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Software administrator salary
Average software administrator salary
$94,570
Understanding Software Administrator Salaries
The average salary for a Software Administrator in the United States is approximately $94,570 per year, equating to about $45 per hour. This position plays a vital role in managing software applications, troubleshooting issues, and ensuring system efficiency. Salary figures can fluctuate based on several factors, including geographic location and years of experience.
For instance, states like California and New York typically offer higher salaries compared to the national average, reflecting the higher cost of living and demand for skilled professionals in tech hubs. Additionally, software administrators with specialized skills in cloud computing or cybersecurity may command higher wages.
Job Opportunities and Career Growth
As the tech industry continues to expand, the demand for software administrators is on the rise. Potential candidates should consider pursuing certifications or advanced degrees to enhance their qualifications. By exploring job listings on platforms like Zippia, individuals can find opportunities that align with their skills and salary expectations.
Let Zippi find your next software administrator job
Let Zippi find your next software administrator job
Where can a Software Administrator earn more?
Software administrator salary estimates from across the web
Average software administrator salary by state
The highest-paying states for software administrators are California, Idaho, and New York. The lowest average software administrator salary states are Montana, Kansas, and Maine.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for software administrators
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Virginia | $103,584 | $49.80 |
| 2 | Utah | $109,898 | $52.84 |
| 3 | California | $125,183 | $60.18 |
| 4 | Oregon | $108,943 | $52.38 |
| 5 | Idaho | $116,689 | $56.10 |
| 6 | Nevada | $109,140 | $52.47 |
| 7 | Washington | $107,504 | $51.68 |
| 8 | New Mexico | $92,573 | $44.51 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $103,208 | $49.62 |
| 10 | Maryland | $102,895 | $49.47 |
| 11 | Rhode Island | $101,855 | $48.97 |
| 12 | New York | $110,119 | $52.94 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $95,004 | $45.67 |
| 14 | South Carolina | $88,329 | $42.47 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $92,308 | $44.38 |
| 16 | Wyoming | $91,079 | $43.79 |
| 17 | Georgia | $95,703 | $46.01 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $86,369 | $41.52 |
| 19 | Michigan | $93,582 | $44.99 |
| 20 | Arkansas | $84,525 | $40.64 |
| 21 | Missouri | $88,035 | $42.32 |
| 22 | Texas | $89,952 | $43.25 |
| 23 | Arizona | $89,761 | $43.15 |
| 24 | Mississippi | $86,470 | $41.57 |
| 25 | Alabama | $87,897 | $42.26 |
| 26 | Delaware | $95,909 | $46.11 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $86,892 | $41.77 |
| 28 | New Jersey | $99,411 | $47.79 |
| 29 | Colorado | $90,845 | $43.68 |
| 30 | South Dakota | $83,132 | $39.97 |
| 31 | Connecticut | $94,383 | $45.38 |
| 32 | Alaska | $90,382 | $43.45 |
| 33 | Oklahoma | $83,978 | $40.37 |
| 34 | Ohio | $88,392 | $42.50 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $82,531 | $39.68 |
| 36 | Hawaii | $90,717 | $43.61 |
| 37 | Virginia | $87,600 | $42.12 |
| 38 | Florida | $88,281 | $42.44 |
| 39 | Illinois | $89,639 | $43.10 |
| 40 | Kansas | $80,910 | $38.90 |
| 41 | Vermont | $85,632 | $41.17 |
| 42 | District of Columbia | $82,641 | $39.73 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $82,854 | $39.83 |
| 44 | Minnesota | $85,029 | $40.88 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $76,027 | $36.55 |
| 46 | Iowa | $83,476 | $40.13 |
| 47 | North Carolina | $81,618 | $39.24 |
| 48 | North Dakota | $78,138 | $37.57 |
| 49 | Montana | $81,268 | $39.07 |
| 50 | Maine | $79,512 | $38.23 |
| 51 | Indiana | $78,423 | $37.70 |
Highest paying cities for software administrators
The highest-paying cities for software administrators are Santa Clara, CA, New York, NY, and Shrewsbury, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Clara, CA | $137,204 | $65.96 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $110,363 | $53.06 |
| 3 | Shrewsbury, MA | $103,147 | $49.59 |
| 4 | Gaithersburg, MD | $102,615 | $49.33 |
| 5 | Harrisburg, PA | $92,168 | $44.31 |
| 6 | Austin, TX | $90,352 | $43.44 |
| 7 | Cleveland, OH | $89,980 | $43.26 |
| 8 | Norfolk, VA | $87,846 | $42.23 |
| 9 | Little Rock, AR | $84,804 | $40.77 |
| 10 | Ankeny, IA | $83,268 | $40.03 |
| 11 | Durham, NC | $82,235 | $39.54 |
| 12 | Kingsport, TN | $76,572 | $36.81 |
Software administrator salary details
A software administrator's salary ranges from $73,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $122,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a software administrator's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $122,000 | $10,167 | $59 |
| 75th Percentile | $108,000 | $9,000 | $52 |
| Average | $94,570 | $7,881 | $45 |
| 25th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
| 10th Percentile | $73,000 | $6,083 | $35 |
Highest paying software administrator jobs
The highest paying types of software administrators are senior administrator, systems administrator lead, and lead administrator.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Information Technology Administrator | $73,195 | $6,100 | $35.19 | 159,499 |
| Software Trainer | $68,647 | $5,721 | $33.00 | 37,100 |
| Help Desk Administrator | $49,798 | $4,150 | $23.94 | 130,180 |
| Windows System Administrator | $79,845 | $6,654 | $38.39 | 94,648 |
| Software Analyst | $78,400 | $6,533 | $37.69 | 274,053 |
| Unix Systems Administrator | $87,936 | $7,328 | $42.28 | 110,185 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for software administrators, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Dr. Richard Huff Ph.D.
