Operating Systems Programmer Salary
$11K - $22K
0% of jobs
$22K - $33K
0% of jobs
$33K - $44K
0% of jobs
$44K - $55K
0% of jobs
$55K - $66K
0% of jobs
$66K - $77K
0% of jobs
$77K - $88K
0% of jobs
$88K - $99K
0% of jobs
$99K - $110K
0% of jobs
$110K - $121K
0% of jobs
$123.8K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$121K - $132K
100% of jobs
$11K
$133K
$132,000
/year
$63.46
/hour
Operating Systems Programmer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$132,000
Columbus
Ohio
$127,498
Do you get a good deal as an Operating Systems Programmer?
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 an Operating Systems Programmer make?
As of Jun 8, 2026, the average annual pay for an Operating Systems Programmer in the United States is $132,000 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $63.46 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,538/week or $11,000/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $133,000 and as low as $11,000, the majority of Operating Systems Programmer salaries currently range between $132,000 (25th percentile) to $132,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $132,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for an Operating Systems Programmer varies little (about 0), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.
An Operating Systems Programmer in your area makes on average $127,498 per year, or $4,502 (3.411%) less than the national average annual salary of $132,000. Ohio ranks number 31 out of 50 states nationwide for Operating Systems Programmer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Operating Systems Programmer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as an Operating Systems Programmer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Operating Systems Programmer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for an Operating Systems Programmer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Jewett, TX, , with Nome, AK, and Berkeley, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Berkeley, CA, beats the national average by $29,625 (22.4%), and Jewett, TX, furthers that trend with another $84,829 (64.3%) above the $132,000 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as an Operating Systems Programmer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Additionally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies as much as 35% between Jewett, TX, and Arlington, VA, , suggesting a strong potential for positive wage variance in an Operating Systems Programmer role. Cost of living should also be factored in when balancing location and salary.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Jewett, TX | $216,829 | $104.24 |
Nome, AK | $163,745 | $78.72 |
Berkeley, CA | $161,625 | $77.70 |
Sitka, AK | $159,017 | $76.45 |
San Francisco, CA | $155,518 | $74.77 |
Santa Clara, CA | $155,025 | $74.53 |
Livermore, CA | $154,834 | $74.44 |
San Jose, CA | $154,616 | $74.33 |
Daly City, CA | $152,947 | $73.53 |
Arlington, VA | $151,902 | $73.03 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Operating Systems Programmer Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Operating Systems Programmer job category, we found that Systems Engineering jobs have average salaries greater than Operating Systems Programmer jobs.
Significantly, Systems Engineering jobs pay $10,070 (7.6%) more than the average Operating Systems Programmer salary of $132,000. If you're qualified, finding work as an Systems Engineering may help you make more money than that of the average Operating Systems Programmer position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Systems Engineering | $142,070 | $68.30 |
Remote Control Systems Engineer | $108,776 | $52.30 |
Senior System Administrator | $102,229 | $49.15 |
Server Engineer | $101,706 | $48.90 |
Certified Network Defender | $81,749 | $39.30 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
