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Senior System Administrator salary
Average senior system administrator salary
$98,146
How much does a senior system administrator make?
The average senior system administrator salary in the United States is $98,146. Senior system administrator salaries typically range between $75,000 and $126,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for senior system administrators is $47.19 per hour.
Senior system administrator salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Senior system administrators earn the highest average salary in California.
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Where can a Senior System Administrator earn more?
Senior System Administrator salary estimates from across the web
Average senior system administrator salary by state
The highest-paying states for senior system administrators are California, Washington, and New York. The lowest average senior system administrator salary states are Oklahoma, Wyoming, and Mississippi.
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Highest paying states for senior system administrators
| Rank | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $116,894 | $56.20 |
| 2 | California | $120,522 | $57.94 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $104,544 | $50.26 |
| 4 | Oregon | $103,344 | $49.68 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $103,939 | $49.97 |
| 6 | Nevada | $104,206 | $50.10 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $101,835 | $48.96 |
| 8 | Alaska | $98,244 | $47.23 |
| 9 | New York | $106,938 | $51.41 |
| 10 | Maryland | $101,499 | $48.80 |
| 11 | Virginia | $96,220 | $46.26 |
| 12 | Vermont | $96,287 | $46.29 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $102,933 | $49.49 |
| 14 | North Carolina | $93,666 | $45.03 |
| 15 | Utah | $90,099 | $43.32 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $93,760 | $45.08 |
| 17 | Maine | $103,119 | $49.58 |
| 18 | Arizona | $90,355 | $43.44 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $102,554 | $49.30 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $93,858 | $45.12 |
| 21 | Connecticut | $97,500 | $46.88 |
| 22 | Michigan | $89,987 | $43.26 |
| 23 | Texas | $86,980 | $41.82 |
| 24 | Idaho | $88,302 | $42.45 |
| 25 | Montana | $86,566 | $41.62 |
| 26 | Delaware | $90,838 | $43.67 |
| 27 | New Mexico | $84,319 | $40.54 |
| 28 | Illinois | $88,143 | $42.38 |
| 29 | Ohio | $84,451 | $40.60 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $84,692 | $40.72 |
| 31 | Alabama | $80,823 | $38.86 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $85,576 | $41.14 |
| 33 | Tennessee | $83,952 | $40.36 |
| 34 | Georgia | $86,610 | $41.64 |
| 35 | South Dakota | $84,603 | $40.67 |
| 36 | Missouri | $85,151 | $40.94 |
| 37 | Colorado | $79,986 | $38.45 |
| 38 | Florida | $81,883 | $39.37 |
| 39 | Indiana | $82,668 | $39.74 |
| 40 | North Dakota | $77,738 | $37.37 |
| 41 | South Carolina | $81,254 | $39.06 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $79,624 | $38.28 |
| 43 | Wyoming | $76,288 | $36.68 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $68,278 | $32.83 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $79,567 | $38.25 |
| 46 | Iowa | $76,352 | $36.71 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $79,182 | $38.07 |
| 48 | Kansas | $74,616 | $35.87 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $75,269 | $36.19 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $76,302 | $36.68 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $74,763 | $35.94 |
Highest paying cities for senior system administrators
The highest-paying cities for senior system administrators are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $132,157 | $63.54 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $117,788 | $56.63 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $107,163 | $51.52 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $104,618 | $50.30 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $102,980 | $49.51 |
| 6 | Jersey City, NJ | $102,644 | $49.35 |
| 7 | Annapolis, MD | $101,609 | $48.85 |
| 8 | Arlington, VA | $97,389 | $46.82 |
| 9 | Jacksonville, NC | $95,079 | $45.71 |
| 10 | Philadelphia, PA | $94,373 | $45.37 |
| 11 | Phoenix, AZ | $90,580 | $43.55 |
| 12 | Farmington Hills, MI | $90,147 | $43.34 |
| 13 | Chicago, IL | $88,518 | $42.56 |
| 14 | Austin, TX | $88,112 | $42.36 |
| 15 | Alpharetta, GA | $86,751 | $41.71 |
| 16 | Saint Louis, MO | $86,182 | $41.43 |
| 17 | Columbus, OH | $83,979 | $40.37 |
| 18 | Jacksonville, FL | $83,737 | $40.26 |
| 19 | Indianapolis, IN | $82,493 | $39.66 |
| 20 | Columbia, SC | $81,443 | $39.16 |
Senior System Administrator salary details
A senior system administrator's salary ranges from $75,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $126,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior system administrator's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $126,000 | $10,500 | $61 |
| 75th Percentile | $112,000 | $9,333 | $54 |
| Average | $98,146 | $8,179 | $47 |
| 25th Percentile | $85,000 | $7,083 | $41 |
| 10th Percentile | $75,000 | $6,250 | $36 |
Highest paying senior system administrator jobs
The highest paying types of senior system administrators are senior infrastructure engineer, senior unix systems administrator, and senior systems engineer.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAN Administrator | $60,942 | $5,079 | $29.30 | 92,931 |
| Linux Administrator | $79,996 | $6,666 | $38.46 | 56,604 |
| Network/Server Administrator | $78,919 | $6,577 | $37.94 | 167,546 |
| Lead Administrator | $94,444 | $7,870 | $45.41 | 57,229 |
| Help Desk Administrator | $49,798 | $4,150 | $23.94 | 130,180 |
| Network Administrator | $71,357 | $5,946 | $34.31 | 106,886 |
Top companies hiring senior system administrators now:
Which companies pay senior system administrators the most?
