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Senior systems architect salary
Average senior systems architect salary
$113,858
Understanding Senior Systems Architect Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Senior Systems Architect in the United States stands at $113,858 per year. This position is essential for designing and implementing complex systems that align with business objectives. Senior Systems Architects typically possess a mix of technical expertise and strategic insight, which is crucial for their role.
Salary Variations by State
Geographic location significantly influences salary levels. States such as California and New York often offer higher salaries due to the concentration of technology firms. For example, the highest paying cities for this role include San Francisco and New York City, where salaries can exceed $130,000 annually. Additionally, understanding the industry can help professionals position themselves effectively. The finance and tech sectors frequently provide the highest compensation packages.
Opportunities for Advancement
With the demand for skilled professionals in this field on the rise, pursuing advanced certifications and staying updated with industry trends can enhance job prospects. Many Senior Systems Architects also transition into leadership positions, further increasing their earning potential.
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Where can a Senior Systems Architect earn more?
Average senior systems architect salary by state
The highest-paying states for senior systems architects are California, Arizona, and Washington. The lowest average senior systems architect salary states are Indiana, Oklahoma, and Montana.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior systems architects
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | $126,093 | $60.62 |
| 2 | Washington | $118,440 | $56.94 |
| 3 | North Dakota | $108,701 | $52.26 |
| 4 | California | $136,618 | $65.68 |
| 5 | Texas | $109,919 | $52.85 |
| 6 | Nevada | $114,567 | $55.08 |
| 7 | Maryland | $113,819 | $54.72 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $108,664 | $52.24 |
| 9 | West Virginia | $112,015 | $53.85 |
| 10 | Oregon | $105,926 | $50.93 |
| 11 | Idaho | $105,046 | $50.50 |
| 12 | Wyoming | $101,925 | $49.00 |
| 13 | North Carolina | $102,434 | $49.25 |
| 14 | Virginia | $105,560 | $50.75 |
| 15 | Alabama | $109,430 | $52.61 |
| 16 | Mississippi | $109,335 | $52.56 |
| 17 | Colorado | $105,813 | $50.87 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $105,320 | $50.63 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $101,696 | $48.89 |
| 20 | Pennsylvania | $99,309 | $47.74 |
| 21 | New York | $106,315 | $51.11 |
| 22 | Delaware | $102,521 | $49.29 |
| 23 | New Mexico | $98,812 | $47.51 |
| 24 | Georgia | $99,695 | $47.93 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $100,617 | $48.37 |
| 26 | District of Columbia | $98,541 | $47.38 |
| 27 | Michigan | $97,339 | $46.80 |
| 28 | Arkansas | $97,499 | $46.87 |
| 29 | South Carolina | $99,283 | $47.73 |
| 30 | Rhode Island | $93,950 | $45.17 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $97,526 | $46.89 |
| 32 | Hawaii | $104,446 | $50.21 |
| 33 | Utah | $96,416 | $46.35 |
| 34 | Florida | $97,339 | $46.80 |
| 35 | Alaska | $95,718 | $46.02 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $97,020 | $46.64 |
| 37 | Ohio | $95,004 | $45.67 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $97,040 | $46.65 |
| 39 | Iowa | $95,882 | $46.10 |
| 40 | Illinois | $93,990 | $45.19 |
| 41 | Vermont | $91,959 | $44.21 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $94,043 | $45.21 |
| 43 | Massachusetts | $94,176 | $45.28 |
| 44 | Missouri | $91,784 | $44.13 |
| 45 | Kansas | $91,557 | $44.02 |
| 46 | Indiana | $90,767 | $43.64 |
| 47 | Montana | $87,529 | $42.08 |
| 48 | Minnesota | $87,201 | $41.92 |
| 49 | South Dakota | $85,776 | $41.24 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $90,052 | $43.29 |
| 51 | Maine | $82,592 | $39.71 |
Highest paying cities for senior systems architects
The highest-paying cities for senior systems architects are San Francisco, CA, Tempe, AZ, and Bellevue, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $144,595 | $69.52 |
| 2 | Tempe, AZ | $126,213 | $60.68 |
| 3 | Bellevue, WA | $118,776 | $57.10 |
| 4 | San Antonio, TX | $110,757 | $53.25 |
| 5 | Colorado Springs, CO | $107,110 | $51.50 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $106,593 | $51.25 |
| 7 | Trenton, NJ | $105,380 | $50.66 |
| 8 | Springfield, VA | $104,819 | $50.39 |
| 9 | Charlotte, NC | $102,600 | $49.33 |
| 10 | Wilmington, DE | $102,551 | $49.30 |
| 11 | Atlanta, GA | $99,661 | $47.91 |
| 12 | Tampa, FL | $98,750 | $47.48 |
| 13 | Washington, DC | $98,598 | $47.40 |
| 14 | Pittsburgh, PA | $98,501 | $47.36 |
| 15 | Detroit, MI | $97,552 | $46.90 |
| 16 | Cincinnati, OH | $96,004 | $46.16 |
| 17 | Cambridge, MA | $94,126 | $45.25 |
| 18 | Chicago, IL | $93,893 | $45.14 |
| 19 | Springfield, MO | $93,210 | $44.81 |
| 20 | Minneapolis, MN | $87,305 | $41.97 |
Senior systems architect salary details
A senior systems architect's salary ranges from $83,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $155,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior systems architect's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $155,000 | $12,917 | $75 |
| 75th Percentile | $134,000 | $11,167 | $64 |
| Average | $113,858 | $9,488 | $55 |
| 25th Percentile | $96,000 | $8,000 | $46 |
| 10th Percentile | $83,000 | $6,917 | $40 |
Highest paying senior systems architect jobs
The highest paying types of senior systems architects are chief architect, senior solutions architect, and senior systems software engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architect And Developer | $110,970 | $9,248 | $53.35 | 316,181 |
| Systems Developer | $97,230 | $8,102 | $46.75 | 322,419 |
| Systems Engineer | $82,834 | $6,903 | $39.82 | 145,936 |
| Lead Systems Engineer | $119,705 | $9,975 | $57.55 | 186,392 |
| Systems Analyst | $75,383 | $6,282 | $36.24 | 141,289 |
| Information Technology Architect | $116,007 | $9,667 | $55.77 | 156,730 |
Top companies hiring senior systems architects now:
Which companies pay senior systems architects the most?
