Systems Engineer Salary

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How Much Does a Systems Engineer Earn In The United States?

Systems Engineer Salaries

Updated April 6, 2021

Average Yearly Salary

$72,000

$56,000

$72,000

$94,000

Systems engineers in the United States make an average salary of $72,795 per year or $35.0 per hour. People on the lower end of that spectrum, the bottom 10% to be exact, make roughly $56,000 a year, while the top 10% makes $94,000. As most things go, location can be critical. California, Washington, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia provide the highest systems engineer salaries.

Best Paying Cities

1. San Francisco, CA

Average Salary: $87,459

Systems Engineer Jobs: 20

2. Seattle, WA

Average Salary: $84,686

Systems Engineer Jobs: 57

3. Washington, DC

Average Salary: $81,366

Systems Engineer Jobs: 96

4. Middletown, NJ

Average Salary: $80,201

5. New York, NY

Average Salary: $75,589

Systems Engineer Jobs: 32

6. Englewood, CO

Average Salary: $75,080

Systems Engineer Jobs: 13

7. Austin, TX

Average Salary: $74,769

Systems Engineer Jobs: 55

8. Omaha, NE

Average Salary: $72,659

Systems Engineer Jobs: 13

9. Middletown, PA

Average Salary: $71,301

10. Dearborn, MI

Average Salary: $69,712

Systems Engineer Jobs: 16

11. Northbrook, IL

Average Salary: $69,436

12. Columbus, GA

Average Salary: $69,110

Systems Engineer Jobs: 1

13. Cedar Rapids, IA

Average Salary: $68,137

Systems Engineer Jobs: 9

14. Minneapolis, MN

Average Salary: $68,092

Systems Engineer Jobs: 18

15. Columbus, OH

Average Salary: $68,055

Systems Engineer Jobs: 1

16. Phoenix, AZ

Average Salary: $66,959

Systems Engineer Jobs: 28

17. Salt Lake City, UT

Average Salary: $66,957

Systems Engineer Jobs: 20

18. Middletown, CT

Average Salary: $66,484

19. Tampa, FL

Average Salary: $66,468

Systems Engineer Jobs: 27

20. Charlotte, NC

Average Salary: $65,966

Systems Engineer Jobs: 46

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Where Systems Engineers Earn The Most

The darker areas on the map show where systems engineers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary

How Much Do Systems Engineers Earn In Different Cities?

Throughout the U.S., the average salary for a systems engineer is roughly $72,795 per year, which boils down to $35.0 per hour. Interestingly enough, systems engineers have the highest salaries in San Francisco, CA at about $87,459 per year. For those who are just starting out, the average entry-level salary in San Francisco, CA is $63,000. Additionally, systems engineers make more than the average salary in Seattle, WA, Washington, DC, Middletown, NJ, New York, NY, and Englewood, CO. On a more broad level, systems engineer salaries are highest in California, Washington, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, Delaware, and New York. On the contrary, Maine, South Carolina, and Kentucky offer the lowest systems engineer salaries.

1. San Francisco, CA

$87,459

Avg. Salary

$53k

$103k

2. Seattle, WA

$84,686

Avg. Salary

$53k

$103k

3. Washington, DC

$81,366

Avg. Salary

$53k

$103k

4. Middletown, NJ

$80,201

Avg. Salary

$53k

$103k

5. New York, NY

$75,589

Avg. Salary

$53k

$103k

6. Englewood, CO

$75,080

Avg. Salary

$53k

$103k

High Paying Systems Engineer Jobs

Which Companies Pay Systems Engineers The Most?

To earn a high income as a systems engineer, working for Brocade Services or Zions Bank might be your best bet, as they are the highest paying companies in this field. In addition, companies like UMB Financial and Smartling report highly competitive wages for systems engineers.

1. Brocade Services

4.7

$117,272

Avg. Salary

$93k

$131k

2. Zions Bank

4.7

$115,951

Avg. Salary

$93k

$131k

3. UMB Financial

4.7

$114,783

Avg. Salary

$93k

$131k

4. Smartling

4.1

$114,596

Avg. Salary

$93k

$131k

5. Telenav

4.5

$113,484

Avg. Salary

$93k

$131k

6. Riverbed Holdings

4.5

$112,568

Avg. Salary

$93k

$131k

The largest raises come from changing jobs.

See what's out there.

Systems Engineer Salary History

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

How Much Do Systems Engineers Make In Different Industries?

