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Computer system specialist salary
Average computer system specialist salary
$71,716
Average Computer System Specialist Salary
The average salary for a Computer System Specialist is $71,716 annually. This position typically requires a blend of technical skills, including network management, troubleshooting, and systems analysis. Salaries can differ significantly based on various factors such as geographic region, years of experience, and the specific industry. For example, specialists in the technology sector often earn more than those in education or healthcare.
Where Can You Earn More?
States like California, New York, and Texas tend to offer the highest salaries for computer system specialists. Additionally, industries such as finance and information technology generally provide more competitive compensation. To maximize your earnings potential, consider roles in high-demand sectors or pursue further certifications in specialized areas.
Salary Estimates from Across the Web
According to various salary surveys, the compensation for Computer System Specialists can range widely. Entry-level positions may start around $50,000, while experienced professionals can earn upwards of $100,000. Understanding these trends can help you negotiate your salary effectively.
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Where can a Computer System Specialist earn more?
Computer system specialist salary estimates from across the web
Average computer system specialist salary by state
The average computer system specialist salary in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Oregon are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average computer system specialist salary states are Kentucky, Colorado, and Missouri.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for computer system specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $86,645 | $41.66 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $87,054 | $41.85 |
| 3 | New Hampshire | $79,288 | $38.12 |
| 4 | Oregon | $83,904 | $40.34 |
| 5 | New Mexico | $77,177 | $37.10 |
| 6 | Washington | $83,440 | $40.12 |
| 7 | North Dakota | $71,753 | $34.50 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $82,483 | $39.66 |
| 9 | California | $80,364 | $38.64 |
| 10 | Utah | $72,946 | $35.07 |
| 11 | Maryland | $75,213 | $36.16 |
| 12 | Delaware | $74,246 | $35.70 |
| 13 | Nevada | $74,277 | $35.71 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $81,113 | $39.00 |
| 15 | Montana | $70,952 | $34.11 |
| 16 | Michigan | $73,295 | $35.24 |
| 17 | Iowa | $71,844 | $34.54 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $81,482 | $39.17 |
| 19 | Vermont | $69,842 | $33.58 |
| 20 | Maine | $70,229 | $33.76 |
| 21 | Nebraska | $67,962 | $32.67 |
| 22 | Ohio | $72,160 | $34.69 |
| 23 | Virginia | $69,442 | $33.39 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $69,590 | $33.46 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $70,720 | $34.00 |
| 26 | New York | $74,713 | $35.92 |
| 27 | District of Columbia | $69,042 | $33.19 |
| 28 | Alaska | $63,312 | $30.44 |
| 29 | South Dakota | $67,794 | $32.59 |
| 30 | Arizona | $63,837 | $30.69 |
| 31 | Illinois | $68,452 | $32.91 |
| 32 | Hawaii | $64,446 | $30.98 |
| 33 | Wyoming | $60,967 | $29.31 |
| 34 | Alabama | $61,815 | $29.72 |
| 35 | Louisiana | $64,410 | $30.97 |
| 36 | Kansas | $62,176 | $29.89 |
| 37 | Idaho | $63,998 | $30.77 |
| 38 | Indiana | $61,167 | $29.41 |
| 39 | Minnesota | $60,421 | $29.05 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $62,947 | $30.26 |
| 41 | Texas | $59,047 | $28.39 |
| 42 | Colorado | $55,288 | $26.58 |
| 43 | West Virginia | $59,895 | $28.80 |
| 44 | Arkansas | $57,109 | $27.46 |
| 45 | Georgia | $58,157 | $27.96 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $59,351 | $28.53 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $52,331 | $25.16 |
| 48 | Florida | $51,450 | $24.74 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $56,197 | $27.02 |
| 50 | Missouri | $54,888 | $26.39 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $53,216 | $25.58 |
Highest paying cities for computer system specialists
The highest-paying cities for computer system specialists are San Francisco, CA, Shrewsbury, MA, and Philadelphia, PA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $88,729 | $42.66 |
| 2 | Shrewsbury, MA | $86,731 | $41.70 |
| 3 | Philadelphia, PA | $83,038 | $39.92 |
| 4 | Jersey City, NJ | $81,603 | $39.23 |
| 5 | Baltimore, MD | $75,493 | $36.29 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $74,817 | $35.97 |
| 7 | McLean, VA | $70,557 | $33.92 |
| 8 | Vernon Hills, IL | $69,070 | $33.21 |
| 9 | Phoenix, AZ | $63,953 | $30.75 |
| 10 | Houston, TX | $58,852 | $28.29 |
| 11 | Duluth, GA | $58,549 | $28.15 |
| 12 | Owensboro, KY | $55,305 | $26.59 |
| 13 | Kansas City, MO | $55,113 | $26.50 |
| 14 | Tampa, FL | $52,046 | $25.02 |
Computer system specialist salary details
A computer system specialist's salary ranges from $50,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $102,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a computer system specialist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $102,000 | $8,500 | $49 |
| 75th Percentile | $86,000 | $7,167 | $41 |
| Average | $71,716 | $5,976 | $34 |
| 25th Percentile | $59,000 | $4,917 | $28 |
| 10th Percentile | $50,000 | $4,167 | $24 |
Highest paying computer system specialist jobs
The highest paying types of computer system specialists are senior support specialist, computer engineer, and technical specialist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Engineer | $96,805 | $8,067 | $46.54 | 126,709 |
| Computer Analyst | $75,852 | $6,321 | $36.47 | 75,369 |
| Computer Systems Analyst | $82,655 | $6,888 | $39.74 | 118,439 |
Top companies hiring computer system specialists now:
Which companies pay computer system specialists the most?
