System Programmer Salary
$36K - $48.5K
6% of jobs
$48.5K - $61K
8% of jobs
$61K - $73.5K
10% of jobs
$74.3K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$73.5K - $86K
12% of jobs
The median wage is $97.7K / yr.
$86K - $98.5K
14% of jobs
$98.5K - $111K
10% of jobs
$111K - $123.5K
10% of jobs
$127.9K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$123.5K - $136K
10% of jobs
$136K - $148.5K
7% of jobs
$148.5K - $161K
9% of jobs
$161K - $173.5K
3% of jobs
$36K
$99.5K
$171K
$103,470
/year
$49.75
/hour
System Programmer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$103,470
Columbus
Ohio
$99,942
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How much does a System Programmer make?
As of Jun 12, 2026, the average annual pay for a System Programmer in the United States is $103,470 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $49.75 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,989/week or $8,622/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $171,000 and as low as $36,000, the majority of System Programmer salaries currently range between $75,000 (25th percentile) to $129,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $154,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a System Programmer varies greatly (by as much as 54500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A System Programmer in your area makes on average $99,942 per year, or $3,528 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $103,470. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for System Programmer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for System Programmer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a System Programmer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for System Programmer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a System Programmer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Nome, AK, , with Berkeley, CA, and Aspen, CO, close behind in the second and third positions. Aspen, CO, beats the national average by $21,596 (20.9%), and Nome, AK, furthers that trend with another $24,884 (24.0%) above the $103,470 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a System Programmer 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 Livermore, 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 Programmer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Nome, AK | $128,354 | $61.71 |
Berkeley, CA | $126,693 | $60.91 |
Aspen, CO | $125,066 | $60.13 |
Sitka, AK | $124,648 | $59.93 |
Bodega Bay, CA | $122,794 | $59.04 |
Mountain View, CA | $122,062 | $58.68 |
San Francisco, CA | $121,906 | $58.61 |
Santa Clara, CA | $121,519 | $58.42 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $121,438 | $58.38 |
Livermore, CA | $121,369 | $58.35 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related System Programmer Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the System Programmer category.
For example Senior Hardware Design Engineer jobs pay as much as $35,550 (34.4%) more than the average System Programmer salary of $103,470. If you're qualified, finding work as a Senior Hardware Design Engineer may help you make more money than that of the average System Programmer position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Senior Hardware Design Engineer | $139,020 | $66.84 |
Senior Distributed Systems Engineer | $124,732 | $59.97 |
Senior Design Engineer | $121,466 | $58.40 |
Circuit Design Engineer | $110,795 | $53.27 |
Mechanical Drafting | $56,049 | $26.95 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
