Explore Jobs
Find Specific Jobs
Explore Careers
Explore Professions
Best Companies
Explore Companies
Systems Programmer salary
Average systems programmer salary
$96,017
How much does a systems programmer make?
The average systems programmer salary in the United States is $96,017. Systems programmer salaries typically range between $66,000 and $138,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for systems programmers is $46.16 per hour.
Systems programmer salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Systems programmers earn the highest average salary in California.
Level up your salary
Let Zippi find your next Systems Programmer job
Level up your salary
Let Zippi find your next Systems Programmer job
Where can a Systems Programmer earn more?
Systems Programmer salary estimates from across the web
Average systems programmer salary by state
Highest paying states for systems programmers
Rank  | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $110,784 | $53.26 |
| 2 | Washington | $104,614 | $50.30 |
| 3 | California | $114,770 | $55.18 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $94,282 | $45.33 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $105,967 | $50.95 |
| 6 | Maryland | $100,995 | $48.56 |
| 7 | Vermont | $89,083 | $42.83 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $89,904 | $43.22 |
| 9 | Nevada | $93,527 | $44.96 |
| 10 | Idaho | $87,244 | $41.94 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $95,946 | $46.13 |
| 12 | New York | $99,137 | $47.66 |
| 13 | North Carolina | $90,679 | $43.60 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $99,731 | $47.95 |
| 15 | Maine | $93,140 | $44.78 |
| 16 | Minnesota | $90,835 | $43.67 |
| 17 | Alaska | $93,199 | $44.81 |
| 18 | Texas | $86,903 | $41.78 |
| 19 | Delaware | $88,210 | $42.41 |
| 20 | Virginia | $87,764 | $42.19 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $86,721 | $41.69 |
| 22 | Arizona | $86,917 | $41.79 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $82,912 | $39.86 |
| 24 | Alabama | $80,603 | $38.75 |
| 25 | Ohio | $83,602 | $40.19 |
| 26 | Illinois | $84,790 | $40.76 |
| 27 | New Jersey | $85,678 | $41.19 |
| 28 | Colorado | $87,182 | $41.91 |
| 29 | South Dakota | $79,463 | $38.20 |
| 30 | Iowa | $81,294 | $39.08 |
| 31 | Montana | $75,980 | $36.53 |
| 32 | Indiana | $80,262 | $38.59 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $81,264 | $39.07 |
| 34 | Michigan | $79,321 | $38.14 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $78,327 | $37.66 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $72,862 | $35.03 |
| 37 | Mississippi | $80,202 | $38.56 |
| 38 | Nebraska | $75,613 | $36.35 |
| 39 | Louisiana | $81,783 | $39.32 |
| 40 | New Mexico | $73,711 | $35.44 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $77,083 | $37.06 |
| 42 | West Virginia | $73,762 | $35.46 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $74,793 | $35.96 |
| 44 | Kansas | $70,160 | $33.73 |
| 45 | Utah | $70,091 | $33.70 |
| 46 | Georgia | $71,790 | $34.51 |
| 47 | Florida | $65,800 | $31.63 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $71,573 | $34.41 |
| 49 | South Carolina | $70,773 | $34.03 |
| 50 | Missouri | $69,383 | $33.36 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $61,860 | $29.74 |
Highest paying cities for systems programmers
The highest-paying cities for systems programmers are Novato, CA, Portland, OR, and Bellevue, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novato, CA | $124,792 | $60.00 |
| 2 | Portland, OR | $110,815 | $53.28 |
| 3 | Bellevue, WA | $105,807 | $50.87 |
| 4 | Baltimore, MD | $101,302 | $48.70 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $99,780 | $47.97 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $99,486 | $47.83 |
| 7 | Washington, DC | $95,969 | $46.14 |
| 8 | Cary, NC | $92,089 | $44.27 |
| 9 | Rochester, MN | $90,316 | $43.42 |
| 10 | Alexandria, VA | $89,529 | $43.04 |
| 11 | Austin, TX | $88,549 | $42.57 |
| 12 | Boulder, CO | $87,268 | $41.96 |
| 13 | Phoenix, AZ | $87,077 | $41.86 |
| 14 | Pittsburgh, PA | $86,856 | $41.76 |
| 15 | Jersey City, NJ | $85,742 | $41.22 |
| 16 | Chicago, IL | $85,167 | $40.95 |
| 17 | Columbus, OH | $82,691 | $39.76 |
| 18 | Madison, WI | $80,435 | $38.67 |
| 19 | Alpharetta, GA | $72,190 | $34.71 |
| 20 | Charleston, WV | $72,091 | $34.66 |
Systems Programmer salary details
A systems programmer's salary ranges from $66,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $138,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a systems programmer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $138,000 | $11,500 | $66 |
| 75th Percentile | $116,000 | $9,667 | $56 |
| Average | $96,017 | $8,001 | $46 |
| 25th Percentile | $79,000 | $6,583 | $38 |
| 10th Percentile | $66,000 | $5,500 | $32 |
Highest paying systems programmer jobs
The highest paying types of systems programmers are lead programmer, senior programmer, and developer.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Java Developer | $88,475 | $7,373 | $42.54 | 147,521 |
| Mainframe Developer | $90,902 | $7,575 | $43.70 | 255,034 |
| Java/J2ee Developer | $90,995 | $7,583 | $43.75 | 237,912 |
| Developer | $100,076 | $8,340 | $48.11 | 262,570 |
| Applications Developer | $89,205 | $7,434 | $42.89 | 279,877 |
| Software Developer | $87,521 | $7,293 | $42.08 | 294,329 |
Top companies hiring systems programmers now:
Which companies pay systems programmers the most?
