Systems Engineer 1

Systems Engineer 1 Salary

$53.5K

$130K

$167.5K

$127,215

/year

$61.16

/hour

Systems Engineer 1 Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$127,215

Columbus

Ohio

$122,877

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    How much does a Systems Engineer 1 make?

    As of Aug 18, 2026, the average annual pay for a Systems Engineer 1 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 Systems Engineer 1 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 Systems Engineer 1 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 Systems Engineer 1 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 Systems Engineer 1 salaries.

    To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Systems Engineer 1 jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

    Find your next high paying job as a Systems Engineer 1 on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Systems Engineer 1 Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Systems Engineer 1 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 Systems Engineer 1 appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

    Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 7% between Stanford, MT, and Sunnyvale, 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 Systems Engineer 1 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

    Holdrege, NE

    $152,386

    $73.26

    Wyoming, WY

    $151,720

    $72.94

    Mountain View, CA

    $151,387

    $72.78

    San Francisco, CA

    $149,881

    $72.06

    Sunnyvale, CA

    $149,306

    $71.78

    What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Systems Engineer 1 Jobs in the U.S.

    We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Systems Engineer 1 category.

    For example Senior Control Systems Engineer jobs pay as much as $39,004 (30.7%) more than the average Systems Engineer 1 salary of $127,215. If you're qualified, finding work as a Senior Control Systems Engineer may help you make more money than that of the average Systems Engineer 1 position.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Senior Control Systems Engineer

    $166,219

    $79.91

    Systems Integration Engineer

    $157,042

    $75.50

    Combat Systems Engineer

    $127,215

    $61.16

    Modeler

    $83,896

    $40.33

    Noc Engineer

    $82,062

    $39.45

    About Our Data

    ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

    Infographic detailing Systems Engineer 1 salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $127,215 per year or $61.16 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.