Linux Engineer
Linux Engineer Salary in California
$22.2K - $37.5K
0% of jobs
$37.5K - $52.8K
0% of jobs
$52.8K - $68.1K
3% of jobs
$68.1K - $83.4K
11% of jobs
$83.4K - $98.7K
10% of jobs
$99.1K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$98.7K - $114K
17% of jobs
The median wage is $119.6K / yr.
$114K - $129.3K
22% of jobs
$137.7K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$129.3K - $144.6K
20% of jobs
$144.6K - $159.9K
6% of jobs
$159.9K - $175.2K
3% of jobs
$175.2K - $190.5K
7% of jobs
$22.2K
$121.4K
$189K
$122,620
/year
$58.95
/hour
Linux Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$124,247
California
California
$122,620
Do you get a good deal as a Linux Engineer?
Take The Breakroom Quiz to find out if your job offers fair pay and conditions. The 3-minute quiz lets you compare your pay, hours, benefits, and more.
Take The Breakroom Quiz
How much does a Linux Engineer make in California?
As of Aug 22, 2026, the average annual pay for a Linux Engineer in California is $122,620 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $58.95 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,358/week or $10,218/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $188,992 and as low as $22,205, the majority of Linux Engineer salaries currently range between $98,700 (25th percentile) to $137,700 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $175,669 annually in California. The average pay range for a Linux Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 39000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
California ranks number 50 out of 50 states nationwide for Linux Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Linux Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Linux Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Linux Engineer Jobs in California
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Linux Engineer job is above the average in California in California. Topping the list is Berkeley, , with Palo Alto, and San Francisco, close behind in the second and third positions. San Francisco, beats the average in California by $23,454 (19.1%), and Berkeley, furthers that trend with another $29,513 (24.1%) above the $122,620 average.
With these 10 cities paying on average above the average for California, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Linux Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 5% between Berkeley, and Santa Cruz, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Linux Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Berkeley | $152,133 | $73.14 |
Palo Alto | $146,224 | $70.30 |
San Francisco | $146,074 | $70.23 |
Santa Clara | $145,920 | $70.15 |
Sunnyvale | $145,822 | $70.11 |
Livermore | $145,740 | $70.07 |
San Jose | $145,535 | $69.97 |
Daly City | $143,964 | $69.21 |
Emeryville | $143,683 | $69.08 |
Santa Cruz | $143,463 | $68.97 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Linux Engineer Jobs in California
Analyzing similar jobs related to the Linux Engineer job category in California, we found 5 that were relevant. However, none pay more than the $122620 state average for Linux Engineer jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Infrastructure Operations Engineer | $125,402 | $60.29 |
Linux Aws | $113,555 | $54.59 |
Linux System Engineer | $105,431 | $50.69 |
Linux Programmer | $96,716 | $46.50 |
Associate Devops Engineer | $81,554 | $39.21 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
