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Ground systems engineer salary
Average ground systems engineer salary
$103,258
Understanding Ground Systems Engineer Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Ground Systems Engineer stands at approximately $103,258 per year. This figure varies based on factors such as geographic location, industry, and years of experience. In states like California and Texas, salaries can exceed the national average, reflecting the high demand for skilled engineers in aerospace and defense sectors.
Salary by State
Engineers in states traditionally known for aerospace advancements, such as Florida and Washington, often report higher salaries. For instance, locations with major aerospace companies frequently offer competitive compensation packages that include bonuses and benefits.
Top Paying Cities
Cities like Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Diego are among the highest-paying for this role. These urban centers not only provide numerous job opportunities but also showcase a vibrant tech environment conducive to career growth.
Overall, pursuing a career as a Ground Systems Engineer offers promising financial rewards and opportunities for advancement. Understanding salary trends can help you negotiate better compensation and make informed career choices.
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Where can a Ground Systems Engineer earn more?
Average ground systems engineer salary by state
The average ground systems engineer salary in Washington, New York, and California are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average ground systems engineer salary states are Oklahoma, Florida, and Mississippi.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for ground systems engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $126,832 | $60.98 |
| 2 | Vermont | $108,976 | $52.39 |
| 3 | Alaska | $107,240 | $51.56 |
| 4 | North Carolina | $108,637 | $52.23 |
| 5 | California | $114,305 | $54.95 |
| 6 | New York | $114,484 | $55.04 |
| 7 | Texas | $99,916 | $48.04 |
| 8 | Nevada | $106,281 | $51.10 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $108,916 | $52.36 |
| 10 | Maine | $106,238 | $51.08 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $104,837 | $50.40 |
| 12 | Idaho | $100,083 | $48.12 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $101,499 | $48.80 |
| 14 | Virginia | $97,925 | $47.08 |
| 15 | District of Columbia | $105,150 | $50.55 |
| 16 | Ohio | $99,132 | $47.66 |
| 17 | Illinois | $101,033 | $48.57 |
| 18 | Oregon | $97,394 | $46.82 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $94,904 | $45.63 |
| 20 | Alabama | $93,700 | $45.05 |
| 21 | Wyoming | $89,395 | $42.98 |
| 22 | Utah | $92,147 | $44.30 |
| 23 | Maryland | $94,707 | $45.53 |
| 24 | Colorado | $91,518 | $44.00 |
| 25 | Delaware | $93,080 | $44.75 |
| 26 | Michigan | $90,033 | $43.29 |
| 27 | Arizona | $89,248 | $42.91 |
| 28 | Iowa | $92,081 | $44.27 |
| 29 | South Carolina | $91,652 | $44.06 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $87,255 | $41.95 |
| 31 | Rhode Island | $88,051 | $42.33 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $90,314 | $43.42 |
| 33 | Hawaii | $101,459 | $48.78 |
| 34 | Minnesota | $87,011 | $41.83 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $82,249 | $39.54 |
| 36 | West Virginia | $86,216 | $41.45 |
| 37 | Montana | $88,027 | $42.32 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $84,545 | $40.65 |
| 39 | Connecticut | $87,631 | $42.13 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $86,660 | $41.66 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $83,421 | $40.11 |
| 42 | Georgia | $83,265 | $40.03 |
| 43 | Florida | $78,653 | $37.81 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $77,818 | $37.41 |
| 45 | Kansas | $79,790 | $38.36 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $78,269 | $37.63 |
| 47 | Indiana | $79,257 | $38.10 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $78,661 | $37.82 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $78,908 | $37.94 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $77,282 | $37.15 |
| 51 | Missouri | $75,615 | $36.35 |
Highest paying cities for ground systems engineers
The highest-paying cities for ground systems engineers are Seattle, WA, San Francisco, CA, and Greenville, TX.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle, WA | $127,849 | $61.47 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $124,361 | $59.79 |
| 3 | Greenville, TX | $98,960 | $47.58 |
| 4 | McLean, VA | $98,924 | $47.56 |
| 5 | Germantown, MD | $94,469 | $45.42 |
| 6 | Broomfield, CO | $91,702 | $44.09 |
| 7 | Glendale, AZ | $89,402 | $42.98 |
| 8 | Las Cruces, NM | $82,553 | $39.69 |
| 9 | Miami, FL | $76,735 | $36.89 |
Ground systems engineer salary details
A ground systems engineer's salary ranges from $76,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $139,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a ground systems engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $139,000 | $11,583 | $67 |
| 75th Percentile | $120,000 | $10,000 | $58 |
| Average | $103,258 | $8,605 | $50 |
| 25th Percentile | $88,000 | $7,333 | $42 |
| 10th Percentile | $76,000 | $6,333 | $37 |
Highest paying ground systems engineer jobs
The highest paying types of ground systems engineers are senior staff systems engineer, principal systems engineer, and systems engineer staff.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embedded Software Developer | $89,506 | $7,459 | $43.03 | 257,508 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Firmware Engineer | $97,183 | $8,099 | $46.72 | 99,014 |
| Embedded Engineer | $95,419 | $7,952 | $45.87 | 24,338 |
| Embedded Software Engineer | $102,143 | $8,512 | $49.11 | 171,613 |
| Systems Engineering Internship | $39,003 | $3,250 | $18.75 | 161,551 |
Top companies hiring ground systems engineers now:
Which companies pay ground systems engineers the most?
