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Senior systems developer salary

Average senior systems developer salary

$109,095

$52.45 hourly rate

Entry-level senior systems developer salary
$85,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding Senior Systems Developer Salaries

The average salary for a Senior Systems Developer is approximately $109,095 per year. This figure reflects a combination of factors including experience, skill level, and geographic location. For example, developers in states like California and New York often earn significantly more due to the higher cost of living and demand for tech talent.

Salary by Experience

Entry-level positions may start around $80,000, while those with extensive experience and specialized skills can earn upwards of $130,000. The tech industry is evolving, with increasing demand for skills in areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud services, and cybersecurity.

Top-Paying Industries

Industries such as finance and healthcare tend to offer the highest salaries for Senior Systems Developers. For instance, working for a major financial institution could yield a salary exceeding $150,000. As you consider your career trajectory, it's important to focus on developing skills that are in high demand, which could lead to lucrative job opportunities.

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Where can a Senior Systems Developer earn more?

Compare salary by location
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165k
145k
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85k
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Columbus, OH$138,245
Johns Creek, GA$94,559
Compare salary by company
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Mayo Clinic$145,049
Walmart$121,584

Senior systems developer salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a senior systems developer typically falls between $86,500 and $176,964.
zippia
$109,095yearly
glassdoor[1]
$176,964yearly
comparably[2]
$101,241yearly
ZipRecruiter[3]
$86,500yearly
payscale[4]
$86,885yearly

Average senior systems developer salary by state

The highest-paying states for senior systems developers are Washington, California, and New York. The lowest average senior systems developer salary states are Alabama, Wisconsin, and Kansas.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for senior systems developers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Washington$131,424$63.18
2Vermont$124,163$59.69
3Rhode Island$112,896$54.28
4Oregon$117,362$56.42
5California$129,168$62.10
6New Hampshire$114,455$55.03
7New York$124,982$60.09
8New Jersey$117,934$56.70
9Utah$109,597$52.69
10Massachusetts$120,473$57.92
11Montana$108,158$52.00
12Minnesota$110,183$52.97
13South Carolina$115,244$55.41
14Texas$106,318$51.11
15Wyoming$106,051$50.99
16Idaho$107,285$51.58
17Michigan$108,823$52.32
18Delaware$110,204$52.98
19District of Columbia$107,110$51.50
20Ohio$103,021$49.53
21Nebraska$103,864$49.93
22North Carolina$102,950$49.50
23Nevada$104,779$50.37
24Virginia$104,238$50.11
25New Mexico$101,838$48.96
26Alaska$106,946$51.42
27West Virginia$102,516$49.29
28Maine$103,684$49.85
29Colorado$105,515$50.73
30Illinois$102,721$49.39
31Indiana$101,630$48.86
32Tennessee$100,954$48.54
33Maryland$100,929$48.52
34Arizona$98,193$47.21
35South Dakota$99,306$47.74
36Connecticut$101,819$48.95
37Pennsylvania$97,948$47.09
38Oklahoma$101,325$48.71
39North Dakota$94,411$45.39
40Louisiana$101,018$48.57
41Iowa$98,807$47.50
42Missouri$99,595$47.88
43Mississippi$98,485$47.35
44Georgia$94,320$45.35
45Kentucky$95,086$45.71
46Kansas$90,688$43.60
47Florida$90,379$43.45
48Alabama$92,570$44.50
49Arkansas$89,315$42.94
50Wisconsin$91,077$43.79
51Hawaii$85,612$41.16

Highest paying cities for senior systems developers

The highest-paying cities for senior systems developers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and New York, NY.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1San Francisco, CA$138,245$66.46
2Seattle, WA$132,048$63.48
3New York, NY$125,045$60.12
4Waltham, MA$120,474$57.92
5Newark, NJ$118,126$56.79
6Eagan, MN$110,318$53.04
7Farmington Hills, MI$108,962$52.39
8Washington, DC$107,205$51.54
9Fort Worth, TX$107,037$51.46
10Denver, CO$105,526$50.73
11Richmond, VA$104,107$50.05
12Morrisville, NC$103,358$49.69
13Evanston, IL$103,052$49.54
14Findlay, OH$103,008$49.52
15Owings Mills, MD$101,195$48.65
16Brentwood, TN$101,068$48.59
17Jackson, MS$98,677$47.44
18Phoenix, AZ$98,372$47.29
19Philadelphia, PA$98,274$47.25
20Johns Creek, GA$94,559$45.46

