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As of October 2025, the average salary for a Systems Designer stands at $93,438 annually. This figure reflects a growing demand for skilled professionals who can integrate complex systems effectively. Factors influencing salary include years of experience, geographic location, and the industry sector. For example, entry-level positions offer lower salaries, while experienced designers command higher earnings.
Entry-level Systems Designers typically start around $70,000, while mid-career professionals may earn approximately $90,000. Senior positions can exceed $120,000, particularly in tech-centric regions like Silicon Valley or New York City. These disparities illustrate the importance of location in salary negotiations.
Certain states consistently offer higher salaries for Systems Designers. For instance, California and Washington lead in compensation, while Texas and Florida provide competitive packages as well. Understanding these regional differences can guide job seekers in their search for lucrative opportunities.
Ultimately, a Systems Designer's salary reflects their expertise and the demand for their skills across various industries. Aspiring designers should consider these factors when evaluating job offers or planning their career paths.
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The highest-paying states for systems designers are Washington, Illinois, and Connecticut. The lowest average systems designer salary states are Nebraska, Kansas, and Arkansas.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $125,976 | $60.57 |
| 2 | New Mexico | $100,708 | $48.42 |
| 3 | Connecticut | $111,302 | $53.51 |
| 4 | Illinois | $113,861 | $54.74 |
| 5 | Texas | $98,478 | $47.35 |
| 6 | Oregon | $99,404 | $47.79 |
| 7 | Idaho | $100,096 | $48.12 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $115,921 | $55.73 |
| 9 | Alaska | $102,246 | $49.16 |
| 10 | West Virginia | $104,183 | $50.09 |
| 11 | South Dakota | $94,129 | $45.25 |
| 12 | Arizona | $93,903 | $45.15 |
| 13 | Michigan | $92,852 | $44.64 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $110,698 | $53.22 |
| 15 | Wisconsin | $96,030 | $46.17 |
| 16 | Nevada | $95,038 | $45.69 |
| 17 | Maine | $94,720 | $45.54 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $91,529 | $44.00 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $91,090 | $43.79 |
| 20 | Tennessee | $92,915 | $44.67 |
| 21 | California | $101,542 | $48.82 |
| 22 | Georgia | $88,181 | $42.39 |
| 23 | Louisiana | $92,312 | $44.38 |
| 24 | Maryland | $101,073 | $48.59 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $86,793 | $41.73 |
| 26 | New York | $88,127 | $42.37 |
| 27 | Utah | $91,924 | $44.19 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | $89,310 | $42.94 |
| 29 | Vermont | $86,217 | $41.45 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $80,683 | $38.79 |
| 31 | Missouri | $86,557 | $41.61 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $81,318 | $39.10 |
| 33 | Iowa | $84,323 | $40.54 |
| 34 | Delaware | $86,605 | $41.64 |
| 35 | Ohio | $82,475 | $39.65 |
| 36 | New Jersey | $88,212 | $42.41 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $80,935 | $38.91 |
| 38 | Virginia | $89,859 | $43.20 |
| 39 | Minnesota | $82,716 | $39.77 |
| 40 | Montana | $83,279 | $40.04 |
| 41 | Colorado | $89,476 | $43.02 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $82,730 | $39.77 |
| 43 | Alabama | $84,385 | $40.57 |
| 44 | Florida | $81,048 | $38.97 |
| 45 | Indiana | $80,961 | $38.92 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $79,024 | $37.99 |
| 47 | Kansas | $78,644 | $37.81 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $77,753 | $37.38 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $77,905 | $37.45 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $76,232 | $36.65 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $60,068 | $28.88 |
The highest-paying cities for systems designers are Seattle, WA, Chicago, IL, and Quincy, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle, WA | $126,887 | $61.00 |
| 2 | Chicago, IL | $113,910 | $54.76 |
| 3 | Quincy, MA | $110,803 | $53.27 |
| 4 | Novato, CA | $109,508 | $52.65 |
| 5 | Baltimore, MD | $101,134 | $48.62 |
| 6 | Irving, TX | $99,631 | $47.90 |
| 7 | Waukesha, WI | $96,164 | $46.23 |
| 8 | Tempe, AZ | $93,940 | $45.16 |
| 9 | Detroit, MI | $92,898 | $44.66 |
