Systems engineer salary
Space employers offer systems engineers a median of $155k a year, and the middle half of their postings sits at $131k–$178k. That comes from 557 jobs at 59 employers whose own postings name a salary.
- 25th percentile$130,961/hr
- Median (50th)$155,250/hr
- 75th percentile$177,800/hr
- Distinct posted rates557
- Jobs stating an hourly rate557
- Employers59
The median is the middle of the 557 distinct rates they post, and the middle half, $130,961–$177,800 an hour, runs from their 25th percentile to their 75th: half of the rates fall between them. Each range counts at its midpoint, and a job posted many times at one rate counts once, so no employer's posting volume sets the figure.
- 25th percentile$130,961/hr
- Median (50th)$155,250/hr
- 75th percentile$177,800/hr
- Distinct posted rates557
- Jobs stating an hourly rate557
- Employers59
The median is the middle of the 557 distinct rates they post, and the middle half, $130,961–$177,800 an hour, runs from their 25th percentile to their 75th: half of the rates fall between them. Each range counts at its midpoint, and a job posted many times at one rate counts once, so no employer's posting volume sets the figure.
- Median posted pay, a year$155,300
- Hours in a full-time year2,080
- The same per hour, full time$74.64/hr
Every figure here is a year's pay: a job that posts pay counts at 2,080 hours (40 a week for 52 weeks). Rounded to the nearest $100.
- Lockheed Martin115 jobs
- Northrop Grumman73 jobs
- KBR22 jobs
- Blue Origin21 jobs
- BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems21 jobs
- Boeing20 jobs
- Booz Allen Hamilton17 jobs
- RTX16 jobs
- Sierra Space15 jobs
- L3Harris14 jobs
Jobs stating pay, the employers with the most first: 334 at the 10 shown and 223 at 49 other employers, 557 in all.
The jobs themselves: Systems engineer jobs
What systems engineers are paid
How many postings fall in each salary step, a range counted at its midpoint; the darker bars are the middle half of what employers offer.
Median $155k a year. Middle half $131k to $178k. Point at a bar for its count. Tap a bar for its count.
Posted on open jobs
Middle half of 557 distinct posted rates (a job posted many times at one rate counted once), median $155k. 78% of the 711 open systems engineer jobs state pay. Another 1 states an "up to" ceiling, a weekly travel rate or a per-visit fee, left out.
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Systems engineer pay by employer
What each employer posts for systems engineers, the employers with the most jobs stating pay first. An employer with at least 5 such jobs has a page of its own with every range it posts.
Median of each employer's own jobs (a range at its midpoint), and the lowest and highest rate it posts. Jobs stating pay link to the employer's open jobs.
Systems engineer pay by state
States where at least 8 open jobs from 3 employers state pay, highest median first. Each opens the state's own page, with its towns and employers.
| State | Median posted | Middle half | BLS median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $178k | $165k–$203k | n/a | 17 |
| Alabama | $162k | $117k–$184k | n/a | 33 |
| California | $160k | $141k–$183k | n/a | 217 |
| Virginia | $157k | $122k–$182k | n/a | 58 |
| Maryland | $152k | $133k–$169k | n/a | 22 |
| Colorado | $152k | $131k–$171k | n/a | 195 |
| Arizona | $146k | $123k–$190k | n/a | 28 |
| Texas | $142k | $116k–$173k | n/a | 10 |
| Florida | $130k | $107k–$149k | n/a | 27 |
Median and middle half of employers' rates in the state. BLS medians are for the occupation's main SOC code in the state (latest release).
Best-paid open systems engineer jobs
The current postings with the highest stated salaries, no more than two per employer.
$266,300–$399,500/yr- $266,300–$399,500/yr
$205,300–$381,300/yr- $205,300–$381,300/yr
$230,398–$322,557/yr
$151,305–$393,435/yr
$255,000–$270,000/yr
$212,500–$287,500/yr- $197,529–$276,540/yr
$164,324–$305,173/yr
$180,500–$285,000/yr- $180,500–$285,000/yr
Every open job: Systems engineer jobs
Questions about systems engineer pay in space
What do space companies pay systems engineers?
Postings that state a salary put the median at $155k a year and the middle half at $131k–$178k, across 557 postings from 59 employers (one employer's repeated posting counted once). Full time, the median is about $74.64/hr an hour.
Where do systems engineers earn the most?
Ranked by the median salary in each state's postings: Washington ($178k), Alabama ($162k) and California ($160k) come first, Florida ($130k), Texas ($142k) and Arizona ($146k) last. A state's own salary page splits its figure by town and employer.
Which space companies pay systems engineers the most?
Of the employers that state a salary on at least 5 postings: Muon Space ($209k), E-Space ($200k) and Viasat ($183k). The employer table covers the 40 with the most postings that state pay.
Where do these figures come from?
From the salaries in space companies' own postings, read every night: 557 of 711 current systems engineer postings (78%) state one. Nothing is estimated for a posting without pay, "up to" ceilings are set aside, and an hourly rate counts as 2,080 hours.
Salaries in systems & test
Sources and method
- SpaceJobs.Now: salaries stated in space companies' own postings, read every night, published 7 Nov 2026
Cite this page
SpaceJobs.Now. (2026). Systems engineer salary. Data as of 7 Nov 2026. https://spacejobs.now/salaries/systems-engineers