System Engineer Salary
$53.5K - $64K
2% of jobs
$64K - $74.5K
4% of jobs
$74.5K - $85K
7% of jobs
$85K - $95.5K
9% of jobs
$97.8K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$95.5K - $106K
9% of jobs
$106K - $116.5K
8% of jobs
$116.5K - $127K
9% of jobs
The median wage is $127.7K / yr.
$127K - $137.5K
6% of jobs
$137.5K - $148K
4% of jobs
$157.6K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$148K - $158.5K
17% of jobs
$158.5K - $169K
24% of jobs
$53.5K
$130K
$167.5K
$127,215
/year
$61.16
/hour
System Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$127,215
Columbus
Ohio
$122,877
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How much does a System Engineer make?
As of Jun 12, 2026, the average annual pay for a System Engineer in the United States is $127,215 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $61.16 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,446/week or $10,601/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $167,500 and as low as $53,500, the majority of System Engineer salaries currently range between $98,000 (25th percentile) to $157,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $157,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a System Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 59000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A System Engineer in your area makes on average $122,877 per year, or $4,338 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $127,215. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for System Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for System 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 Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for System Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a System Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Stanford, MT, , with Barrow, AK, and Cupertino, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Cupertino, CA, beats the national average by $29,735 (23.4%), and Stanford, MT, furthers that trend with another $33,275 (26.2%) above the $127,215 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a System Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 6% between Stanford, MT, and San Francisco, 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 Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Stanford, MT | $160,490 | $77.16 |
Barrow, AK | $158,481 | $76.19 |
Cupertino, CA | $156,950 | $75.46 |
Berkeley, CA | $155,767 | $74.89 |
Sitka, AK | $153,253 | $73.68 |
Wyoming, WY | $151,720 | $72.94 |
Mountain View, CA | $151,387 | $72.78 |
Justin, TX | $150,238 | $72.23 |
San Francisco Bay Area, CA | $149,881 | $72.06 |
San Francisco, CA | $149,881 | $72.06 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related System Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the System Engineer job category, we found that Software Configuration Engineer jobs have average salaries greater than System Engineer jobs.
Significantly, Software Configuration Engineer jobs pay $16,051 (12.6%) more than the average System Engineer salary of $127,215. If you're qualified, finding work as a Software Configuration Engineer may help you make more money than that of the average System Engineer position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Software Configuration Engineer | $143,266 | $68.88 |
Performance Testing Engineer | $125,019 | $60.11 |
Senior Staff Systems Engineer | $124,732 | $59.97 |
Entry Level Control Systems Engineer | $108,776 | $52.30 |
Lead Cost Engineer | $97,048 | $46.66 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
