How much does a Systems Administrator make?

The average salary for a Systems Administrator is $89,856 per year in United States. Salaries estimates are based on 32701 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by a Systems Administrator employees in United States.

The highest salary for a Systems Administrator in United States is $115,303 per year.

The lowest salary for a Systems Administrator in United States is $70,260 per year.

If you are thinking of becoming a Systems Administrator or planning the next step in your career, find details about the role, the career path and salary trajectory of a Systems Administrator.

Systems administrators earn salaries similar to the salaries of computer and information research scientists, computer hardware engineers, computer systems analysts, and information security analysts. Their relatively high earnings are attributed to their technical skillset, developed through both education and work experience. The expansion of healthcare information technology is expected to contribute to employment growth for this job title, so prospective systems administrators may see additional pay growth.

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Systems administrators tend to have higher salaries when they have experience in particular software and programming, like scripting and problem solving in the Microsoft Suite. With an additional $5,837.57 being possible, about 71% of systems administrators are satisfied with their salaries.

The base salary for a systems administrator can vary from $67,054.12 to $143,718.02, depending on experience and qualifications. Systems administrators can expect to earn a total pay of $97,870.90 as a senior systems administrator when they have a related bachelor's degree and multiple years of experience following the typical systems administrator career path.

To improve your total pay and salary as a systems administrator, you should look at getting new certifications as innovation and technology are always developing. This might include working with SQL servers or learning a programming language like Python. Experience also counts, and the more time you spend working on different systems such as Linux, Windows, and iOS systems, the more knowledge you will bring to your next role, which will lead to a better systems administrator salary.

You can also improve your in-demand skills, like leadership and communication, to apply for senior roles that require managing other people.

If you want to negotiate a higher salary as a systems administrator, you should focus on your specific knowledge and experience. Systems administrators with more years of experience in the role can get a significantly higher salary because they bring more value to the organization with the knowledge they have gained.

This is also true for systems administrators who have niche skills in programming languages like Java, C, and C++, which are all sought-after skill sets. Systems administrators who have certifications and qualifications in using these programming languages typically earn more than those who are less specialized, and there are systems administrator jobs available at all levels.