Linux System Admin Salary
$42.5K - $53K
1% of jobs
$53K - $63.5K
4% of jobs
$63.5K - $74K
11% of jobs
$74K - $84.5K
10% of jobs
$84.8K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$84.5K - $95K
10% of jobs
$95K - $105.5K
14% of jobs
The median wage is $105.9K / yr.
$105.5K - $116K
14% of jobs
$126.2K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$116K - $126.5K
12% of jobs
$126.5K - $137K
10% of jobs
$137K - $147.5K
9% of jobs
$147.5K - $158K
6% of jobs
$42.5K
$107K
$157.5K
$108,079
/year
$51.96
/hour
Linux System Admin Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$108,079
Columbus
Ohio
$104,393
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How much does a Linux System Admin make?
As of Jun 12, 2026, the average annual pay for a Linux System Admin in the United States is $108,079 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $51.96 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,078/week or $9,006/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $157,500 and as low as $42,500, the majority of Linux System Admin salaries currently range between $85,500 (25th percentile) to $130,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $148,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Linux System Admin varies greatly (by as much as 44500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Linux System Admin in your area makes on average $104,393 per year, or $3,686 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $108,079. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Linux System Admin salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Linux System Admin jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Linux System Admin on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Linux System Admin Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Linux System Admin job is above the national average. Topping the list is Honolulu County, HI, , with Everett, WA, and Nome, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Nome, AK, beats the national average by $25,993 (24.1%), and Honolulu County, HI, furthers that trend with another $31,559 (29.2%) above the $108,079 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Linux System Admin appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 9% between Honolulu County, HI, and Sunnyvale, CA, , 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 System Admin role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Honolulu County, HI | $139,638 | $67.13 |
Everett, WA | $137,353 | $66.04 |
Nome, AK | $134,072 | $64.46 |
Berkeley, CA | $132,336 | $63.62 |
Chula Vista, CA | $131,266 | $63.11 |
Hanalei, HI | $130,697 | $62.84 |
Sitka, AK | $130,201 | $62.60 |
Alexandria, VA | $127,879 | $61.48 |
San Francisco, CA | $127,336 | $61.22 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $127,235 | $61.17 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Linux System Admin Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Linux System Admin job category, we found that Linux Unix System Administrator jobs have average salaries greater than Linux System Admin jobs.
Significantly, Linux Unix System Administrator jobs pay $11,554 (10.7%) more than the average Linux System Admin salary of $108,079. If you're qualified, finding work as a Linux Unix System Administrator may help you make more money than that of the average Linux System Admin position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Linux Unix System Administrator | $119,633 | $57.52 |
Junior Linux Systems Administrator | $104,900 | $50.43 |
Linux Security Administrator | $100,000 | $48.08 |
Application Systems Administrator | $97,965 | $47.10 |
Fedora | $62,666 | $30.13 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
