How much does a Systems Administrator make?

Updated Dec 6, 2023

Experience

Industry

Total Pay Range
$70K - $115K/yr
Base Pay
$66K - $108K/yr
Additional Pay
$4K - $8K/yr

$90K

/yr
$70K$115K
Most Likely Range

The estimated total pay for a Systems Administrator is $89,856 per year in the United States area, with an average salary of $84,292 per year. These numbers represent the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges from our proprietary Total Pay Estimate model and based on salaries collected from our users. The estimated additional pay is $5,564 per year. Additional pay could include cash bonus, commission, tips, and profit sharing. The "Most Likely Range" represents values that exist within the 25th and 75th percentile of all pay data available for this role.

How accurate is this most likely Total Pay range (base + additional) of $70K-$115K/yr?

Total Pay Trajectory

For Systems Administrator

$97,871 /yr
Systems Administrator
$141,721 /yr
Senior Systems Administrator
$116,741 /yr
Systems Administrator IV
See Full Career Path

Download as data table

What is the total pay trajectory for Systems Administrator?

Job TitleSalary
Systems Administrator$97,871 /yr
Senior Systems Administrator$141,721 /yr
Systems Administrator IV$116,741 /yr

Top Paying Companies

For a System Administrator in United States

Below is the total pay for the top 10 highest paying companies for a System Administrator in United States. Employers include Oracle, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin.

1
Oracle
Oracle
$131,348/yr
4K open jobs
6
Leidos
$100,308/yr
See pay for all companies for a System Administrator in United StatesView data as table

Top Paying Companies

For System Administrator in United States

1Oracle$131,348
2Raytheon$109,025
3Lockheed Martin$104,177
4Northrop Grumman$102,726
5ManTech$100,358
6Leidos$100,308
7CACI International$99,466
8US Department of Defense$98,070
9Kyndryl$96,768
10Atos-Syntel$96,325
Total Pay Trajectory

For Systems Administrator

$97,871 /yr
Systems Administrator
$141,721 /yr
Senior Systems Administrator
$116,741 /yr
Systems Administrator IV
See Full Career Path

Download as data table

What is the total pay trajectory for Systems Administrator?

Job TitleSalary
Systems Administrator$97,871 /yr
Senior Systems Administrator$141,721 /yr
Systems Administrator IV$116,741 /yr

What are total pay estimates for a Systems Administrator at different companies?

or
Sort:
Company
Jobs
Total Pay Range
Wipro
3.1
Systems AdministratorSee 1,987 salaries from all locations

$91,170

 / yr
Wipro
3.1
System AdministratorSee 1,314 salaries from all locations

$90,220

 / yr
Tata Consultancy Services
3.8
System AdministratorSee 812 salaries from all locations

$95,990

 / yr
Tata Consultancy Services
3.8
Systems AdministratorSee 428 salaries from all locations

$98,413

 / yr
cyberThink
3.8
Systems AdministratorSee 268 salaries from all locations

$109,188

 / yr
Premier IT Solutions
4.1
Systems AdministratorSee 255 salaries from all locations

$86,980

 / yr
Tech Mahindra
3.6
Systems AdministratorSee 251 salaries from all locations

$87,409

 / yr

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General Dynamics Information Technology
4
Systems AdministratorSee 198 salaries from all locations

$85,500

 / yr
US Air Force
4.1
Systems AdministratorSee 186 salaries from all locations

$82,054

 / yr
Leidos
3.8
Systems AdministratorSee 185 salaries from all locations

$101,648

 / yr
Indu
3.6
Systems AdministratorSee 183 salaries from all locations

$77,771

 / yr
US Navy
3.7
Systems AdministratorSee 154 salaries from all locations

$81,713

 / yr
NVIDIA
4.6
Systems AdministratorSee 152 salaries from all locations

$190,901

 / yr
SAIC
4.1
Systems AdministratorSee 143 salaries from all locations

$88,001

 / yr
Cisco Systems
4.4
Systems AdministratorSee 142 salaries from all locations

$141,522

 / yr
IBM
3.9
Systems AdministratorSee 141 salaries from all locations

$106,049

 / yr
Zensar Technologies
4
Systems AdministratorSee 132 salaries from all locations

$100,140

 / yr
iTech US
4
Systems AdministratorSee 126 salaries from all locations

$78,743

 / yr
Google
4.4
Systems AdministratorSee 123 salaries from all locations

$192,427

 / yr
Lockheed Martin
4.1
Systems AdministratorSee 120 salaries from all locations

