System Architect

System Architect Salary

$86.5K

$244K

$224,334

/year

$107.85

/hour

System Architect Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$224,334

Columbus

Ohio

$216,684

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    How much does a System Architect make?

    As of Aug 23, 2026, the average annual pay for a System Architect in the United States is $224,334 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $107.85 an hour. This is the equivalent of $4,314/week or $18,694/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $244,000 and as low as $86,500, the majority of System Architect salaries currently range between $243,000 (25th percentile) to $243,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $243,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a System Architect 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.

    A System Architect in your area makes on average $216,684 per year, or $7,650 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $224,334. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for System Architect salaries.

    To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for System Architect jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

    Find your next high paying job as a System Architect on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for System Architect Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a System Architect job is above the national average. Topping the list is Cupertino, CA, , with Berkeley, CA, and Sitka, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Sitka, AK, beats the national average by $45,916 (20.5%), and Cupertino, CA, furthers that trend with another $52,436 (23.4%) above the $224,334 average.

    With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a System Architect 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 Cupertino, CA, and Waimea, HI, , 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 System Architect role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Cupertino, CA

    $276,770

    $133.06

    Berkeley, CA

    $274,683

    $132.06

    Sitka, AK

    $270,250

    $129.93

    San Francisco, CA

    $264,304

    $127.07

    Santa Clara, CA

    $263,381

    $126.63

    Sunnyvale, CA

    $263,289

    $126.58

    Livermore, CA

    $263,140

    $126.51

    San Jose, CA

    $262,917

    $126.40

    Mountain View, CA

    $262,677

    $126.29

    Waimea, HI

    $261,648

    $125.79

    What are Top 5 Best Paying Related System Architect Jobs in the U.S.

    Analyzing some similar jobs related to the System Architect job category, we found that Application Systems Architect jobs have average salaries similar than System Architect jobs.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Application Systems Architect

    $152,381

    $73.26

    Cloud Infrastructure Architect

    $149,424

    $71.84

    Aws Solution Architect

    $136,232

    $65.50

    Cloud Systems Architect

    $132,214

    $63.56

    Information Systems Architect

    $130,728

    $62.85

    About Our Data

    ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

    Infographic detailing System Architect salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $224,334 per year or $107.85 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.