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Senior systems software engineer salary
Average senior systems software engineer salary
$122,275
Understanding Senior Systems Software Engineer Salaries
The role of a Senior Systems Software Engineer is crucial in designing and implementing complex software systems. As of October 2025, the average salary for this position is $122,275 per year. This figure can vary based on geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry.
Factors Influencing Salary
- Location: Salaries are often higher in tech hubs such as California and New York.
- Experience: Senior engineers with over ten years of experience tend to earn significantly more.
- Industry: Those working in finance or healthcare may see higher compensation compared to other sectors.
Additionally, job titles such as Lead Software Engineer or Software Architect may offer even higher salaries. Understanding these dynamics can help candidates navigate their career paths effectively, ensuring they find roles that meet their financial and professional aspirations.
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Where can a Senior Systems Software Engineer earn more?
Senior systems software engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average senior systems software engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for senior systems software engineers are Oregon, California, and Washington. The lowest average senior systems software engineer salary states are Indiana, Alabama, and Mississippi.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior systems software engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $149,546 | $71.90 |
| 2 | California | $148,991 | $71.63 |
| 3 | Washington | $145,171 | $69.79 |
| 4 | Montana | $118,667 | $57.05 |
| 5 | Utah | $113,409 | $54.52 |
| 6 | Nevada | $135,638 | $65.21 |
| 7 | Arizona | $112,348 | $54.01 |
| 8 | Idaho | $112,598 | $54.13 |
| 9 | Alaska | $115,760 | $55.65 |
| 10 | Texas | $106,625 | $51.26 |
| 11 | New Hampshire | $107,302 | $51.59 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $115,337 | $55.45 |
| 13 | Wyoming | $105,407 | $50.68 |
| 14 | Maryland | $109,072 | $52.44 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $108,897 | $52.35 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $106,602 | $51.25 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | $107,564 | $51.71 |
| 18 | New Mexico | $106,568 | $51.23 |
| 19 | North Carolina | $105,647 | $50.79 |
| 20 | Delaware | $105,328 | $50.64 |
| 21 | Rhode Island | $103,389 | $49.71 |
| 22 | New York | $107,994 | $51.92 |
| 23 | Arkansas | $104,557 | $50.27 |
| 24 | Louisiana | $106,960 | $51.42 |
| 25 | Kentucky | $105,155 | $50.56 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $119,041 | $57.23 |
| 27 | New Jersey | $104,338 | $50.16 |
| 28 | Connecticut | $103,409 | $49.72 |
| 29 | Wisconsin | $103,101 | $49.57 |
| 30 | Virginia | $100,513 | $48.32 |
| 31 | Ohio | $100,267 | $48.21 |
| 32 | Michigan | $100,024 | $48.09 |
| 33 | Maine | $101,233 | $48.67 |
| 34 | North Dakota | $97,453 | $46.85 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $102,884 | $49.46 |
| 36 | Kansas | $99,581 | $47.88 |
| 37 | Iowa | $100,251 | $48.20 |
| 38 | Colorado | $97,788 | $47.01 |
| 39 | Illinois | $98,434 | $47.32 |
| 40 | Vermont | $94,190 | $45.28 |
| 41 | Alabama | $92,139 | $44.30 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $98,795 | $47.50 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $95,351 | $45.84 |
| 44 | Minnesota | $93,916 | $45.15 |
| 45 | Florida | $95,577 | $45.95 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $91,075 | $43.79 |
| 47 | Georgia | $94,503 | $45.43 |
| 48 | Indiana | $93,426 | $44.92 |
| 49 | Tennessee | $90,988 | $43.74 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $91,824 | $44.15 |
| 51 | Missouri | $90,993 | $43.75 |
Highest paying cities for senior systems software engineers
The highest-paying cities for senior systems software engineers are San Francisco, CA, Hillsboro, OR, and Seattle, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $159,756 | $76.81 |
| 2 | Hillsboro, OR | $149,433 | $71.84 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $146,085 | $70.23 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $115,410 | $55.49 |
| 5 | Phoenix, AZ | $112,822 | $54.24 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $108,235 | $52.04 |
| 7 | Boston, MA | $107,581 | $51.72 |
| 8 | Austin, TX | $107,032 | $51.46 |
| 9 | Durham, NC | $106,627 | $51.26 |
| 10 | Piscataway, NJ | $104,299 | $50.14 |
| 11 | Pittsburgh, PA | $104,228 | $50.11 |
| 12 | Warren, MI | $100,314 | $48.23 |
| 13 | Richmond, VA | $100,234 | $48.19 |
| 14 | Chicago, IL | $98,781 | $47.49 |