$105,882

 / yr
Download as data table

Systems Administrator Salaries

Job TitleSalary
Wipro Systems Administrator salaries - 1,987 salaries reported$91,170/yr
Wipro System Administrator salaries - 1,314 salaries reported$90,220/yr
Tata Consultancy Services System Administrator salaries - 812 salaries reported$95,990/yr
Tata Consultancy Services Systems Administrator salaries - 428 salaries reported$98,413/yr
cyberThink Systems Administrator salaries - 268 salaries reported$109,188/yr
Premier IT Solutions Systems Administrator salaries - 255 salaries reported$86,980/yr
Tech Mahindra Systems Administrator salaries - 251 salaries reported$87,409/yr
General Dynamics Information Technology Systems Administrator salaries - 198 salaries reported$85,500/yr
US Air Force Systems Administrator salaries - 186 salaries reported$82,054/yr
Leidos Systems Administrator salaries - 185 salaries reported$101,648/yr
Indu Systems Administrator salaries - 183 salaries reported$77,771/yr
US Navy Systems Administrator salaries - 154 salaries reported$81,713/yr
NVIDIA Systems Administrator salaries - 152 salaries reported$190,901/yr
SAIC Systems Administrator salaries - 143 salaries reported$88,001/yr
Cisco Systems Systems Administrator salaries - 142 salaries reported$141,522/yr
IBM Systems Administrator salaries - 141 salaries reported$106,049/yr
Zensar Technologies Systems Administrator salaries - 132 salaries reported$100,140/yr
iTech US Systems Administrator salaries - 126 salaries reported$78,743/yr
Google Systems Administrator salaries - 123 salaries reported$192,427/yr
Lockheed Martin Systems Administrator salaries - 120 salaries reported$105,882/yr
Viewing 1 - 20 of 10,000

Top Paying Industries

For a System Administrator in United States

The top 5 paying industries for a System Administrator in United States are Aerospace & Defense with a median total pay of $100,358, Human Resources & Staffing with a median total pay of $92,383, Construction, Repair & Maintenance Services with a median total pay of $85,900, Management & Consulting with a median total pay of $85,481, and Information Technology with a median total pay of $84,616.

IndustryTotal PayTotal Pay Insight
  • Aerospace & DefenseAerospace & Defense$100,358

    14% Higher than other industries

  • Human Resources & StaffingHuman Resources & Staffing$92,383

    7% Higher than other industries

  • Construction, Repair & Maintenance ServicesConstruction, Repair & Maintenance Services$85,900

    0% Lower than other industries

  • Management & ConsultingManagement & Consulting$85,481

    1% Lower than other industries

  • Information TechnologyInformation Technology$84,616

    2% Lower than other industries

Aerospace & Defense

Top paying companies in Aerospace & Defense for System Administrator are Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman.

RaytheonRaytheon$109,025/yr
Lockheed MartinLockheed Martin$104,177/yr
Northrop GrummanNorthrop Grumman$102,726/yr

Glassdoor Economist Pay Overview

What is the pay outlook for Information Technology?

Overall demand for information technology workers will continue to grow as companies increasingly rely on data and technology. Individual job outlook varies by profession; demand for more specialized jobs, like cybersecurity analysts, is expected to grow significantly, while other jobs are vulnerable to outsourcing. IT jobs, which are particularly well-suited for remote work, usually require higher education or certifications and offer higher than average salaries.

Recent Salaries Shared

For system administrator

Salary Share
Anonymously share your pay to help the community

Job Title

Location

Total Pay

Base Pay | Additional Pay

Total Years of Experience

Years at Recent Employer

Submitted

Date or Time

Systems Administrator

United States of America

 | 1-3 years

$75,000

/yr

$72K | $3K

Submitted Yesterday

1-3 years
Yesterday
Systems Administrator

United States of America

 | 15+ years

$120,000

/yr

Submitted Yesterday

15+ years
Yesterday
Systems Administrator

United States of America

 | 15+ years

$118,000

/yr

$109K | $9K

Submitted Yesterday

15+ years
Yesterday
it systems admin

United States of America

 | 10-14 years

$72,000

/yr

Submitted Yesterday

10-14 years
Yesterday
IT Systems Administrator

United States of America

 | 4-6 years

$50,000

/yr

Submitted Yesterday

4-6 years
Yesterday
System Administrator

United States of America

 | 4-6 years

$93,000

/yr

$90K | $3K

Submitted Yesterday

4-6 years
Yesterday
Systems Administrator

United States of America

 | 7-9 years

$65,000

/yr

Submitted Yesterday

7-9 years
Yesterday
Systems Administrator

United States of America

 | 4-6 years

$43

/hr

Submitted Yesterday

4-6 years
Yesterday

Systems Administrator pay FAQ

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.

Additional Resources

System Administrator Job Description Template

Salaries

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