System Operations Engineer

System Operations Engineer Salary

$36K

$81.5K

$135K

$85,029

/year

$40.88

/hour

System Operations Engineer Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$85,029

Columbus

Ohio

$82,129

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    How much does a System Operations Engineer make?

    As of May 31, 2026, the average annual pay for a System Operations Engineer in the United States is $85,029 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $40.88 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,635/week or $7,085/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $135,000 and as low as $36,000, the majority of System Operations Engineer salaries currently range between $69,500 (25th percentile) to $94,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $118,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a System Operations Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 24500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

    A System Operations Engineer in your area makes on average $82,129 per year, or $2,900 (3.411%) less than the national average annual salary of $85,029. Ohio ranks number 43 out of 50 states nationwide for System Operations Engineer salaries.

    To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for System Operations 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 Operations Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for System Operations Engineer Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a System Operations Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Palmdale, CA, , with Fremont, CA, and Willow Island, WV, close behind in the second and third positions. Willow Island, WV, beats the national average by $33,065 (38.9%), and Palmdale, CA, furthers that trend with another $41,625 (49.0%) above the $85,029 average.

    With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a System Operations Engineer 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 Palmdale, CA, and North Cowichan, BC, , 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 Operations Engineer role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Palmdale, CA

    $126,654

    $60.89

    Fremont, CA

    $119,760

    $57.58

    Willow Island, WV

    $118,094

    $56.78

    Pennington County, SD

    $112,686

    $54.18

    Burlington, MA

    $111,495

    $53.60

    Springfield, VA

    $109,791

    $52.78

    Kentville, NS

    $109,764

    $52.77

    Whitehorse, YT

    $109,066

    $52.44

    Haines Junction, YT

    $108,630

    $52.23

    North Cowichan, BC

    $108,310

    $52.07

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

    We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the System Operations Engineer category.

    For example Production Operations Engineer jobs pay as much as $76,152 (89.6%) more than the average System Operations Engineer salary of $85,029. If you're qualified, finding work as a Production Operations Engineer may help you make more money than that of the average System Operations Engineer position.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Production Operations Engineer

    $161,181

    $77.49

    Security Operations Engineer

    $137,745

    $66.22

    Devops Engineer

    $125,908

    $60.53

    Cloud Operations Engineer

    $125,434

    $60.30

    Devops Developer

    $110,528

    $53.14

    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 Operations Engineer salary across the United States as of May 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $85,029 per year or $40.88 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.