System Software Engineer Salary
$83K - $94K
1% of jobs
$94K - $105K
2% of jobs
$105K - $116K
2% of jobs
$116K - $127K
1% of jobs
$127K - $138K
1% of jobs
$138K - $149K
3% of jobs
$149K - $160K
1% of jobs
$160K - $171K
0% of jobs
$173.3K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$171K - $182K
68% of jobs
$182K - $193K
0% of jobs
$193K - $204K
21% of jobs
$83K
$173K
$205.5K
$177,719
/year
$85.44
/hour
System Software Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$177,719
Columbus
Ohio
$171,659
Do you get a good deal as a System Software Engineer?
Take The Breakroom Quiz to find out if your job offers fair pay and conditions. The 3-minute quiz lets you compare your pay, hours, benefits, and more.
Take The Breakroom Quiz
How much does a System Software Engineer make?
As of Jun 24, 2026, the average annual pay for a System Software Engineer in the United States is $177,719 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $85.44 an hour. This is the equivalent of $3,417/week or $14,809/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $205,500 and as low as $83,000, the majority of System Software Engineer salaries currently range between $173,000 (25th percentile) to $205,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $205,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a System Software Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 32000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A System Software Engineer in your area makes on average $171,659 per year, or $6,060 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $177,719. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for System Software Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for System Software 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 Software Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for System Software Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a System Software Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Surry, VA, , with Nome, AK, and Cupertino, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Cupertino, CA, beats the national average by $41,541 (23.4%), and Surry, VA, furthers that trend with another $77,881 (43.8%) above the $177,719 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a System Software Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
However, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies modestly at 20% between Surry, VA, and San Jose, CA, , suggesting it may be difficult to see much positive wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may help determine the balance between location and salary for a System Software Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Surry, VA | $255,600 | $122.88 |
Nome, AK | $220,460 | $105.99 |
Cupertino, CA | $219,260 | $105.41 |
Berkeley, CA | $217,606 | $104.62 |
Sitka, AK | $214,094 | $102.93 |
Mountain View, CA | $209,544 | $100.74 |
Menlo Park, CA | $209,434 | $100.69 |
San Francisco, CA | $209,384 | $100.67 |
Palo Alto, CA | $208,913 | $100.44 |
San Jose, CA | $208,838 | $100.40 |
What are Top 0 Best Paying Related System Software Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the System Software Engineer job category, we found that related job jobs have average salaries similar than System Software Engineer jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
