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Senior linux systems administrator salary
Average senior linux systems administrator salary
$106,223
Understanding Senior Linux Systems Administrator Salaries
A Senior Linux Systems Administrator typically earns an average salary of $106,223 annually. This figure can fluctuate based on several factors, including the employer, the individual's experience, and the specific state of employment. For instance, positions in high-demand areas or sectors may offer significantly higher compensation.
Salary Variations by State
In states like California, New York, and Texas, salaries can be notably higher due to the concentration of technology companies and a higher cost of living. In contrast, regions with a lower cost of living may offer salaries closer to the national average.
Highest Paying Cities
Cities such as San Francisco, New York City, and Seattle consistently rank among the highest paying locations for this role. These urban areas not only provide higher salaries but also more opportunities for professional growth and networking.
Career Opportunities
For those looking to advance, specialized roles or certifications can lead to positions with even greater earning potential. As technology evolves, so do the demands for skilled professionals in Linux system administration.
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Where can a Senior Linux Systems Administrator earn more?
Average senior linux systems administrator salary by state
The average senior linux systems administrator salary in New Jersey, Washington, and Idaho are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior linux systems administrator salary states are North Dakota, Montana, and Illinois.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior linux systems administrators
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $122,701 | $58.99 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $116,346 | $55.94 |
| 3 | Idaho | $120,570 | $57.97 |
| 4 | District of Columbia | $123,747 | $59.49 |
| 5 | New Jersey | $123,378 | $59.32 |
| 6 | Oregon | $111,384 | $53.55 |
| 7 | West Virginia | $120,154 | $57.77 |
| 8 | Maryland | $113,731 | $54.68 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $109,026 | $52.42 |
| 10 | Arizona | $105,564 | $50.75 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $112,048 | $53.87 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $108,383 | $52.11 |
| 13 | Utah | $107,449 | $51.66 |
| 14 | Alabama | $112,674 | $54.17 |
| 15 | Delaware | $109,172 | $52.49 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $112,387 | $54.03 |
| 17 | Ohio | $105,535 | $50.74 |
| 18 | California | $120,364 | $57.87 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $107,766 | $51.81 |
| 20 | Wyoming | $97,244 | $46.75 |
| 21 | Texas | $99,285 | $47.73 |
| 22 | Nevada | $100,757 | $48.44 |
| 23 | Vermont | $98,778 | $47.49 |
| 24 | South Carolina | $100,548 | $48.34 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $97,565 | $46.91 |
| 26 | Virginia | $100,024 | $48.09 |
| 27 | Minnesota | $99,440 | $47.81 |
| 28 | New York | $106,289 | $51.10 |
| 29 | New Mexico | $95,093 | $45.72 |
| 30 | Alaska | $95,669 | $45.99 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $93,751 | $45.07 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $97,040 | $46.65 |
| 33 | Michigan | $94,247 | $45.31 |
| 34 | Iowa | $94,643 | $45.50 |
| 35 | Georgia | $96,135 | $46.22 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $94,542 | $45.45 |
| 37 | Colorado | $91,903 | $44.18 |
| 38 | Mississippi | $92,921 | $44.67 |
| 39 | North Dakota | $87,951 | $42.28 |
| 40 | Hawaii | $95,158 | $45.75 |
| 41 | Missouri | $91,218 | $43.85 |
| 42 | Kansas | $89,142 | $42.86 |
| 43 | Florida | $85,938 | $41.32 |
| 44 | Maine | $91,582 | $44.03 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $90,253 | $43.39 |
| 46 | Montana | $87,842 | $42.23 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $90,042 | $43.29 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $91,288 | $43.89 |
| 49 | Illinois | $86,254 | $41.47 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $80,343 | $38.63 |
| 51 | Indiana | $85,143 | $40.93 |
Highest paying cities for senior linux systems administrators
The highest-paying cities for senior linux systems administrators are San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, and Bellevue, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $129,951 | $62.48 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $123,759 | $59.50 |
| 3 | Bellevue, WA | $123,424 | $59.34 |
| 4 | Annapolis, MD | $113,851 | $54.74 |
| 5 | Huntsville, AL | $113,371 | $54.51 |
| 6 | Boston, MA | $112,501 | $54.09 |
| 7 | La Crosse, WI | $106,616 | $51.26 |
| 8 | New York, NY | $106,406 | $51.16 |
| 9 | Columbia, SC | $101,068 | $48.59 |
| 10 | Springfield, VA | $100,461 | $48.30 |
| 11 | Austin, TX | $99,382 | $47.78 |
| 12 | Chapel Hill, NC | $98,292 | $47.26 |
| 13 | Franklin, TN | $97,108 | $46.69 |
| 14 | Atlanta, GA | $96,185 | $46.24 |
| 15 | Albuquerque, NM | $95,257 | $45.80 |
| 16 | Iowa City, IA | $94,984 | $45.67 |
| 17 | Boulder, CO | $92,032 | $44.25 |
| 18 | Jacksonville, FL | $88,038 | $42.33 |
| 19 | Chicago, IL | $86,654 | $41.66 |
Senior linux systems administrator salary details
A senior linux systems administrator's salary ranges from $82,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $137,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior linux systems administrator's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $137,000 | $11,417 | $66 |
| 75th Percentile | $121,000 | $10,083 | $58 |
| Average | $106,223 | $8,852 | $51 |
| 25th Percentile | $92,000 | $7,667 | $44 |
| 10th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
Highest paying senior linux systems administrator jobs
The highest paying types of senior linux systems administrators are senior unix systems administrator, senior systems engineer, and senior administrator.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead Administrator | $94,444 | $7,870 | $45.41 | 57,229 |
| LAN Administrator | $60,942 | $5,079 | $29.30 | 92,931 |
| Clinic Administrator | $71,242 | $5,937 | $34.25 | 70,844 |
| Network Administrator | $71,357 | $5,946 | $34.31 | 106,886 |
| Program Administrator | $50,715 | $4,226 | $24.38 | 119,898 |
| Storage Administrator | $92,434 | $7,703 | $44.44 | 71,753 |
Top companies hiring senior linux systems administrators now:
Which companies pay senior linux systems administrators the most?