Systems programmer salaries at Apple and Infinera are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average systems programmer salary at companies like Proofpoint and Bio-Rad Laboratories are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $133,740 | $64.30 |
| 2 | Infinera | $121,725 | $58.52 |
| 3 | Proofpoint | $119,780 | $57.59 |
| 4 | Bio-Rad Laboratories | $119,537 | $57.47 |
| 5 | Autodesk | $118,563 | $57.00 |
| 6 | Macy's | $118,490 | $56.97 |
| 7 | Citrix | $118,388 | $56.92 |
| 8 | Citi | $117,579 | $56.53 |
| 9 | Baker Hughes | $116,909 | $56.21 |
| 10 | McAfee | $116,892 | $56.20 |
| 11 | Precision Valve & Automation | $116,206 | $55.87 |
| 12 | Adobe | $116,140 | $55.84 |
| 13 | Travelport | $114,655 | $55.12 |
| 14 | SAS Institute | $114,577 | $55.09 |
| 15 | Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria | $114,367 | $54.98 |
| 16 | Exelixis | $112,965 | $54.31 |
| 17 | KLA | $112,552 | $54.11 |
| 18 | General Dynamics Mission Systems | $111,569 | $53.64 |
| 19 | Charles Schwab | $110,646 | $53.20 |
| 20 | M&T Bank | $109,746 | $52.76 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Systems Programmer salary by industry
The average systems programmer salary varies across industries:
- The average systems programmer salary in the finance industry is $101,004, the highest of any industry.
- The average systems programmer salary in the finance industry is $99,469.
- Systems programmers in the hospitality industry earn an average salary of $91,831, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for systems programmers
| Rank | Industry | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $101,004 | $48.56 |
| 2 | Telecommunication | $99,469 | $47.82 |
| 3 | Technology | $99,293 | $47.74 |
| 4 | Health Care | $93,338 | $44.87 |
| 5 | Hospitality | $91,831 | $44.15 |
High Paying Systems Programmer Jobs
Systems Programmer salary trends
The average systems programmer salary has risen by $17,811 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average systems programmer earned $78,206 annually, but today, they earn $96,017 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for systems programmers over the last decade.
Compare systems programmer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average systems programmer salary over time
Compare systems programmer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
- National Average
- Knoxville, TN
Systems Programmer salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $96,000 | $46.16 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $92,900 | $44.64 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $90,800 | $43.63 | +2.4% |
| 2022 | $88,600 | $42.57 | +2.9% |
| 2021 | $86,000 | $41.33 | +0.4% |
Recently added systems programmer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iamag | Senior Game Systems Programmer | Cary, NC | 12/15/2024 | $190 |
| Myflorida | Systems Programmer III | Tallahassee, FL | 12/13/2024 | $63,414 |
| State of New York | Systems Programmer | Albany, NY | 12/12/2024 | $60,000 |
| New York State Civil Service | Systems Programmer | Albany, NY | 12/11/2024 | $60,000 |
| Techcratic | Systems Programmer Developer II (Reposted) | Cope, SC | 12/11/2024 | $45,530 |
| W L Gore & Associates Inc. | Financial Systems Programmer | Newark, DE | 12/10/2024 | $70,000 |
| State of Florida | System Programmer II | Tallahassee, FL | 12/10/2024 | $53,202 |
| Newsvirginian | Systems/Programmer I-Physical Med & Rehab | Pittsburgh, PA | 12/10/2024 | $37,023 |
| Gore | Financial Systems Programmer | Newark, DE | 12/07/2024 | $70,000 |
| Zenimax Media, Inc. | Senior Systems Programmer | Dallas, TX | 12/06/2024 | $100,000 |
Systems Programmer salary FAQs
Search for systems programmer jobs