Senior systems developer salary details

A senior systems developer's salary ranges from $85,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $139,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average senior systems developer salary graph
Average senior systems developer salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a senior systems developer's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$139,000$11,583$67
75th Percentile$124,000$10,333$60
Average$109,095$9,091$52
25th Percentile$95,000$7,917$46
10th Percentile$85,000$7,083$41

Highest paying senior systems developer jobs

The highest paying types of senior systems developers are senior/lead developer, senior systems software engineer, and lead developer.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Developer Analyst$85,279$7,107$41.00219,524
Team Lead And Developer$85,824$7,152$41.26350,426
NET Developer$88,984$7,415$42.78236,690
Software Developer$87,521$7,293$42.08294,329
Lead Developer$116,340$9,695$55.93274,208
Web Developer$78,975$6,581$37.97227,881

Top companies hiring senior systems developers now:

  1. Salesforce jobs (6)
  2. Prime Therapeutics jobs (17)
  3. Tractor Supply jobs (16)
  4. National Railroad Passenger Corporation jobs (8)
  5. Kforce jobs (9)

Which companies pay senior systems developers the most?

Senior systems developer salaries at Mayo Clinic and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior systems developer salary at companies like PacBio and KBI Global Investors are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Mayo Clinic$145,049$69.74
2Apple$136,432$65.59
3PacBio$136,383$65.57
4KBI Global Investors$134,089$64.47
5Barclays$129,734$62.37
6Phillips 66$128,565$61.81
7Amazon$127,717$61.40
8Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center$127,631$61.36
9RingCentral$126,170$60.66
10H-E-B$125,039$60.11
11Bank of the West$124,673$59.94
12Citrix$123,897$59.57
1399 Cents Only Stores$123,499$59.37
14Saks$123,441$59.35
15Allston Trading$123,173$59.22
16Kabam$123,009$59.14
17Qualys$122,546$58.92
18Salesforce$122,231$58.76
19Guitar Center$121,631$58.48
20Walmart$121,584$58.45

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$107,000$105,800$104,600$103,400$102,200$101,000
MaleFemale

Senior Systems Developer salary by industry

The average senior systems developer salary varies across industries:

  • The average senior systems developer salary in the finance industry is $111,483, the highest of any industry.
  • The average senior systems developer salary in the finance industry is $108,138.
  • Senior systems developers in the technology industry earn an average salary of $99,312, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for senior systems developers

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Finance$111,483$53.60
2Automotive$108,138$51.99
3Manufacturing$105,149$50.55
4Transportation$100,999$48.56
5Education$100,485$48.31
6Technology$99,312$47.75

High paying senior systems developer jobs

Senior systems developer salary trends

The average senior systems developer salary has risen by $20,253 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior systems developer earned $88,842 annually, but today, they earn $109,095 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for senior systems developers over the last decade.

Compare senior systems developer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average senior systems developer salary over time

Compare senior systems developer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Senior systems developer salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$109,000$52.45+3.3%
2024$106,000$50.72+2.3%
2023$103,000$49.57+1.8%
2022$101,000$48.70+1.7%
2021$99,600$47.88+1.8%

Recently added senior systems developer salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Business Centric TechnologySR Systems DeveloperDallas, TX06/25/2025$110,000
Olin CorporationSR Systems Developer-Manufacturing & Engineering (M&E) ITHouston, TX06/24/2025$115,000
Reinsurance Group of AmericaHrit Workday-Senior Systems DeveloperNoel, MO06/20/2025$87,050
GD ResourcesSenior Systems DeveloperNew York, NY06/12/2025$83,480
KlaviyoAI Senior Developer, GTM SystemsSan Francisco, CA06/09/2025$116,000
KlaviyoAI Senior Developer, GTM SystemsBoston, MA06/09/2025$116,000
KlaviyoAI Senior Developer, GTM SystemsDenver, CO06/09/2025$116,000
FalconxSenior Trading Systems Developer-Electronic Trading (Java/Rust)New York, NY06/03/2025$179,000
JuulSenior ERP Systems DeveloperSan Francisco, CA05/26/2025$142,000
AmazonSenior Systems Developer-Robotics, AWS Data Center EngineeringSan Francisco, CA05/17/2025$136,100

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