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Systems software specialist salary
Average systems software specialist salary
$98,081
Comprehensive Overview of Systems Software Specialist Salaries
A Systems Software Specialist plays a crucial role in the tech industry, focusing on the development, maintenance, and enhancement of software systems. As of October 2025, the average salary for this position is $98,081 annually. However, salaries can range significantly based on various factors.
Salary Variations by State
Different states offer varying salary scales. For instance, states like California and New York tend to feature higher salaries due to their high cost of living and demand for tech talent. Below are the states with the highest paying roles:
- California
- Washington
- New York
- Texas
- Massachusetts
Opportunities in Major Cities
Major cities are also significant contributors to salary differences. Cities such as San Francisco, Seattle, and New York City typically offer competitive salaries for Systems Software Specialists, often exceeding the national average. Additionally, the demand for skilled software specialists continues to rise, creating ample job opportunities.
By understanding the salary landscape and exploring various geographic locations, candidates can better position themselves in this lucrative field.
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Where can a Systems Software Specialist earn more?
Average systems software specialist salary by state
The highest-paying states for systems software specialists are Washington, California, and Oregon. The lowest average systems software specialist salary states are Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Nebraska.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for systems software specialists
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $108,246 | $52.04 |
| 2 | Washington | $125,554 | $60.36 |
| 3 | Arizona | $105,491 | $50.72 |
| 4 | New Mexico | $95,240 | $45.79 |
| 5 | Oregon | $114,437 | $55.02 |
| 6 | California | $118,889 | $57.16 |
| 7 | Ohio | $94,059 | $45.22 |
| 8 | Vermont | $99,362 | $47.77 |
| 9 | Idaho | $103,542 | $49.78 |
| 10 | Wyoming | $91,628 | $44.05 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $99,803 | $47.98 |
| 12 | Utah | $98,329 | $47.27 |
| 13 | New York | $108,363 | $52.10 |
| 14 | Hawaii | $97,486 | $46.87 |
| 15 | Alaska | $97,312 | $46.78 |
| 16 | Colorado | $94,629 | $45.49 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $89,933 | $43.24 |
| 18 | Maine | $96,976 | $46.62 |
| 19 | Alabama | $93,571 | $44.99 |
| 20 | Massachusetts | $94,970 | $45.66 |
| 21 | South Carolina | $90,499 | $43.51 |
| 22 | Iowa | $91,691 | $44.08 |
| 23 | Texas | $92,730 | $44.58 |
| 24 | Florida | $90,591 | $43.55 |
| 25 | Maryland | $89,567 | $43.06 |
| 26 | South Dakota | $84,489 | $40.62 |
| 27 | Pennsylvania | $89,711 | $43.13 |
| 28 | Michigan | $89,729 | $43.14 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $81,983 | $39.41 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $83,037 | $39.92 |
| 31 | Delaware | $88,345 | $42.47 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $85,493 | $41.10 |
| 33 | Montana | $89,514 | $43.04 |
| 34 | Arkansas | $86,863 | $41.76 |
| 35 | Kansas | $80,329 | $38.62 |
| 36 | New Hampshire | $87,719 | $42.17 |
| 37 | Indiana | $85,819 | $41.26 |
| 38 | Virginia | $80,143 | $38.53 |
| 39 | New Jersey | $89,188 | $42.88 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $79,018 | $37.99 |
| 41 | Rhode Island | $82,495 | $39.66 |
| 42 | Georgia | $85,964 | $41.33 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $78,113 | $37.55 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $79,098 | $38.03 |
| 45 | North Carolina | $80,793 | $38.84 |
| 46 | Connecticut | $82,443 | $39.64 |
| 47 | Minnesota | $84,792 | $40.77 |
| 48 | Missouri | $75,766 | $36.43 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $76,181 | $36.63 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $77,955 | $37.48 |
| 51 | Illinois | $76,717 | $36.88 |
Highest paying cities for systems software specialists
The highest-paying cities for systems software specialists are San Francisco, CA, Bothell, WA, and Reno, NV.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $130,597 | $62.79 |
| 2 | Bothell, WA | $125,794 | $60.48 |
| 3 | Reno, NV | $114,880 | $55.23 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $108,638 | $52.23 |
| 5 | Cambridge, MA | $95,015 | $45.68 |
| 6 | Austin, TX | $93,236 | $44.83 |
| 7 | Cincinnati, OH | $92,830 | $44.63 |
| 8 | Des Moines, IA | $91,334 | $43.91 |
| 9 | Novi, MI | $89,680 | $43.12 |
| 10 | Gaithersburg, MD | $89,304 | $42.93 |
| 11 | Jersey City, NJ | $89,262 | $42.91 |
| 12 | Pittsburgh, PA | $87,024 | $41.84 |
| 13 | Norwalk, CT | $82,505 | $39.67 |
| 14 | Cary, NC | $81,336 | $39.10 |
| 15 | Charlottesville, VA | $79,447 | $38.20 |
| 16 | Palatine, IL | $76,956 | $37.00 |
Systems software specialist salary details
A systems software specialist's salary ranges from $76,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $126,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a systems software specialist's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $126,000 | $10,500 | $61 |
| 75th Percentile | $112,000 | $9,333 | $54 |
| Average | $98,081 | $8,173 | $47 |
| 25th Percentile | $85,000 | $7,083 | $41 |
| 10th Percentile | $76,000 | $6,333 | $37 |
Highest paying systems software specialist jobs
The highest paying types of systems software specialists are senior systems software engineer, lead systems engineer, and senior systems engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technical Systems Engineer | $101,163 | $8,430 | $48.64 | 192,058 |
| Systems Integration Engineer | $106,065 | $8,839 | $50.99 | 217,599 |
| Lead Systems Engineer | $119,705 | $9,975 | $57.55 | 186,392 |
| Systems Engineer | $82,834 | $6,903 | $39.82 | 145,936 |
| Software Engineer | $100,260 | $8,355 | $48.20 | 339,938 |
| Software Systems Engineer | $107,102 | $8,925 | $51.49 | 370,518 |
Top companies hiring systems software specialists now:
Which companies pay systems software specialists the most?