Senior linux systems administrator salaries at Anaplan and NVIDIA are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior linux systems administrator salary at companies like QuinStreet and Citi are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anaplan | $138,246 | $66.46 |
| 2 | NVIDIA | $137,871 | $66.28 |
| 3 | QuinStreet | $130,678 | $62.83 |
| 4 | Citi | $127,516 | $61.31 |
| 5 | ServiceNow | $124,508 | $59.86 |
| 6 | Zynga | $116,588 | $56.05 |
| 7 | Acronis | $116,367 | $55.95 |
| 8 | Geneva Trading | $114,582 | $55.09 |
| 9 | Guidewire Software | $113,396 | $54.52 |
| 10 | Ball | $112,476 | $54.08 |
| 11 | UMass Lowell | $111,975 | $53.83 |
| 12 | ESM | $111,747 | $53.72 |
| 13 | Nuance Communications | $111,196 | $53.46 |
| 14 | University of Southern California | $110,384 | $53.07 |
| 15 | TAD PGS | $109,449 | $52.62 |
| 16 | Booz Allen Hamilton | $108,779 | $52.30 |
| 17 | Axient | $108,351 | $52.09 |
| 18 | SMS Holdings | $107,151 | $51.51 |
| 19 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $106,708 | $51.30 |
| 20 | Parker Hannifin | $106,430 | $51.17 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior Linux Systems Administrator salary by industry
The average senior linux systems administrator salary varies across industries:
- The average senior linux systems administrator salary in the technology industry is $108,476, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior linux systems administrator salary in the finance industry is $103,084.
- Senior linux systems administrators in the finance industry earn an average salary of $86,961, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior linux systems administrators
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $108,476 | $52.15 |
| 2 | Energy | $103,084 | $49.56 |
| 3 | Health Care | $97,487 | $46.87 |
| 4 | Retail | $96,973 | $46.62 |
| 5 | Professional | $93,166 | $44.79 |
| 6 | Finance | $86,961 | $41.81 |
High paying senior linux systems administrator jobs
Senior linux systems administrator salary trends
The average senior linux systems administrator salary has risen by $19,383 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior linux systems administrator earned $86,840 annually, but today, they earn $106,223 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for senior linux systems administrators over the last decade.
Compare senior linux systems administrator salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior linux systems administrator salary over time
Compare senior linux systems administrator salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior linux systems administrator salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $106,000 | $51.07 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $103,000 | $49.39 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $100,000 | $48.27 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $99,200 | $47.71 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $97,500 | $46.89 | +2.4% |
Recently added senior linux systems administrator salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vast | Senior Linux Systems Administrator | Long Beach, CA | 06/29/2025 | $124,000 |
| ZP Group | Senior Linux System Administrator | Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD | 06/29/2025 | $100,000 |
| Everwatch | Linux Systems Admin, Senior | Annapolis, MD | 06/29/2025 | $115,143 |
| Professional Search of The Carolinas | Senior Linux System Administrator-Dhhs-Hybrid Contract | Durham, NC | 06/29/2025 | $114,785 |
| SMX Convention Center | Senior Linux/Unix Systems Administrator (4419) | Dahlgren, VA | 06/27/2025 | $105,100 |
| Bae Systems Plc | Senior Linux Systems Administrator | Saratoga Springs, UT | 06/26/2025 | $118,504 |
| Smartronix | Senior Linux/Unix Systems Administrator (4411) | Dahlgren, VA | 06/25/2025 | $105,100 |
| Geologics | Senior Linux AWS Systems Administrator | Aurora, CO | 06/25/2025 | $125,220 |
| Praxis Engineering | Senior Storage Engineer/Linux Systems Administrator | McLean, VA | 06/24/2025 | $101,996 |
| Fabletics | SR. Linux Systems Administrator | El Segundo, CA | 06/24/2025 | $116,000 |
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