Systems Engineer Salary
Average Systems Engineer Salary
$90,107 yearlyTo create our salary estimates, Zippia starts with data published in publicly available sources such as the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Foreign Labor Certification Data Center (FLC) Show More
How much does a Systems Engineer make?
Systems engineers make $90,107 per year on average, or $43.32 per hour, in the United States. Systems engineers on the lower end of that spectrum, the bottom 10% to be exact, make roughly $68,000 a year, while the top 10% makes $119,000.
Location impacts how much a systems engineer can expect to make. Systems engineers make the most in Washington, California, Nebraska, Oregon, and Maryland.
Highest Paying States For Systems Engineers
The darker areas on the map show where systems engineers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
- State View
- County View
Systems Engineer average salary by State
| Rank | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $100,094 | $48.12 | 1,720 |
| 2 | Nebraska | $92,069 | $44.26 | 377 |
| 3 | Oregon | $91,676 | $44.08 | 922 |
| 4 | California | $97,386 | $46.82 | 7,271 |
| 5 | Vermont | $87,519 | $42.08 | 155 |
| 6 | Delaware | $85,617 | $41.16 | 229 |
| 7 | Virginia | $85,839 | $41.27 | 3,892 |
| 8 | Nevada | $85,435 | $41.07 | 328 |
| 9 | Texas | $82,291 | $39.56 | 4,082 |
| 10 | Michigan | $82,309 | $39.57 | 1,274 |
| 11 | Maryland | $88,552 | $42.57 | 2,340 |
| 12 | Idaho | $86,286 | $41.48 | 255 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $89,632 | $43.09 | 717 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $86,077 | $41.38 | 1,771 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $83,235 | $40.02 | 188 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $82,306 | $39.57 | 1,697 |
| 17 | New Hampshire | $81,753 | $39.30 | 317 |
| 18 | Arkansas | $80,921 | $38.90 | 324 |
| 19 | Utah | $78,759 | $37.86 | 767 |
| 20 | New York | $84,637 | $40.69 | 2,065 |
| 21 | New Jersey | $85,072 | $40.90 | 1,242 |
| 22 | Arizona | $78,835 | $37.90 | 1,316 |
| 23 | Colorado | $80,866 | $38.88 | 1,760 |
| 24 | Alabama | $77,365 | $37.19 | 775 |
| 25 | Ohio | $79,300 | $38.13 | 1,343 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $84,284 | $40.52 | 132 |
| 27 | Iowa | $80,170 | $38.54 | 417 |
| 28 | Tennessee | $78,557 | $37.77 | 621 |
| 29 | Georgia | $78,971 | $37.97 | 1,448 |
| 30 | South Dakota | $76,181 | $36.63 | 160 |
| 31 | Connecticut | $79,610 | $38.27 | 598 |
| 32 | Wyoming | $75,408 | $36.25 | 119 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $78,582 | $37.78 | 1,044 |
| 34 | Rhode Island | $76,574 | $36.81 | 241 |
| 35 | Kansas | $77,498 | $37.26 | 399 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $77,842 | $37.42 | 250 |
| 37 | Illinois | $78,718 | $37.85 | 1,779 |
| 38 | Indiana | $76,901 | $36.97 | 759 |
| 39 | Florida | $76,961 | $37.00 | 2,688 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $74,849 | $35.99 | 415 |
| 41 | Montana | $77,241 | $37.14 | 171 |
| 42 | South Carolina | $76,903 | $36.97 | 534 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $75,284 | $36.19 | 1,540 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $76,482 | $36.77 | 337 |
| 45 | North Dakota | $72,782 | $34.99 | 154 |
| 46 | Wisconsin | $75,454 | $36.28 | 655 |
| 47 | Maine | $74,815 | $35.97 | 170 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $76,000 | $36.54 | 271 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $74,379 | $35.76 | 348 |
| 50 | Alaska | $69,943 | $33.63 | 162 |
| 51 | Missouri | $75,428 | $36.26 | 743 |
Highest Paying Cities For Systems Engineers
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $103,354 | $49.69 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $100,515 | $48.32 |
| 3 | Bellevue, NE | $92,168 | $44.31 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $89,644 | $43.10 |
| 5 | Reston, VA | $85,871 | $41.28 |
| 6 | Englewood, NJ | $85,273 | $41.00 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $84,732 | $40.74 |
| 8 | Houston, TX | $83,020 | $39.91 |
| 9 | Middletown, PA | $82,877 | $39.84 |
| 10 | Washington, MI | $82,508 | $39.67 |
| 11 | Bentonville, AR | $80,908 | $38.90 |
| 12 | Englewood, CO | $80,813 | $38.85 |
| 13 | Middletown, CT | $79,780 | $38.36 |
| 14 | Columbus, OH | $79,193 | $38.07 |
| 15 | Columbus, GA | $78,927 | $37.95 |
Here Are The Five Most In Demand Cities Right Now:
Systems Engineer Salary Details
What is a Systems Engineer's Salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $119,000 | $9,917 | $57 |
| 75th Percentile | $104,000 | $8,667 | $50 |
| Average | $90,107 | $7,509 | $43 |
| 25th Percentile | $77,000 | $6,417 | $37 |
| 10th Percentile | $68,000 | $5,667 | $33 |
Average Salary By Related Titles
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Information Engineer | $93,564 | $7,797 | $44.98 | 151,357 |
| Systems Consultant | $103,268 | $8,606 | $49.65 | 134,337 |
| Systems Administrator | $80,851 | $6,738 | $38.87 | 134,500 |
| Systems Integrator | $98,073 | $8,173 | $47.15 | 98,466 |
| Engineer | $86,463 | $7,205 | $41.57 | 618,207 |
| Systems Developer | $96,701 | $8,058 | $46.49 | 322,419 |
Here are the five companies hiring the most now:
Which Companies Pay Systems Engineers The Most?
