The average salary for a systems engineer in the United States is around $100,000 per year.
Avg Salary
Systems engineers earn an average yearly salary of $100,000.
Wages typically start from $65,000 and go up to $162,000.
60% above national average Updated in 2023
Systems engineer earnings by seniority
90th percentile
Top-level systems engineer earnings begin at:
$77.88 per hour
$162,000 per year
75th percentile
Senior-level systems engineer earnings begin at:
$62.50 per hour
$130,000 per year
50th percentile
Mid-level systems engineer earnings begin at:
$48.08 per hour
$100,000 per year
25th percentile
Junior-level systems engineer earnings begin at:
$37.74 per hour
$78,500 per year
10th percentile
Starting level systems engineer earnings begin at:
$31.25 per hour
$65,000 per year
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Systems engineer salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Colorado | $99,840 |
| Connecticut | $99,730 |
| New Jersey | $99,500 |
| California | $98,010 |
| Alaska | $94,900 |
| Hawaii | $93,430 |
| South Carolina | $93,240 |
| New York | $90,430 |
| Massachusetts | $88,660 |
| Texas | $88,460 |
| Alabama | $87,942 |
| Washington | $87,760 |
| Illinois | $86,800 |
| North Carolina | $86,770 |
| Pennsylvania | $86,709 |
| Nebraska | $85,600 |
| Georgia | $85,280 |
| Missouri | $83,720 |
| West Virginia | $83,160 |
| Ohio | $82,640 |
| Guam | $81,940 |
| Indiana | $81,290 |
| South Dakota | $80,720 |
| Rhode Island | $79,840 |
| Kentucky | $79,420 |
| Mississippi | $78,970 |
| Arizona | $78,770 |
| Oklahoma | $78,630 |
| Idaho | $78,090 |
| Maine | $77,640 |
| Minnesota | $77,560 |
| Oregon | $77,540 |
| New Mexico | $76,890 |
| Delaware | $76,580 |
| Kansas | $76,510 |
| Florida | $76,500 |
| Iowa | $74,810 |
| Arkansas | $74,130 |
| Michigan | $73,650 |
| Utah | $73,370 |
| Wyoming | $73,050 |
| Tennessee | $72,100 |
| Vermont | $71,490 |
| Nevada | $71,210 |
| Wisconsin | $71,050 |
| North Dakota | $68,870 |
| Montana | $66,510 |
| Louisiana | $62,800 |
| Puerto Rico | $62,800 |
| Virgin Islands, U.S. | $43,130 |
| District of Columbia | $118,800 |
| Maryland | $116,360 |
| New Hampshire | $113,770 |
| Virginia | $104,840 |
How do systems engineer salaries compare to similar careers?
Systems engineers earn about the same as related careers in the United States. On average, they make less than geographers but more than naval engineers.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Geographer salary | $104K |
| Mining and geological engineer salary | $98K |
| Data engineer salary | $100K |
| Naval architect salary | $105K |
| Product safety engineer salary | $99K |
| Systems engineer salary | $100K |
| Computer hardware engineer salary | $95K |
| Automotive engineer salary | $95K |
| Water engineer salary | $95K |
| Naval engineer salary | $95K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)