As we previously stated, systems engineer salaries can vary depending on the industry. In fact, our data shows that telecommunication, technology, and manufacturing companies tend to offer much higher salaries for systems engineers. For example, systems engineers make a whopping average salary of $85,758 while working for telecommunication companies. Meanwhile, other people in this field are making $85,045 at technology companies and $81,879 at manufacturing companies. But systems engineers may want to avoid working in the government industry as it offers the lowest average salary at $69,229.

1. Telecommunication

$85,758

Avg. Salary

$54k

$99k

2. Technology

$85,045

Avg. Salary

$54k

$99k

3. Manufacturing

$81,879

Avg. Salary

$54k

$99k

4. Finance

$75,615

Avg. Salary

$54k

$99k

5. Government

$69,229

Avg. Salary

$54k

$99k

How Experience Affects Systems Engineer Salaries

The salary for a systems engineer can vary depending on the years of experience that a person has, from entry level to senior level. Data on how experience level affects total compensation is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of their National Compensation Survey, which is based on factors such as knowledge, complexity, contacts, and environment.

Recently Added Systems Engineer Salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date Added	Salary
Randstad Randstad Systems Engineer-III-Cscojp00077529	Systems Engineer-III-Cscojp00077529 Systems Engineer-III-Cscojp00077529	San Jose, CA San Jose, CA	01/30/2021 01/30/2021	$104,350 $104,350 01/30/2021
Management Decisions, Inc. Management Decisions, Inc. Cloud Systems Engineer	Cloud Systems Engineer Cloud Systems Engineer	San Diego, CA San Diego, CA	01/29/2021 01/29/2021	$115,000 $115,000 01/29/2021
Perspecta Inc. Perspecta Inc. Systems Engineer IV	Systems Engineer IV Systems Engineer IV	Washington, DC Washington, DC	01/29/2021 01/29/2021	$82,992 $82,992 01/29/2021
Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Cyber Systems Engineer	Cyber Systems Engineer Cyber Systems Engineer	Colorado Springs, CO Colorado Springs, CO	01/29/2021 01/29/2021	$81,680 $81,680 01/29/2021
Perspecta Inc. Perspecta Inc. Systems Engineer III	Systems Engineer III Systems Engineer III	Santa Clara, CA Santa Clara, CA	01/29/2021 01/29/2021	$67,018 $67,018 01/29/2021
City of Charlottesville City of Charlottesville Systems Engineer	Systems Engineer Systems Engineer	Charlottesville, VA Charlottesville, VA	01/29/2021 01/29/2021	$47,192 $47,192 01/29/2021
Perspecta Inc. Perspecta Inc. Systems Engineer III	Systems Engineer III Systems Engineer III	Alexandria, VA Alexandria, VA	01/29/2021 01/29/2021	$67,018 $67,018 01/29/2021
Management Decisions, Inc. Management Decisions, Inc. System Engineer, Cloud, Storage	System Engineer, Cloud, Storage System Engineer, Cloud, Storage	King of Prussia, PA King of Prussia, PA	01/29/2021 01/29/2021	$130,000 $130,000 01/29/2021
Peraton Peraton Systems Engineer-Satcom (Mid-Level)	Systems Engineer-Satcom (Mid-Level) Systems Engineer-Satcom (Mid-Level)	Fort Greely, AK Fort Greely, AK	01/29/2021 01/29/2021	$79,500 $79,500 01/29/2021
Sc Department of Public Safety Sc Department of Public Safety Systems Engineer I	Systems Engineer I Systems Engineer I	Cope, SC Cope, SC	01/29/2021 01/29/2021	$49,594 $49,594 01/29/2021

Updated April 6, 2021

Systems Engineer Salary

Calculate your salary

How Much Does a Systems Engineer Earn In The United States?

1. San Francisco, CA

2. Seattle, WA

3. Washington, DC

4. Middletown, NJ

5. New York, NY

6. Englewood, CO

7. Austin, TX

8. Omaha, NE

9. Middletown, PA

10. Dearborn, MI

11. Northbrook, IL

12. Columbus, GA

13. Cedar Rapids, IA

14. Minneapolis, MN

15. Columbus, OH

16. Phoenix, AZ

17. Salt Lake City, UT

18. Middletown, CT

19. Tampa, FL

20. Charlotte, NC

How much should you get paid?

Where Systems Engineers Earn The Most

How Much Do Systems Engineers Earn In Different Cities?

High Paying Systems Engineer Jobs

Which Companies Pay Systems Engineers The Most?

The largest raises come from changing jobs.

Systems Engineer Salary History

How Much Do Systems Engineers Make In Different Industries?

How Experience Affects Systems Engineer Salaries

Recently Added Systems Engineer Salaries

Related Job Salaries

Related Salaries

Related Jobs