Senior system administrator salaries at Cambridge Associates and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior system administrator salary at companies like Pure Storage and NVIDIA are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cambridge Associates | $143,529 | $69.00 |
| 2 | Apple | $141,691 | $68.12 |
| 3 | Pure Storage | $140,758 | $67.67 |
| 4 | NVIDIA | $135,691 | $65.24 |
| 5 | F5 | $135,212 | $65.01 |
| 6 | PayPal | $134,646 | $64.73 |
| 7 | Proofpoint | $134,083 | $64.46 |
| 8 | ICE Mortgage Technology | $133,230 | $64.05 |
| 9 | Vista Equity Partners | $133,199 | $64.04 |
| 10 | Starbucks | $132,279 | $63.60 |
| 11 | 8x8 | $132,018 | $63.47 |
| 12 | Activision Blizzard | $131,948 | $63.44 |
| 13 | Yahoo | $131,592 | $63.27 |
| 14 | Xilinx | $131,347 | $63.15 |
| 15 | Avid | $131,297 | $63.12 |
| 16 | Zynga | $130,421 | $62.70 |
| 17 | Xandr | $130,111 | $62.55 |
| 18 | Amazon | $129,659 | $62.34 |
| 19 | American Tower | $129,441 | $62.23 |
| 20 | Ticketmaster | $128,861 | $61.95 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior System Administrator salary by industry
The average senior system administrator salary varies across industries:
- The average senior system administrator salary in the finance industry is $104,418, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior system administrator salary in the finance industry is $101,786.
- Senior system administrators in the government industry earn an average salary of $83,869, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior system administrators
| Rank | Industry | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $104,418 | $50.20 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $101,786 | $48.94 |
| 3 | Health Care | $101,354 | $48.73 |
| 4 | Technology | $96,426 | $46.36 |
| 5 | Government | $83,869 | $40.32 |
High Paying Senior System Administrator Jobs
Senior System Administrator salary trends
The average senior system administrator salary has risen by $17,909 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior system administrator earned $80,237 annually, but today, they earn $98,146 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for senior system administrators over the last decade.
Compare senior system administrator salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior system administrator salary over time
Compare senior system administrator salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior System Administrator salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $98,100 | $47.19 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $94,900 | $45.63 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $92,800 | $44.60 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $91,700 | $44.08 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $90,100 | $43.32 | +2.4% |
Recently added senior system administrator salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saxon Aerospace | Senior Systems Administrator | Everett, WA | 12/17/2024 | $135,655 |
| Clearway Energy, Inc. | Senior Systems Administrator | Scottsdale, AZ | 12/17/2024 | $110,000 |
| Johnson Service Group | Senior System Administrator | Los Angeles, CA | 12/16/2024 | $114,785 |
| Lincoln Co | Senior System Administrator Senior System Administrator | Maryland | 12/16/2024 | $100,000 |
| Havis, Inc. | Senior Systems Administrator (Hours Flexible) | Warminster, PA | 12/16/2024 | $95,000 |
| Eagle Community Credit Union | SR. System Administrator | Irvine, CA | 12/16/2024 | $80,350 |
| Rackner, Inc. | System Administrator, SR. (TOP Secret) | Ione, WA | 12/16/2024 | $140,000 |
| Booz Allen Hamilton | Servicenow Platform and Systems Administrator, Senior | Enon, VA | 12/15/2024 | $84,600 |
| Caci International | Senior System Administrator | Germany, PA | 12/15/2024 | $75,200 |
| CDK Global | SR. System Administrator, CS Operations | Austin, TX | 12/15/2024 | $90,000 |
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