System Design Engineer Salary
$49.5K - $60.5K
3% of jobs
$60.5K - $71.5K
3% of jobs
$71.5K - $82.5K
6% of jobs
$82.5K - $93.5K
9% of jobs
$97.1K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$93.5K - $104.5K
14% of jobs
$104.5K - $115.5K
16% of jobs
The median wage is $115.6K / yr.
$115.5K - $126.5K
17% of jobs
$132.4K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$126.5K - $137.5K
16% of jobs
$137.5K - $148.5K
11% of jobs
$148.5K - $159.5K
4% of jobs
$159.5K - $170.5K
3% of jobs
$49.5K
$118.5K
$173K
$118,589
/year
$57.01
/hour
System Design Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$118,589
Columbus
Ohio
$114,545
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How much does a System Design Engineer make?
As of Jun 11, 2026, the average annual pay for a System Design Engineer in the United States is $118,589 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $57.01 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,280/week or $9,882/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $173,000 and as low as $49,500, the majority of System Design Engineer salaries currently range between $100,000 (25th percentile) to $137,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $154,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a System Design Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 37000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A System Design Engineer in your area makes on average $114,545 per year, or $4,044 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $118,589. Ohio ranks number 40 out of 50 states nationwide for System Design Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for System Design Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a System Design Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for System Design Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a System Design Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Nome, AK, , with Cupertino, CA, and Berkeley, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Berkeley, CA, beats the national average by $26,617 (22.4%), and Nome, AK, furthers that trend with another $28,521 (24.1%) above the $118,589 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a System Design 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 Nome, AK, and Mountain View, 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 System Design Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Nome, AK | $147,110 | $70.73 |
Cupertino, CA | $146,309 | $70.34 |
Berkeley, CA | $145,206 | $69.81 |
Sitka, AK | $142,862 | $68.68 |
Santa Clara, CA | $140,052 | $67.33 |
San Francisco, CA | $139,719 | $67.17 |
San Jose, CA | $139,355 | $67.00 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $139,183 | $66.91 |
Livermore, CA | $139,104 | $66.88 |
Mountain View, CA | $138,859 | $66.76 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related System Design Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the System Design Engineer job category, we found that Senior Cad Engineer jobs have average salaries greater than System Design Engineer jobs.
Significantly, Senior Cad Engineer jobs pay $7,968 (6.7%) more than the average System Design Engineer salary of $118,589. If you're qualified, finding work as a Senior Cad Engineer may help you make more money than that of the average System Design Engineer position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Senior Cad Engineer | $126,557 | $60.84 |
Electrical System Design Engineer | $108,702 | $52.26 |
Cad Cam Engineer | $93,130 | $44.77 |
Manufacturing Design Engineer | $86,149 | $41.42 |
Building Design Engineer | $67,285 | $32.35 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
