Systems Engineer United States
Systems Engineer salary in the US
Typical pay
$148,800a year
Most Systems Engineers earn $123k to $178k a year
From 3,866 current job postings, updated Oct 31, 2026 Pay that employers list in their job postings
The median Systems Engineer salary in the US is $148,800 a year. Most job postings pay $123,000 to $177,800. From 3,866 current job postings, updated Oct 31, 2026.
8,330 open jobs. See them
Typical pay by state
Pick a state on the map or in the table to see its cities, pay and open Systems Engineer jobs.
| Washington | $168k | $137k to $191k | 98 |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $162k | $131k to $193k | 1,143 |
| District of Columbia | $160k | $134k to $179k | 66 |
| Missouri | $158k | $123k to $174k | 51 |
| Oregon | $153k | $137k to $163k | 25 |
| Maryland | $152k | $125k to $188k | 429 |
| Massachusetts | $151k | $128k to $173k | 248 |
| Florida | $149k | $129k to $172k | 78 |
| Minnesota | $148k | $124k to $152k | 34 |
| Georgia | $146k | $113k to $168k | 28 |
| Colorado | $146k | $116k to $171k | 254 |
| Virginia | $145k | $120k to $180k | 426 |
| New Mexico | $144k | $117k to $166k | 38 |
| Texas | $143k | $122k to $175k | 93 |
| Alabama | $142k | $123k to $160k | 111 |
| New York | $142k | $115k to $178k | 112 |
| Kentucky | $141k | $108k to $151k | 12 |
| New Jersey | $141k | $109k to $171k | 47 |
| Arizona | $140k | $107k to $155k | 117 |
| Illinois | $138k | $106k to $178k | 60 |
| Connecticut | $138k | $110k to $187k | 16 |
| Oklahoma | $136k | $116k to $143k | 28 |
| Michigan | $132k | $112k to $152k | 40 |
| North Carolina | $131k | $104k to $148k | 42 |
| Ohio | $131k | $110k to $157k | 52 |
| Indiana | $129k | $78k to $142k | 16 |
| South Carolina | $129k | $112k to $149k | 14 |
| Mississippi | $127k | $105k to $156k | 11 |
| Arkansas | $126k | $123k to $136k | 29 |
| Wisconsin | $125k | $103k to $153k | 11 |
| Utah | $123k | $103k to $142k | 104 |
| Pennsylvania | $116k | $110k to $151k | 44 |
| Iowa | $110k | $110k to $130k | 13 |
| Alaska | – | – | 1 |
| Delaware | – | – | 4 |
| Hawaii | – | – | 9 |
| Idaho | – | – | 7 |
| Kansas | – | – | 4 |
| Louisiana | – | – | 1 |
| Maine | – | – | 0 |
| Montana | – | – | 0 |
| Nebraska | – | – | 3 |
| Nevada | – | – | 6 |
| New Hampshire | – | – | 2 |
| North Dakota | – | – | 1 |
| Rhode Island | – | – | 8 |
| South Dakota | – | – | 0 |
| Tennessee | – | – | 9 |
| Vermont | – | – | 5 |
| West Virginia | – | – | 1 |
| Wyoming | – | – | 1 |
Pay advertised in current postings, per year. Postings are those that list pay.
Pay in the biggest hiring cities
| San Jose, CA | $188k | $160k to $227k | 356 | 229 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $177k | $155k to $210k | 264 | 114 |
| Seattle, WA | $168k | $136k to $186k | 168 | 94 |
| Baltimore, MD | $160k | $132k to $194k | 532 | 283 |
| Denver, CO | $156k | $129k to $188k | 181 | 77 |
| New York, NY | $154k | $112k to $182k | 153 | 93 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $153k | $130k to $181k | 885 | 592 |
| Boston, MA | $151k | $127k to $173k | 408 | 187 |
| Washington, DC | $150k | $125k to $178k | 1,081 | 576 |
| Chicago, IL | $149k | $106k to $183k | 129 | 54 |
| Huntsville, AL | $143k | $124k to $161k | 452 | 110 |
| San Diego, CA | $142k | $106k to $162k | 266 | 178 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $141k | $108k to $150k | 159 | 99 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $139k | $115k to $162k | 216 | 134 |
| Ogden, UT | $123k | $103k to $142k | 116 | 90 |
Pay by experience level
What most job postings pay at each stage. The dot is typical pay.
- Starting out 67 job postings$70k $85k
Typical: $80k
Most new hires start near the low end.
- Experienced 1,164 job postings$110k $157k
Typical: $132k
- Senior 1,540 job postings$140k $190k
Typical: $161k
- Lead or manager 347 job postings$136k $188k
Typical: $159k
Where would you land?
Pick your level to see what most Systems Engineer job postings in the US pay at it.
Senior: most postings pay $140k to $190k a year, typically $161k.
Upload your resume to see where you land, which employers pay above this range, and the matching open roles.
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Pay by employer and level
Typical yearly pay at the employers with the most postings that list pay. A dash means fewer than 10 of their postings at that level list pay.
| Employer | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anduril Industries | $187k | – | $170k | $193k | $193k |
| Boeing CO | $149k | – | $141k | $164k | $161k |
| Peraton | $176k | – | $146k | $190k | $176k |
See every employer's pay
5 more employers hiring Systems Engineer roles. Free with a Workybara account.
Sign up freeHow much does a Systems Engineer make in the US?
Employers hiring now typically offer $148,800 a year for Systems Engineer roles in the US. These numbers come from the pay employers list in their job postings, so they show what is on offer today rather than what people earned last year. We only show a number when at least 10 postings list pay.
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