| 15 | Boulder, CO | $97,569 | $46.91 |
| 16 | Jacksonville, FL | $95,470 | $45.90 |
| 17 | Omaha, NE | $95,441 | $45.89 |
| 18 | Atlanta, GA | $93,891 | $45.14 |
| 19 | Indianapolis, IN | $93,274 | $44.84 |
Senior systems software engineer salary details
A senior systems software engineer's salary ranges from $91,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $163,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior systems software engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $163,000 | $13,583 | $78 |
| 75th Percentile | $142,000 | $11,833 | $68 |
| Average | $122,275 | $10,190 | $59 |
| 25th Percentile | $105,000 | $8,750 | $50 |
| 10th Percentile | $91,000 | $7,583 | $44 |
Highest paying senior systems software engineer jobs
The highest paying types of senior systems software engineers are staff software engineer, principal software engineer, and software engineer lead.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead Engineer | $84,927 | $7,077 | $40.83 | 301,777 |
| Software Engineer-Consultant | $113,987 | $9,499 | $54.80 | 317,033 |
| Software Quality Engineer | $99,902 | $8,325 | $48.03 | 279,437 |
| Software Design Engineer | $98,799 | $8,233 | $47.50 | 315,080 |
| Software Engineer Lead | $125,565 | $10,464 | $60.37 | 342,462 |
| Software Test Engineer | $85,338 | $7,112 | $41.03 | 243,382 |
Top companies hiring senior systems software engineers now:
Which companies pay senior systems software engineers the most?
Senior systems software engineer salaries at Netflix and Twitter are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior systems software engineer salary at companies like Flexport and Google are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netflix | $182,233 | $87.61 |
| 2 | $173,256 | $83.30 | |
| 3 | Flexport | $170,483 | $81.96 |
| 4 | $168,227 | $80.88 | |
| 5 | Roku | $168,196 | $80.86 |
| 6 | ByteDance | $162,220 | $77.99 |
| 7 | Integral Ad Science | $160,943 | $77.38 |
| 8 | First Republic Bank | $157,387 | $75.67 |
| 9 | Apple | $155,886 | $74.95 |
| 10 | Databricks | $155,325 | $74.68 |
| 11 | Xandr | $154,730 | $74.39 |
| 12 | $154,384 | $74.22 | |
| 13 | Snowflake Computing | $153,905 | $73.99 |
| 14 | Etsy | $152,369 | $73.25 |
| 15 | NVIDIA | $151,670 | $72.92 |
| 16 | Cruise Automation | $150,772 | $72.49 |
| 17 | Pandora | $149,669 | $71.96 |
| 18 | Sally Beauty Holdings | $149,337 | $71.80 |
| 19 | Bloomberg | $148,432 | $71.36 |
| 20 | Sony Interactive Entertainment America | $146,829 | $70.59 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior systems software engineer salary trends
The average senior systems software engineer salary has risen by $22,699 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior systems software engineer earned $99,576 annually, but today, they earn $122,275 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for senior systems software engineers over the last decade.
Compare senior systems software engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior systems software engineer salary over time
Compare senior systems software engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior systems software engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $122,000 | $58.79 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $118,000 | $56.85 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $116,000 | $55.56 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $114,000 | $54.58 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $112,000 | $53.66 | +1.8% |
Recently added senior systems software engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axos Bank | SR. Software Engineer-Outsystems | San Diego, CA | 06/30/2025 | $75,000 |
| Jeppesen | Common Core System Senior Software Engineer | Everett, WA | 06/30/2025 | $141,950 |
| Jeppesen | Software Systems Engineer (Senior/Lead) | El Segundo, CA | 06/30/2025 | $167,450 |
| Sierra Nevada | SR Software Systems Engineer | Lone Tree, CO | 06/30/2025 | $143,487 |
| Nintendo | Contract-SR Software Engineer (NTD) | Redmond, WA | 06/29/2025 | $169,047 |
| Databricks | Senior Software Engineer-Distributed Data Systems | San Francisco, CA | 06/29/2025 | $166,000 |
| Northrop Grumman | Sentinel Principal/SR. Principal Software Systems Engineer 15376* | Colorado Springs, CO | 06/28/2025 | $124,900 |
| Commonwealth Fusion Systems | Senior Scientific Software Engineer-Magnet Protection Systems | Devens, MA | 06/28/2025 | $140,000 |
| Calspan Corporation | Senior Systems Software Engineer-Jet Engine Test Cells | Saint Paul, MN | 06/28/2025 | $100,000 |
| Manpowergroup | Senior Systems Software Engineer | San Francisco, CA | 06/27/2025 | $231,657 |
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