Systems Engineer 3

Systems Engineer 3 Salary

$53.5K

$130K

$167.5K

$127,215

/year

$61.16

/hour

Systems Engineer 3 Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$127,215

Columbus

Ohio

$122,877

    Do you get a good deal as a Systems Engineer 3?

    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

    Breakroom banner

    How much does a Systems Engineer 3 make?

    As of Aug 7, 2026, the average annual pay for a Systems Engineer 3 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 3 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 3 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 3 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 3 salaries.

    To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Systems Engineer 3 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 3 on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Systems Engineer 3 Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Systems Engineer 3 job is above the national average. Topping the list is Barrow, AK, , with Cupertino, CA, and Sitka, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Sitka, AK, beats the national average by $26,038 (20.5%), and Barrow, AK, furthers that trend with another $31,266 (24.6%) 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 3 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 Barrow, AK, and San Jose, 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 3 role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Barrow, AK

    $158,481

    $76.19

    Cupertino, CA

    $156,950

    $75.46

    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

    Santa Clara, CA

    $149,358

    $71.81

    Sunnyvale, CA

    $149,306

    $71.78

    San Jose, CA

    $149,095

    $71.68

    What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Systems Engineer 3 Jobs in the U.S.

    Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Systems Engineer 3 job category, we found that Software Engineer 3 jobs have average salaries greater than Systems Engineer 3 jobs.

    Significantly, Software Engineer 3 jobs pay $8,431 (6.6%) more than the average Systems Engineer 3 salary of $127,215. If you're qualified, finding work as a Software Engineer 3 may help you make more money than that of the average Systems Engineer 3 position.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Software Engineer 3

    $135,646

    $65.21

    Application Developer Iii

    $109,490

    $52.64

    Computer Systems Engineer

    $101,286

    $48.70

    Network Systems Engineer

    $97,891

    $47.06

    Modeler

    $83,896

    $40.33

    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 3 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.