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Senior unix systems administrator salary
Average senior unix systems administrator salary
$116,752
Understanding the Salary of Senior Unix Systems Administrators
The role of a Senior Unix Systems Administrator is critical in ensuring the stability and efficiency of Unix-based systems. As of October 2025, the average salary for this position is $116,752 annually, or about $56 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on geographic location, industry, and experience level.
Salary by State
In states like California and New York, Senior Unix Systems Administrators often command higher salaries due to the increased cost of living and demand for technology professionals. For example, California ranks among the highest paying states, with salaries reaching upwards of $130,000.
Top Paying Cities
Cities such as San Francisco, New York City, and Seattle offer some of the most competitive salaries in the field. These urban areas are known for their robust tech industries, which continuously seek skilled Unix systems administrators.
Career Opportunities
Beyond salary, the role presents numerous opportunities for career advancement, particularly in sectors like finance, healthcare, and technology. As organizations increasingly rely on advanced Unix systems, the demand for experienced administrators is expected to grow, offering job security and potential for further professional development.
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Where can a Senior Unix Systems Administrator earn more?
Average senior unix systems administrator salary by state
The average senior unix systems administrator salary in Washington, Maryland, and New York are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior unix systems administrator salary states are Arizona, Iowa, and Wyoming.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior unix systems administrators
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $144,900 | $69.66 |
| 2 | Maryland | $135,575 | $65.18 |
| 3 | Oregon | $129,594 | $62.30 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $124,742 | $59.97 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | $122,184 | $58.74 |
| 6 | Nevada | $121,377 | $58.35 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $124,981 | $60.09 |
| 8 | New York | $134,216 | $64.53 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $132,837 | $63.86 |
| 10 | Ohio | $118,178 | $56.82 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $116,275 | $55.90 |
| 12 | Michigan | $116,038 | $55.79 |
| 13 | Delaware | $117,648 | $56.56 |
| 14 | Utah | $117,393 | $56.44 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | $115,514 | $55.54 |
| 16 | South Carolina | $115,161 | $55.37 |
| 17 | Texas | $111,617 | $53.66 |
| 18 | California | $133,931 | $64.39 |
| 19 | Massachusetts | $122,562 | $58.92 |
| 20 | South Dakota | $108,724 | $52.27 |
| 21 | Vermont | $109,427 | $52.61 |
| 22 | Alaska | $110,256 | $53.01 |
| 23 | Minnesota | $113,578 | $54.60 |
| 24 | District of Columbia | $109,977 | $52.87 |
| 25 | Maine | $112,959 | $54.31 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $106,394 | $51.15 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $113,573 | $54.60 |
| 28 | North Dakota | $105,571 | $50.76 |
| 29 | Mississippi | $108,162 | $52.00 |
| 30 | North Carolina | $107,740 | $51.80 |
| 31 | Illinois | $108,539 | $52.18 |
| 32 | Montana | $109,776 | $52.78 |
| 33 | Colorado | $107,910 | $51.88 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $107,005 | $51.44 |
| 35 | Idaho | $105,146 | $50.55 |
| 36 | Virginia | $105,550 | $50.75 |
| 37 | Georgia | $106,386 | $51.15 |
| 38 | Kansas | $104,510 | $50.25 |
| 39 | Arizona | $100,353 | $48.25 |
| 40 | Indiana | $106,462 | $51.18 |
| 41 | Missouri | $107,233 | $51.55 |
| 42 | Florida | $102,257 | $49.16 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $97,249 | $46.75 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $103,598 | $49.81 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $104,206 | $50.10 |
| 46 | Alabama | $103,869 | $49.94 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $105,362 | $50.65 |
| 48 | New Mexico | $94,449 | $45.41 |
| 49 | Iowa | $99,269 | $47.73 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $91,396 | $43.94 |
| 51 | Kentucky | $94,916 | $45.63 |
Highest paying cities for senior unix systems administrators
The highest-paying cities for senior unix systems administrators are Bothell, WA, San Francisco, CA, and Rockville, MD.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bothell, WA | $145,407 | $69.91 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $143,823 | $69.15 |
| 3 | Rockville, MD | $135,251 | $65.02 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $134,313 | $64.57 |
| 5 | Jersey City, NJ | $133,113 | $64.00 |
| 6 | Hillsboro, OR | $130,072 | $62.53 |
| 7 | Glastonbury, CT | $125,448 | $60.31 |
| 8 | Cumberland, RI | $124,789 | $59.99 |
| 9 | Bensalem, PA | $116,935 | $56.22 |
| 10 | Austin, TX | $111,896 | $53.80 |
| 11 | Washington, DC | $109,958 | $52.86 |
| 12 | Knoxville, TN | $109,045 | $52.43 |
| 13 | Chicago, IL | $108,854 | $52.33 |
| 14 | Durham, NC | $108,689 | $52.25 |
| 15 | Saint Louis, MO | $108,555 | $52.19 |
| 16 | Denver, CO | $107,931 | $51.89 |
| 17 | Alpharetta, GA | $106,471 | $51.19 |
| 18 | Reston, VA | $106,289 | $51.10 |
| 19 | Jacksonville, FL | $103,113 | $49.57 |
| 20 | Phoenix, AZ | $100,742 | $48.43 |
Senior unix systems administrator salary details
A senior unix systems administrator's salary ranges from $90,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $150,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior unix systems administrator's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $150,000 | $12,500 | $72 |
| 75th Percentile | $133,000 | $11,083 | $64 |
| Average | $116,752 | $9,729 | $56 |
| 25th Percentile | $102,000 | $8,500 | $49 |
| 10th Percentile | $90,000 | $7,500 | $43 |
Highest paying senior unix systems administrator jobs
The highest paying types of senior unix systems administrators are senior systems engineer, senior administrator, and systems administrator lead.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAN Administrator | $60,942 | $5,079 | $29.30 | 92,931 |
| Lead Administrator | $94,444 | $7,870 | $45.41 | 57,229 |
| Clinic Administrator | $71,242 | $5,937 | $34.25 | 70,844 |
| Linux Administrator | $79,996 | $6,666 | $38.46 | 56,604 |
| Network Administrator | $71,357 | $5,946 | $34.31 | 106,886 |
| Program Administrator | $50,715 | $4,226 | $24.38 | 119,898 |
Top companies hiring senior unix systems administrators now:
Which companies pay senior unix systems administrators the most?