| 10 | Pittsburgh, PA | $91,078 | $43.79 |
| 11 | Colorado Springs, CO | $89,532 | $43.04 |
| 12 | Atlanta, GA | $88,443 | $42.52 |
| 13 | Edison, NJ | $88,257 | $42.43 |
| 14 | New York, NY | $88,203 | $42.41 |
| 15 | Saint Paul, MN | $82,684 | $39.75 |
| 16 | Columbus, OH | $82,501 | $39.66 |
| 17 | Orlando, FL | $82,355 | $39.59 |
| 18 | Columbus, IN | $81,113 | $39.00 |
| 19 | Raleigh, NC | $80,987 | $38.94 |
A systems designer's salary ranges from $69,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $125,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $125,000 | $10,417 | $60 |
| 75th Percentile | $109,000 | $9,083 | $52 |
| Average | $93,438 | $7,787 | $45 |
| 25th Percentile | $79,000 | $6,583 | $38 |
| 10th Percentile | $69,000 | $5,750 | $33 |
The highest paying types of systems designers are senior piping designer, senior engineer, and chief engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering Internship | $42,749 | $3,562 | $20.55 | 115,512 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Mechanical Engineer | $75,352 | $6,279 | $36.23 | 105,618 |
| Project Engineer | $75,050 | $6,254 | $36.08 | 176,689 |
| Product Engineer | $89,645 | $7,470 | $43.10 | 157,888 |
| Chief Engineer | $108,050 | $9,004 | $51.95 | 88,473 |
Top companies hiring systems designers now:
Systems designer salaries at Meta and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average systems designer salary at companies like Intuit and Amazon are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $129,074 | $62.05 |
| 2 | Apple | $124,714 | $59.96 |
| 3 | Intuit | $122,268 | $58.78 |
| 4 | Amazon | $117,716 | $56.59 |
| 5 | AbbVie | $115,789 | $55.67 |
| 6 | Henry Ford Village | $115,009 | $55.29 |
| 7 | Slalom | $113,187 | $54.42 |
| 8 | Microsoft | $112,954 | $54.30 |
| 9 | Dynatrace | $111,767 | $53.73 |
| 10 | TEKsystems | $111,149 | $53.44 |
| 11 | Argonne National Laboratory | $110,462 | $53.11 |
| 12 | Henry Ford Health System | $110,221 | $52.99 |
| 13 | Best Buy | $109,095 | $52.45 |
| 14 | DXC Technology | $108,366 | $52.10 |
| 15 | USG | $107,487 | $51.68 |
| 16 | Cirrus Aircraft | $106,601 | $51.25 |
| 17 | GE Healthcare Holdings Inc. | $106,262 | $51.09 |
| 18 | Tesla | $105,324 | $50.64 |
| 19 | Massachusetts General Hospital | $105,150 | $50.55 |
| 20 | Calypso Technology | $104,705 | $50.34 |
The average systems designer salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Health Care | $105,218 | $50.59 |
| 2 | Professional | $94,589 | $45.48 |
| 3 | Technology | $93,972 | $45.18 |
| 4 | Finance | $93,091 | $44.76 |
| 5 | Construction | $92,369 | $44.41 |
| 6 | Automotive | $91,417 | $43.95 |
| 7 | Manufacturing | $86,185 | $41.44 |
The average systems designer salary has risen by $11,327 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average systems designer earned $82,111 annually, but today, they earn $93,438 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for systems designers over the last decade.
Compare systems designer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare systems designer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $93,400 | $44.92 | +1.9% |
| 2025 | $91,600 | $44.06 | +1.2% |
| 2024 | $90,500 | $43.53 | +1.7% |
| 2023 | $89,000 | $42.79 | +2.0% |
| 2022 | $87,300 | $41.95 | +0.7% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Origin | Configurator III-System Design Assembly & Test-New Glenn | Seattle, WA | 06/30/2025 | $117,498 |
| Thermo Systems | Control Systems Designer I | Downe, NJ | 06/27/2025 | $63,000 |
| Chewy | AD, Product Design-Design Systems & Content Design | Bellevue, WA | 06/26/2025 | $166,000 |
| Johnson Controls, Inc. | Complex Security Systems Designer | Colonie, NY | 06/25/2025 | $72,600 |
| Ledgent Technology | Security Systems Designer | Irvine, CA | 06/24/2025 | $100,000 |
| Harris Companies | Building Automation Systems Designer II | Saint Paul, MN | 06/21/2025 | $65,878 |
| Harris Companies | Building Automation Systems Designer II | Salt Lake City, UT | 06/21/2025 | $65,878 |
| Cummins | Product Systems Designer Technology Specialists #In1192 | Columbus, OH | 06/19/2025 | $130,416 |
| Cummins Inc. | Product Systems Designer Technology Specialists #In1192 | Columbus, IN | 06/19/2025 | $130,416 |
| Adobe | Staff Designer, Spectrum Design System-Mobile | San Francisco, CA | 06/12/2025 | $142,700 |
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