Senior Systems Programmer Salary
$74.5K - $83K
8% of jobs
$83K - $91.5K
7% of jobs
$98.6K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$91.5K - $100K
12% of jobs
$100K - $108.5K
14% of jobs
The median wage is $115.1K / yr.
$108.5K - $117K
12% of jobs
$117K - $125.5K
15% of jobs
$132.6K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$125.5K - $134K
9% of jobs
$134K - $142.5K
8% of jobs
$142.5K - $151K
11% of jobs
$151K - $159.5K
3% of jobs
$159.5K - $168K
1% of jobs
$74.5K
$116.5K
$168.5K
$119,664
/year
$57.53
/hour
Senior Systems Programmer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$119,664
Columbus
Ohio
$115,584
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How much does a Senior Systems Programmer make?
As of Jul 28, 2026, the average annual pay for a Senior Systems Programmer in the United States is $119,664 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $57.53 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,301/week or $9,972/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $168,500 and as low as $74,500, the majority of Senior Systems Programmer salaries currently range between $99,000 (25th percentile) to $136,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $150,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Senior Systems Programmer varies greatly (by as much as 37500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Senior Systems Programmer in your area makes on average $115,584 per year, or $4,080 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $119,664. Ohio ranks number 31 out of 50 states nationwide for Senior Systems Programmer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Senior Systems Programmer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Senior Systems Programmer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Senior Systems Programmer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Senior Systems Programmer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Bumpass, VA, , with Nome, AK, and Berkeley, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Berkeley, CA, beats the national average by $26,858 (22.4%), and Bumpass, VA, furthers that trend with another $40,510 (33.9%) above the $119,664 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Senior Systems Programmer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 15% between Bumpass, VA, and Arlington, VA, , 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 Senior Systems Programmer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Bumpass, VA | $160,174 | $77.01 |
Nome, AK | $148,443 | $71.37 |
Berkeley, CA | $146,522 | $70.44 |
Rancho Murieta, CA | $145,551 | $69.98 |
Sitka, AK | $144,157 | $69.31 |
Mountain View, CA | $141,166 | $67.87 |
San Francisco, CA | $140,985 | $67.78 |
San Jose, CA | $140,168 | $67.39 |
Santa Cruz, CA | $138,172 | $66.43 |
Arlington, VA | $137,669 | $66.19 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Senior Systems Programmer Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Senior Systems Programmer category.
For example Ibm Cloud Developer jobs pay as much as $8,701 (7.3%) more than the average Senior Systems Programmer salary of $119,664. If you're qualified, finding work as a Ibm Cloud Developer may help you make more money than that of the average Senior Systems Programmer position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Ibm Cloud Developer | $128,365 | $61.71 |
Senior Linux Systems Engineer | $127,927 | $61.50 |
Senior Maintenance Engineer | $126,557 | $60.84 |
Senior Integration Engineer | $117,986 | $56.72 |
Consulting Systems Engineer | $100,250 | $48.20 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
