57.07
14	Avid	$118,443	$56.94
15	Abbott	$117,828	$56.65
16	Tucson Electric Power	$117,410	$56.45
17	Pattern Energy Group	$117,357	$56.42
18	Teleflex	$116,976	$56.24
19	Koch Industries	$116,946	$56.22
20	CONMED	$116,879	$56.19

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$76,000$74,400$72,800$71,200$69,600$68,000

MaleFemale

Administrator salary by industry

The average administrator salary varies across industries:

The average administrator salary in the manufacturing industry is $78,798, the highest of any industry.
The average administrator salary in the finance industry is $78,557.
Administrators in the professional industry earn an average salary of $59,763, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for administrators

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Manufacturing	$78,798	$37.88
2	Finance	$78,557	$37.77
3	Technology	$77,128	$37.08
4	Health Care	$63,374	$30.47
5	Education	$62,580	$30.09
6	Professional	$59,763	$28.73

High paying administrator jobs

Administrator salary trends

The average administrator salary has risen by $13,299 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average administrator earned $59,583 annually, but today, they earn $72,882 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for administrators over the last decade.

Compare administrator salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average administrator salary over time

Compare administrator salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Administrator salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$72,900	$35.04	+3.3%
2024	$70,500	$33.88	+2.3%
2023	$68,900	$33.12	+1.2%
2022	$68,100	$32.73	+1.7%
2021	$66,900	$32.17	+2.4%

Recently added administrator salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Arrow Electronics	Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) Administrator	Reno, NV	06/30/2025	$77,000
F5 Networks	Platform Administrator III-Coupa	Seattle, WA	06/30/2025	$128,099
Service Corporation International	Funeral Administrator	Urban Honolulu, HI	06/30/2025	$37,566
Blue Origin	Jira Administrator II	Seattle, WA	06/30/2025	$89,176
Byline Bank	IAM (Identity & Access Management) Administrator, Hybrid	Schaumburg, IL	06/29/2025	$86,000
Huntington	Process Administrator	Minnetonka, MN	06/29/2025	$45,914
Lennox International	LMS Administrator	Richardson, TX	06/29/2025	$74,400
Carringtonres	Escrow Administrator, I	Westfield, IN	06/29/2025	$36,523
Esri	Active Directory Administrator	Redlands, CA	06/29/2025	$69,680
Johnson Brothers	Warehouse Shipping Administrator	Saint Paul, MN	06/29/2025	$41,740

Administrator salary FAQs

What state pays Administrators the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as an administrator?

What is a good starting salary for an Administrator?

What is the highest-paying administrative job?

Have more questions? See all answers to common computer and mathematical questions.

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Updated December 15, 2025

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