Assistant professor, assistant chair, Virginia Commonwealth University
These groups likely present varying degrees of salary requirements and qualifications. In the federal service, an MPA qualifies as one at the GS-9 entry-level. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) publishes salary tables at Link The beginning salary varies by location from $53K to $61K, with the higher amount near large metropolitan areas. Higher salaries are common in overseas areas. Progression is based on performance with opportunities to achieve salaries of $150K and over at the executive levels. Overall, beginning salaries for the MPA considering nonprofits and government agencies is estimated at $53K.
Top companies hiring software administrators now:
Which companies pay software administrators the most?
Software administrator salaries at PayPal and Bloomberg are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average software administrator salary at companies like Eastman and Grainger are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PayPal | $148,131 | $71.22 |
| 2 | Bloomberg | $134,750 | $64.78 |
| 3 | Eastman | $112,898 | $54.28 |
| 4 | Grainger | $110,154 | $52.96 |
| 5 | UMass Lowell | $102,950 | $49.50 |
| 6 | ARA | $99,283 | $47.73 |
| 7 | Country-Wide Insurance | $99,119 | $47.65 |
| 8 | The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory | $96,489 | $46.39 |
| 9 | BANKWEST | $94,439 | $45.40 |
| 10 | Baylor Scott & White Health | $93,978 | $45.18 |
| 11 | Dillard's | $93,461 | $44.93 |
| 12 | American Institute | $92,274 | $44.36 |
| 13 | The AES | $91,620 | $44.05 |
| 14 | icon Mechanical | $87,217 | $41.93 |
| 15 | CDO Technologies | $87,093 | $41.87 |
| 16 | PSEA | $87,023 | $41.84 |
| 17 | Wisenbaker Builder Services | $84,875 | $40.81 |
| 18 | International Systems Technologies | $84,377 | $40.57 |
| 19 | TechDigital | $84,143 | $40.45 |
| 20 | Peraton | $83,362 | $40.08 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Software Administrator salary by industry
The average software administrator salary varies across industries:
- The average software administrator salary in the hospitality industry is $107,332, the highest of any industry.
- The average software administrator salary in the finance industry is $99,660.
- Software administrators in the construction industry earn an average salary of $72,346, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for software administrators
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hospitality | $107,332 | $51.60 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $99,660 | $47.91 |
| 3 | Professional | $99,117 | $47.65 |
| 4 | Technology | $94,425 | $45.40 |
| 5 | Health Care | $91,742 | $44.11 |
| 6 | Energy | $86,081 | $41.39 |
| 7 | Internet | $83,035 | $39.92 |
| 8 | Construction | $72,346 | $34.78 |
High paying software administrator jobs
Software administrator salary trends
The average software administrator salary has risen by $17,257 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average software administrator earned $77,313 annually, but today, they earn $94,570 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for software administrators over the last decade.
Compare software administrator salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average software administrator salary over time
Compare software administrator salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Software administrator salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $94,600 | $45.47 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $91,500 | $43.97 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $89,400 | $42.97 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $88,300 | $42.48 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $86,800 | $41.74 | +2.4% |
Recently added software administrator salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stanislaus County, Ca | Software Administrator III | Modesto, CA | 06/25/2025 | $110,386 |
| Daimler Truck North America | Software Licensing Administrator | Portland, OR | 06/09/2025 | $78,000 |
| Pyramid Consulting, Inc. | Imanage Software Admin | Charlotte, NC | 05/30/2025 | $129,394 |
| Workiva | Senior CS Software Administrator-Gainsight | Ames, IA | 04/07/2025 | $93,000 |
| Workiva | Senior CS Software Administrator-Gainsight | Denver, CO | 04/05/2025 | $93,000 |
| Guidehouse | Software Administrator | Fort Meade, MD | 03/14/2025 | $113,000 |
| Athene Annuity and Life Company | Enterprise Software Administrator III | West Des Moines, IA | 03/05/2025 | $106,000 |
| Guidehouse | Lode Software Administrator | Fort Meade, MD | 02/27/2025 | $113,000 |
| Liberty Dental Plan | SR. Software Administrator | Tustin, CA | 02/25/2025 | $111,600 |
| Richland Library | Software Administrator | Columbia, SC | 02/24/2025 | $55,762 |
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