Senior System Administrator Salary

Average Yearly Salary

Updated May 18, 2020

$93,000

$73,000

$93,000

$117,000

The average senior system administrator makes about $93,271 per year. That's $44.84 per hour! Those in the lower 10%, such as entry-level positions, only make about $73,000 a year. Meanwhile, the top 10% are sitting pretty with an average salary of $117,000. Many of senior system administrators seem to be drawn to technology and professional companies. Unless they care more about money, in which case senior system administrators tend to work at finance, technology, and pharmaceutical companies. Even the employees who work in these industries can confirm that's where the money is. Although money is important, a lot of people base their career decisions solely on location. That's why we found that Montana, California and South Dakota pay senior system administrators the highest salaries.

Best Paying Cities

Redwood City, CA

$118,585

Annapolis, MD

$112,485

Bellevue, WA

$107,811

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Map of Senior System Administrator Salaries

The darker areas on the map show where Senior System Administrators earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary:

Average Senior System Administrator Salary By Location

While a senior system administrator can average a salary of $93,271 per year, or $44.84 per hour, there are many opportunities for senior system administrators to make more. For example, in Redwood City, CA you might make $118,585 per year. Other high-paying locations include Annapolis, MD, Bellevue, WA and Washington, DC. If you're in an entry-level position, your best bet is to move to Redwood City, CA where the average starting salary is $83,000. The highest paying states for senior system administrators include Montana, California and South Dakota. Meanwhile, Alabama, Oklahoma, and Louisiana offer the lowest salaries.

City

Average Salary

Redwood City, CA

$118,585

$119k

Annapolis, MD

$112,485

$112k

Bellevue, WA

$107,811

$108k

Washington, DC

$106,735

$107k

New York, NY

$103,601

$104k

Jersey City, NJ

$102,187

$102k

Arlington, VA

$100,384

$100k

Boston, MA

$99,894

$100k

Denver, CO

$94,916

$95k

Chicago, IL

$91,625

$92k

Average Senior System Administrator Salary By Company

If you insist on knowing when your check is going to come and for how much, then you'd be better off working for companies like Citrix Systems and Bloomberg as they offer the highest salaries for senior system administrators.

Company

Average Salary

Citrix Systems

$119,108

$119k

Bloomberg

$117,814

$118k

FireEye

$117,411

$117k

CA Technologies

$117,262

$117k

VMware

$116,674

$117k

Randstad Technologies, LP

$114,852

$115k

SugarCRM

$114,061

$114k

Telenav

$113,893

$114k

eBay

$113,610

$114k

Arista Networks

$112,495

$112k

The largest raises come from changing jobs.

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Average Senior System Administrator Pay By Industry

Senior system administrator salaries can vary on many factors, including what industry a job is in. In fact, jobs with finance, technology, and pharmaceutical companies tend to be the highest paying. Furthermore, a senior system administrator can make a yearly salary of $97,678 while working for finance companies. All the while, other senior system administrators are making $94,277 at technology companies and $92,088 at pharmaceutical companies. One industry senior system administrators may want to avoid is the professional industry as it offers the lowest average salary at $88,419.

Industry

Average Salary

Finance

$97,678

$98k

Technology

$94,277

$94k

Pharmaceutical

$92,088

$92k

Health Care

$91,416

$91k

Manufacturing

$90,856

$91k

Professional

$88,419

$88k