Senior unix systems administrator salaries at PayPal and Varian Medical Systems are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior unix systems administrator salary at companies like AARP and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PayPal | $156,069 | $75.03 |
| 2 | Varian Medical Systems | $140,870 | $67.73 |
| 3 | AARP | $138,142 | $66.41 |
| 4 | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center | $136,498 | $65.62 |
| 5 | Unisys | $133,248 | $64.06 |
| 6 | Informatica | $132,158 | $63.54 |
| 7 | UBS | $131,994 | $63.46 |
| 8 | BJ's Wholesale Club | $129,831 | $62.42 |
| 9 | John Wiley & Sons | $125,864 | $60.51 |
| 10 | T-Mobile | $125,573 | $60.37 |
| 11 | Stryker | $124,452 | $59.83 |
| 12 | CCC Intelligent Solutions | $124,212 | $59.72 |
| 13 | Kforce | $122,386 | $58.84 |
| 14 | Sagarsoft | $121,669 | $58.49 |
| 15 | SMX Convention Center | $120,095 | $57.74 |
| 16 | TriNet | $119,107 | $57.26 |
| 17 | C&S Wholesale Grocers | $119,055 | $57.24 |
| 18 | API Systems | $118,599 | $57.02 |
| 19 | Alliance Data | $118,363 | $56.91 |
| 20 | Payless ShoeSource | $118,301 | $56.88 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior Unix Systems Administrator salary by industry
The average senior unix systems administrator salary varies across industries:
- The average senior unix systems administrator salary in the finance industry is $126,771, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior unix systems administrator salary in the finance industry is $119,669.
- Senior unix systems administrators in the telecommunication industry earn an average salary of $104,701, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior unix systems administrators
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $126,771 | $60.95 |
| 2 | Health Care | $119,669 | $57.53 |
| 3 | Retail | $116,212 | $55.87 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $112,430 | $54.05 |
| 5 | Technology | $105,962 | $50.94 |
| 6 | Telecommunication | $104,701 | $50.34 |
High paying senior unix systems administrator jobs
Senior unix systems administrator salary trends
The average senior unix systems administrator salary has risen by $21,304 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior unix systems administrator earned $95,448 annually, but today, they earn $116,752 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for senior unix systems administrators over the last decade.
Compare senior unix systems administrator salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior unix systems administrator salary over time
Compare senior unix systems administrator salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior unix systems administrator salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $117,000 | $56.13 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $113,000 | $54.28 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $110,000 | $53.05 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $109,000 | $52.44 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $107,000 | $51.53 | +2.4% |
Recently added senior unix systems administrator salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York ISO | Senior Unix Administrator | Rensselaer, NY | 04/28/2025 | $87,000 |
| Redshift | Senior Unix Administrator | Rensselaer, NY | 04/14/2025 | $85,000 |
| Nyiso | Senior Unix Administrator | Rensselaer, NY | 03/26/2025 | $87,000 |
| Abacus Solutions Group | Senior System Administrator-Unix | OFallon, IL | 03/21/2025 | $110,611 |
| Erias Ventures, LLC | HPC-Senior System Administrator-Configuration, Installation, Unix-2024 Annapolis Junction | Maryland | 02/18/2025 | $245,000 |
| America's Collectibles Network, Inc. | Senior Unix Administrator | Knoxville, TN | 01/10/2025 | $85,862 |
| Nomura | Senior Unix System Administrator | New York, NY | 12/11/2024 | $145,000 |
| New York ISO | Senior Unix Administrator | Rensselaer, NY | 11/30/2024 | $87,000 |
| Nyiso | Senior Unix Administrator | Rensselaer, NY | 11/20/2024 | $87,000 |
| Association for The Advancement of Artificial Intelligence | Senior Unix HPC Systems Administrator | Maryland | 10/23/2024 | $121,000 |
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