Ground systems engineer salaries at Amazon and Stratos International are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average ground systems engineer salary at companies like Firefly Aerospace and SpaceX are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amazon | $134,752 | $64.78 |
| 2 | Stratos International | $119,022 | $57.22 |
| 3 | Firefly Aerospace | $112,760 | $54.21 |
| 4 | SpaceX | $110,143 | $52.95 |
| 5 | Science | $109,988 | $52.88 |
| 6 | Masten Space Systems | $109,841 | $52.81 |
| 7 | ABL Space Systems | $109,819 | $52.80 |
| 8 | Sierra Nevada | $107,365 | $51.62 |
| 9 | KBR | $107,250 | $51.56 |
| 10 | SES | $106,713 | $51.30 |
| 11 | The Aerospace Corporation | $106,269 | $51.09 |
| 12 | Booz Allen Hamilton | $106,217 | $51.07 |
| 13 | Systems Planning and Analysis | $105,871 | $50.90 |
| 14 | Boeing | $105,436 | $50.69 |
| 15 | Ball | $104,544 | $50.26 |
| 16 | Peraton | $104,519 | $50.25 |
| 17 | Odyssey Systems | $104,256 | $50.12 |
| 18 | Blue Origin | $104,227 | $50.11 |
| 19 | Axient | $104,121 | $50.06 |
| 20 | ASRC Federal | $103,390 | $49.71 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Ground Systems Engineer salary by industry
The average ground systems engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average ground systems engineer salary in the start-up industry is $101,595, the highest of any industry.
- The average ground systems engineer salary in the finance industry is $100,205.
- Ground systems engineers in the professional industry earn an average salary of $86,811, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for ground systems engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start-up | $101,595 | $48.84 |
| 2 | Technology | $100,205 | $48.18 |
| 3 | Telecommunication | $98,263 | $47.24 |
| 4 | Professional | $86,811 | $41.74 |
High paying ground systems engineer jobs
Ground systems engineer salary trends
The average ground systems engineer salary has risen by $17,552 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average ground systems engineer earned $85,706 annually, but today, they earn $103,258 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for ground systems engineers over the last decade.
Compare ground systems engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average ground systems engineer salary over time
Compare ground systems engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Ground systems engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $103,000 | $49.64 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $99,900 | $48.01 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $97,600 | $46.92 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $95,500 | $45.90 | +0.7% |
| 2021 | $94,800 | $45.58 | +1.2% |
Recently added ground systems engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeppesen | Ground Systems Engineer (Experienced or Senior) | Seal Beach, CA | 06/30/2025 | $128,350 |
| Perspecta | Satellite Ground Systems Engineer | Herndon, VA | 06/29/2025 | $104,000 |
| Perspecta | Lcrd Ground Sustainment Systems Engineer/Space Communications | Greenbelt, MD | 06/29/2025 | $86,000 |
| Amazon | Interdisciplinary Systems Engineer, AWS Ground Station | Herndon, VA | 06/28/2025 | $116,300 |
| Amazon.com, Inc. | Interdisciplinary Systems Engineer, AWS Ground Station | Denver, CO | 06/28/2025 | $116,300 |
| Kihomac | Ground Systems Engineer Lead | Colorado Springs, CO | 06/25/2025 | $140,000 |
| Inversion | Autonomy Engineer III-Ground Systems | Ione, CA | 06/22/2025 | $121,000 |
| Boeing | Senior Ground Systems Engineer for Milsatcom Program | Los Angeles, CA | 06/21/2025 | $157,250 |
| Innovim Career | Ground System Engineer Functional Lead-DOD | Colorado Springs, CO | 06/19/2025 | $140,000 |
| Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. | Satellite Ground Systems Engineer, Senior | El Segundo, CA | 06/07/2025 | $86,800 |
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