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $148,760 | $71.52 | 18 | |
| 2 | Airbnb | $139,781 | $67.20 | 4 |
| 3 | Lyft | $135,493 | $65.14 | |
| 4 | $135,373 | $65.08 | 329 | |
| 5 | Meta | $132,957 | $63.92 | 2454 |
| 6 | Microsoft | $132,458 | $63.68 | 774 |
| 7 | $130,775 | $62.87 | ||
| 8 | Square | $127,663 | $61.38 | 17 |
| 9 | Clover Network | $126,240 | $60.69 | |
| 10 | $124,410 | $59.81 | ||
| 11 | The University of Chicago | $123,928 | $59.58 | 3 |
| 12 | Stanford University | $123,848 | $59.54 | 18 |
| 13 | NVIDIA | $123,702 | $59.47 | 113 |
| 14 | Stripe | $123,467 | $59.36 | 49 |
| 15 | Twilio | $123,361 | $59.31 | 27 |
| 16 | Gyrodata | $122,000 | $58.65 | |
| 17 | Shearman & Sterling | $121,875 | $58.59 | 3 |
| 18 | Rambus | $121,496 | $58.41 | 3 |
| 19 | CTG | $121,048 | $58.20 | 1864 |
| 20 | Harvard University | $120,704 | $58.03 | 50 |
How Much Do Systems Engineers Make In Different Industries?
Systems engineer salaries can vary depending on the industry. In fact, our data shows that the finance, technology, and manufacturing industries tend to offer much higher salaries for systems engineers. For example, systems engineers make a whopping average salary of $102,255 while working in the finance industry. Meanwhile, other people in this field are making $99,125 in the technology industry and $98,511 in the manufacturing industry.
Systems engineers may want to avoid working in the telecommunication industry as it offers the lowest average salary of $91,483.
Highest Paying Industries For Systems Engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $102,255 | $49.16 |
| 2 | Technology | $99,125 | $47.66 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $98,511 | $47.36 |
| 4 | Government | $95,154 | $45.75 |
| 5 | Telecommunication | $91,483 | $43.98 |
High Paying Systems Engineer Jobs
Systems Engineer Salary Trends
Average Systems Engineer Salary Over Time
Compare salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Systems Engineer Salary By Year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | $90,100 | $43.32 | +3.3% |
| 2021 | $87,100 | $41.89 | +2.3% |
| 2020 | $85,200 | $40.94 | +2.2% |
| 2019 | $83,300 | $40.05 | +0.7% |
| 2018 | $82,700 | $39.78 | +1.2% |
Recently Added Systems Engineer Salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peraton | Systems Engineer | Huntsville, AL | 06/02/2022 | $82,992 |
| Commscope | System Engineer-Ruckus | Denver, CO | 06/01/2022 | $84,000 |
| Splunk | Atlassian Systems Engineer (US Remote Available) | Chicago, IL | 06/01/2022 | $75,000 |
| Dish Network | 5G RAN Systems Engineer | Centennial, CO | 06/01/2022 | $87,500 |
| General Dynamics Mission Systems Social Media Manager In Fairfax, Virginia | Systems Engineer-Mbse-Remote Opportunity! | Fairfax, VA | 06/01/2022 | $67,562 |
| Handy Networks | Systems Engineer | Denver, CO | 06/01/2022 | $70,000 |
| Precision Resources | Network Systems Engineer | Birmingham, AL | 06/01/2022 | $90,000 |
| Peraton Corporation | Systems Engineer | Annapolis, MD | 06/01/2022 | $50,700 |
| University of California | Systems Engineer | Riverside, CA | 06/01/2022 | $89,100 |
| Arrow Electronics | Systems Engineer | Syracuse, NY | 06/01/2022 | $62,200 |
Systems Engineer Salaries FAQs
What state pays Systems Engineers the most?
Washington pays Systems Engineers the most in the United States, with an average salary of $100,094 per year, or $48.12 per hour.
How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a Systems Engineer?
You know if you are being paid fairly as a Systems Engineer if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in California you should be paid close to $97,386 per year.
What type of Systems Engineer gets paid the most?
Principal Systems Engineer gets paid the most. Principal Systems Engineer made a median salary of $139,604. The best-paid 10 percent make $161,000, while the lowest-paid 10 percent make $120,000.
What is a good starting salary for a Systems Engineer?
A good starting salary for a systems engineer is $68,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a systems engineer in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for systems engineers is $90,107, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a systems engineer can vary by state.
Are systems engineers well paid?
Yes, systems engineers are well paid. In fact, the average system engineer earns $95,000 a year. Over 80% of system engineers feel that their salary is high enough to cover the cost of living.
How much money do system engineers make?
System engineers make an average of $95,000 a year. However, what a system engineer can earn varies, with a range as low as $48,000 a year to as high as $160,000 a year. Factors such as location and job title impact how much a systems engineer can earn.
What is the average salary of a computer systems engineer?
The average salary of a computer systems engineer is $90,000 a year. However, the earning potential of a computer systems engineer can vary, starting as low as $47,000 to as high as $145,000 a year.
What is the typical starting salary for a systems engineer?
The starting salary for a systems engineer is $78,818 per year. However, the starting pay for a systems engineer can vary, starting as low as $63,000 a year to as high as $101,000 a year. Factors such as educational experience, industry or company, and location impact how much a systems engineer can earn just starting out.
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