Network and Computer Systems Administrators: salary, outlook & degrees
Install, configure, and maintain an organization's local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), data communications network, operating systems, and physical and virtual servers. Perform system monitoring and verify the integrity and availability of hardware, network, and server resources and systems. Review system and application logs and verify completion of scheduled jobs, including system backups. Analyze network and server resource consumption and control user access. Install and upgrade software and maintain software licenses. May assist in network modeling, analysis, planning, and coordination between network and data communications hardware and software.
Middle half $78,010–$126,640. 314,340 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
54% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $78,204.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 13,400 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Medium preparation.
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Computer And Information Systems | 14% | Computer and Information Sciences |
| Computer Science | 13% | Computer Science |
| Computer Administration Management And Security | 5% | Information Technology |
| Management Information Systems And Statistics | 4% | Management Information Systems · Management Science / Analytics |
| Business Management And Administration | 4% | Business Administration |
| Information Sciences | 4% | Information Science / Studies |
| Communications | 3% | Communications · Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other |
| Computer Engineering | 2% | Computer Engineering |
| Psychology | 2% | Psychology |
| Political Science And Government | 2% | Political Science |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| Maryland | $118,290 |
| New Jersey | $116,420 |
| Massachusetts | $110,980 |
| District of Columbia | $110,970 |
| Virginia | $109,610 |
| California | $106,440 |
| Connecticut | $105,880 |
| New York | $105,810 |
| Washington | $103,910 |
| Nevada | $103,440 |
| Colorado | $103,370 |
| Rhode Island | $103,100 |
| Oregon | $102,000 |
| Minnesota | $101,870 |
| Hawaii | $101,450 |
| Texas | $101,240 |
| New Hampshire | $100,230 |
| Illinois | $100,080 |
| Ohio | $97,570 |
| Alaska | $97,500 |
| Georgia | $97,170 |
| Utah | $95,820 |
| North Carolina | $95,230 |
| Florida | $95,200 |
| Delaware | $94,200 |
| Michigan | $92,750 |
| South Carolina | $92,520 |
| Idaho | $91,880 |
| New Mexico | $90,790 |
| Arizona | $90,280 |
| Louisiana | $90,160 |
| Tennessee | $88,100 |
| Kentucky | $87,020 |
| North Dakota | $86,450 |
| Pennsylvania | $86,140 |
| Vermont | $86,020 |
| Nebraska | $84,700 |
| Indiana | $84,550 |
| Iowa | $84,500 |
| Oklahoma | $83,990 |
| Maine | $83,890 |
| Wisconsin | $83,650 |
| Kansas | $83,340 |
| Arkansas | $81,590 |
| Alabama | $81,400 |
| Montana | $80,950 |
| Missouri | $80,870 |
| Mississippi | $79,990 |
| Wyoming | $75,220 |
| South Dakota | $75,010 |
| West Virginia | $74,490 |
| GU | $59,820 |
| PR | $54,200 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$97,180
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$101,560
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$91,800
- Jacksonville$99,460
- Tallahassee$74,020
- Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville$99,230
- Gainesville$73,230
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers$82,750
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$125,430
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$98,640
- Richmond$99,750
- Roanoke$90,130
- Charlottesville$100,270
- Lynchburg$94,660
- Kingsport-Bristol$85,490
- Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford$88,390
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$106,290
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$129,680
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$105,170
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$133,360
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$99,030
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$104,800
- Fresno$92,200
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura$98,520
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Speaking
Knowledge used
- Computers and Electronics
- Telecommunications
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Administration and Management
Work styles
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Cautiousness
- Integrity
- Intellectual Curiosity
People in this job tend to have Conventional (organizing), Realistic (hands-on), Investigative (analytical) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Network and Computer Systems Administrators: questions
How much do network and Computer Systems Administrators make?
Network and Computer Systems Administrators earn a U.S. median $99,130 a year; the middle half earn $78,010 to $126,640 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $74,113 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is network and Computer Systems Administrators a growing field?
BLS projects a decline of 4.1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 13,400 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be a network and Computer Systems Administrator?
BLS lists the typical entry education as bachelor's degree. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is computer And Information Systems (14%).
How much do network and Computer Systems Administrators make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $95,200 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $99,130 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 15-1244. Method
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Cite this: “Network and Computer Systems Administrators: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/network-and-computer-systems-administrators.