Systems software specialist salaries at Google and Uber Technologies are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average systems software specialist salary at companies like Applied Materials and Novartis are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $145,374 | $69.89 | |
| 2 | Uber Technologies | $131,892 | $63.41 |
| 3 | Applied Materials | $125,752 | $60.46 |
| 4 | Novartis | $119,767 | $57.58 |
| 5 | Panasonic Avionics | $117,469 | $56.48 |
| 6 | KLA | $108,883 | $52.35 |
| 7 | SET Enterprises | $107,911 | $51.88 |
| 8 | Magna International | $106,039 | $50.98 |
| 9 | Mount Sinai Health System | $104,677 | $50.33 |
| 10 | Vanderbilt University Medical Center | $101,827 | $48.96 |
| 11 | Critigen | $100,142 | $48.15 |
| 12 | Gravitas Technology Services | $99,000 | $47.60 |
| 13 | Collins Aerospace | $98,102 | $47.16 |
| 14 | EBSCO Industries | $97,343 | $46.80 |
| 15 | Monster Products | $96,844 | $46.56 |
| 16 | UTMB HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS | $95,367 | $45.85 |
| 17 | University of Texas System | $94,285 | $45.33 |
| 18 | Hewlett Packard Enterprise | $94,190 | $45.28 |
| 19 | Maxim Integrated | $93,725 | $45.06 |
| 20 | Panasonic | $93,550 | $44.98 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Systems Software Specialist salary by industry
The average systems software specialist salary varies across industries:
- The average systems software specialist salary in the finance industry is $117,283, the highest of any industry.
- The average systems software specialist salary in the finance industry is $116,834.
- Systems software specialists in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $88,425, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for systems software specialists
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $117,283 | $56.39 |
| 2 | Transportation | $116,834 | $56.17 |
| 3 | Health Care | $104,604 | $50.29 |
| 4 | Technology | $98,067 | $47.15 |
| 5 | Automotive | $95,979 | $46.14 |
| 6 | Telecommunication | $88,842 | $42.71 |
| 7 | Manufacturing | $88,425 | $42.51 |
High paying systems software specialist jobs
Systems software specialist salary trends
The average systems software specialist salary has risen by $16,672 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average systems software specialist earned $81,409 annually, but today, they earn $98,081 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for systems software specialists over the last decade.
Compare systems software specialist salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average systems software specialist salary over time
Compare systems software specialist salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Systems software specialist salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $98,100 | $47.15 | +3.3% |
| 2025 | $94,800 | $45.60 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | $92,700 | $44.57 | +2.2% |
| 2023 | $90,700 | $43.60 | +0.7% |
| 2022 | $90,100 | $43.30 | +1.2% |
Recently added systems software specialist salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rolls Royce | Control System Software Specialist (Control Laws) | Indianapolis, IN | 06/19/2025 | $90,985 |
| Transamerica | Specialist Software Engineering-Mainframe and Legacy Systems | Philadelphia, PA | 06/19/2025 | $140,000 |
| Aegon | Specialist Software Engineering-Mainframe and Legacy Systems | Philadelphia, PA | 06/18/2025 | $140,000 |
| Aegon | Specialist Software Engineering-Mainframe and Legacy Systems | Cedar Rapids, IA | 06/18/2025 | $140,000 |
| Panasonic Corporation of North America | MTS III, Software | Irvine, CA | 06/13/2025 | $93,000 |
| Aa083 | Software Systems Specialist III, John Sealy Diagnostic Center | Galveston, TX | 06/09/2025 | $92,308 |
| University of Texas Medical Branch | Software Systems Specialist III, John Sealy Diagnostic Center | Galveston, TX | 06/05/2025 | $92,308 |
| UTMB Health | Software Systems Specialist III, John Sealy Diagnostic Center | Galveston, TX | 06/04/2025 | $92,308 |
| Panasonic Corporation of North America | MTS IV, Software | Irvine, CA | 05/21/2025 | $112,000 |
| Panasonic Corporation of North America | MTS III, Software | Beaverton, OR | 05/21/2025 | $93,000 |
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