Computer system specialist salaries at Los Alamos National Laboratory and PRWeek are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average computer system specialist salary at companies like Natera and JUUL are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Alamos National Laboratory | $103,754 | $49.88 |
| 2 | PRWeek | $102,520 | $49.29 |
| 3 | Natera | $100,665 | $48.40 |
| 4 | JUUL | $97,119 | $46.69 |
| 5 | Grass Valley (US), Inc. | $88,212 | $42.41 |
| 6 | Alpha Consulting | $87,922 | $42.27 |
| 7 | Spark Therapeutics | $86,313 | $41.50 |
| 8 | ProSync | $81,235 | $39.06 |
| 9 | Tci Technology Consulting Inc | $76,765 | $36.91 |
| 10 | Barchart | $73,676 | $35.42 |
| 11 | Charles River Labs | $67,990 | $32.69 |
| 12 | Catalent Pharma Solutions | $67,192 | $32.30 |
| 13 | Jackson Healthcare | $66,174 | $31.81 |
| 14 | Dartmouth-Hitchcock | $64,949 | $31.23 |
| 15 | Fresenius Kabi | $64,383 | $30.95 |
| 16 | Sbli Of Massachusetts | $64,083 | $30.81 |
| 17 | Children's Hospital of Philadelphia | $63,893 | $30.72 |
| 18 | Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings | $63,390 | $30.48 |
| 19 | Strides Pharma | $62,873 | $30.23 |
| 20 | Summit Biosciences | $62,869 | $30.23 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Computer System Specialist salary by industry
The average computer system specialist salary varies across industries:
- The average computer system specialist salary in the technology industry is $83,520, the highest of any industry.
- The average computer system specialist salary in the finance industry is $80,595.
- Computer system specialists in the government industry earn an average salary of $47,458, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for computer system specialists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $83,520 | $40.15 |
| 2 | Pharmaceutical | $80,595 | $38.75 |
| 3 | Professional | $68,744 | $33.05 |
| 4 | Health Care | $67,110 | $32.26 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $63,068 | $30.32 |
| 6 | Telecommunication | $62,237 | $29.92 |
| 7 | Education | $56,643 | $27.23 |
| 8 | Government | $47,458 | $22.82 |
High paying computer system specialist jobs
Computer system specialist salary trends
The average computer system specialist salary has risen by $10,959 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average computer system specialist earned $60,757 annually, but today, they earn $71,716 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for computer system specialists over the last decade.
Compare computer system specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average computer system specialist salary over time
Compare computer system specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Computer system specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $71,700 | $34.48 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $69,400 | $33.34 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $67,800 | $32.59 | +1.5% |
| 2022 | $66,800 | $32.10 | +1.6% |
| 2021 | $65,700 | $31.57 | +1.6% |
Recently added computer system specialist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cb | Computer Systems Specialist | Reston, VA | 06/27/2025 | $125,000 |
| State of Florida | Distributed Computer System Specialist | Tallahassee, FL | 06/25/2025 | $37,264 |
| College of Charleston | Engineering and Computing Systems Specialist | Charleston, SC | 06/20/2025 | $68,801 |
| Prosync | Computer Systems Security Specialist I | Port Hueneme, CA | 06/14/2025 | $100,000 |
| HKA Enterprises Grow More Worry Less | CAD Systems Specialist : 195717 | Greer, SC | 05/29/2025 | $76,489 |
| County of Santa Barbara | Computer Systems Specialist I/II | Santa Barbara, CA | 05/19/2025 | $83,244 |
| Santa Barbara County, Ca | Computer Systems Specialist I/II | Ione, CA | 05/17/2025 | $95,892 |
| State of Florida | Distributed Computer Systems Specialist | Tallahassee, FL | 05/16/2025 | $43,260 |
| Ardelyx | QA Computer Systems Specialist | Milwaukee, WI | 05/03/2025 | $112,000 |
| Ardelyx, Inc. | QA Computer Systems Specialist | Waltham, MA | 04/23/2025 | $112,000 |
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