Senior systems architect salaries at Google and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior systems architect salary at companies like Amazon and First Republic Bank are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $167,450 | $80.50 | |
| 2 | Apple | $156,236 | $75.11 |
| 3 | Amazon | $152,822 | $73.47 |
| 4 | First Republic Bank | $151,999 | $73.08 |
| 5 | NVIDIA | $151,112 | $72.65 |
| 6 | Zynga | $148,282 | $71.29 |
| 7 | California Resources | $147,797 | $71.06 |
| 8 | Cisco | $147,618 | $70.97 |
| 9 | Karma Automotive | $144,550 | $69.50 |
| 10 | Intuitive Surgical | $143,764 | $69.12 |
| 11 | Micron Technology | $142,726 | $68.62 |
| 12 | Genentech | $142,682 | $68.60 |
| 13 | SADA | $142,417 | $68.47 |
| 14 | Riverbed Holdings, Inc. | $142,258 | $68.39 |
| 15 | American Tower | $140,676 | $67.63 |
| 16 | GUESS | $140,388 | $67.49 |
| 17 | Invesco | $139,176 | $66.91 |
| 18 | Hospital for Special Surgery | $138,101 | $66.39 |
| 19 | Envision | $137,848 | $66.27 |
| 20 | Fox News | $136,071 | $65.42 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior Systems Architect salary by industry
The average senior systems architect salary varies across industries:
- The average senior systems architect salary in the manufacturing industry is $116,482, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior systems architect salary in the finance industry is $115,396.
- Senior systems architects in the government industry earn an average salary of $93,966, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior systems architects
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manufacturing | $116,482 | $56.00 |
| 2 | Finance | $115,396 | $55.48 |
| 3 | Health Care | $109,386 | $52.59 |
| 4 | Technology | $107,115 | $51.50 |
| 5 | Government | $93,966 | $45.18 |
High paying senior systems architect jobs
Senior systems architect salary trends
The average senior systems architect salary has risen by $18,638 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior systems architect earned $95,220 annually, but today, they earn $113,858 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for senior systems architects over the last decade.
Compare senior systems architect salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior systems architect salary over time
Compare senior systems architect salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior systems architect salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $114,000 | $54.74 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $110,000 | $52.94 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $108,000 | $51.74 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $106,000 | $50.73 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $103,000 | $49.58 | +1.5% |
Recently added senior systems architect salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Origin | Senior Systems Architect | Seattle, WA | 06/30/2025 | $140,959 |
| T-Mobile Usa | SR Systems Architect-Supply Chain | Bellevue, WA | 06/29/2025 | $102,000 |
| General Dynamics | Senior Systems Architect Airborne Systems | Bloomington, MN | 06/28/2025 | $178,902 |
| Guidehouse | SR. Systems Architect | Washington, DC | 06/28/2025 | $130,000 |
| Intel Corp | Senior Microarchitect-Memory Coherency Fabric Systems | Santa Clara, CA | 06/27/2025 | $186,070 |
| T-Mobile Usa | SR Systems Architect-Supply Chain | Overland Park, KS | 06/27/2025 | $102,000 |
| Lockheed Martin | Oracle EPM Systems Architect, SR STF-1Lmx Technical Lead | Fortuna, CA | 06/26/2025 | $154,100 |
| Onlogic | Senior Hardware Systems Architect | South Burlington, VT | 06/25/2025 | $140,000 |
| Microsoft Corporation | Senior Systems Hardware Architect | Redmond, WA | 06/24/2025 | $158,400 |
| Microsoft Corporation | Senior Systems Hardware Architect | Mountain View, CA | 06/24/2025 | $158,400 |
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