What are the main factors that influence a Linux Engineer's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

How does experience change A Linux Engineer's salary?

A Linux Engineer's salary grows with experience: a DevOps Engineer I (0-2 years)earns $84,009, a DevOps Engineer II (2-4 years)earns $102,052, a Linux Engineer (4-7 years)earns $136,599, a DevOps Engineer IV (7+ years)earns $152,780, a DevOps Engineer V (7-10 years)earns $168,830,

What are the highest paying states for a Linux Engineer?

Linux Engineer salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Linux Engineer roles are District of Columbia $151,754, California $151,178, Massachusetts $149,164. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Linux Engineer roles make?

Salaries for Linux Engineer level roles vary by specialization: Linux Systems Engineer: $117,895; Linux System Engineer: $116,532; Dedicated Linux Engineer AMER: $108,519; Senior Linux Engineer: $94,664; Linux Support Engineer: $94,664.

How do different companies affect a Linux Engineer's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Linux Engineer roles. Large, established industry leaders like C R Bard Inc ($128,509) and Henry Schein Canada ($124,697) offer base salaries 35-40% above the national average. In contrast, smaller firms or startups may offer closer to $82,041.

Linux Engineer Salary in the United States

How much does a Linux Engineer make in the United States?

As of May 18, 2021, the average salary for a Linux Engineer in the United States is $137,061 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $66.

However, a Linux Engineer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

Top Earners (90th percentile): $154,286
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $125,587 to $146,077
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $115,141

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Linux Engineer Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$146,077	$12,173	$2,809	$70
Average	$137,061	$11,422	$2,636	$66
25th Percentile	$125,587	$10,466	$2,415	$60

You may get higher pay by adjusting the following factors:

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Check out Linux Engineer Job Openings in the United States

Linux System Engineer

HII Mission Technologies - Dayton, OH

LINUX SYSTEM ENGINEER

HII Mission Technologies - Dayton, OH

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ApTask - Cleveland, OH

Senior Linux Systems Engineer

Emerald Resource Group - Cleveland, OH

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Key Factors That Influence Linux Engineer Salaries

A Linux Engineer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Linux Engineer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Linux Engineer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $84,009
Early Career (1-2 years): $102,052
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $136,599
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $152,780
Expert (over 8 years): $168,830

Levels	Salary
DevOps En... Level Linux Engineer	$84,009
DevOps En... Level Linux Engineer	$102,052
Linux Eng... Level Linux Engineer	$136,599
DevOps En... Level Linux Engineer	$152,780
DevOps En... Level Linux Engineer	$168,830

View as Graph

What Am I Worth?

How Do Linux Engineer Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Linux Engineers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $151,754.
California: $151,178.
Massachusetts: $149,164.

District of Columbia $151,754 California $151,178 Massachusetts $149,164 Washington $148,615 New Jersey $148,561 Alaska $148,369 Connecticut $146,477 New York $145,710

Hawaii $143,256 Rhode Island $142,105 Maryland $141,324 Minnesota $140,255 Colorado $139,844 Illinois $139,706 Oregon $139,186 Delaware $138,802

New Hampshire $138,561 Virginia $138,021 Pennsylvania $136,444 Nevada $135,649 North Dakota $135,389 Michigan $134,978 Wisconsin $134,827 Vermont $134,526

Texas $133,689 Maine $133,635 Arizona $133,552 Ohio $133,456 Georgia $132,195 Indiana $131,565 Wyoming $131,442 Utah $131,250

Iowa $131,168 Kansas $130,510 Louisiana $130,318 North Carolina $130,249 Missouri $130,222 Florida $129,687 Montana $129,399 Nebraska $129,125

Kentucky $128,975 South Carolina $128,426 Tennessee $128,084 Idaho $127,947 New Mexico $126,946 Oklahoma $126,727 Alabama $125,918 South Dakota $124,561

Arkansas $123,821 West Virginia $123,424 Mississippi $122,231

Top Paying Cities for Linux Engineers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

San Jose: $172,875
San Francisco: $171,176
Oakland: $167,379

San Jose, CA $172,875

San Francisco, CA $171,176

Oakland, CA $167,379

New York, NY $158,840

Queens Village, NY $157,812

Paramus, NJ $156,716

Passaic, NJ $156,579

Bergenfield, NJ $156,442

Stamford, CT $156,236

Huntington, NY $156,099

Newark, NJ $155,208

Bridgeport, CT $154,934

New Brunswick, NJ $154,482

Vallejo, CA $154,194

Middlesex, NJ $154,112

Somerset, NJ $153,988

Petaluma, CA $153,673

Santa Cruz, CA $153,138

Boston, MA $152,864

Monterey, CA $152,179

Fairbanks, AK $152,083

Los Angeles, CA $151,823

Washington, DC $151,754

Seattle, WA $151,507

Santa Rosa, CA $151,480

Juneau, AK $151,083

Orange, CA $150,630

Anchorage, AK $150,384

Anaheim, CA $150,288

Santa Ana, CA $150,082

Nassau, NY $150,000

Long Beach, CA $149,945

Danbury, CT $149,904

Santa Maria, CA $149,438

Everett, WA $149,410

Bremerton, WA $148,739

Trenton, NJ $148,478

Sacramento, CA $148,424

San Diego, CA $148,355

Brockton, MA $148,300

Tacoma, WA $148,245

Santa Barbara, CA $148,053

Lowell, MA $147,505

New Suffolk, NY $147,450

Nashua, NH $147,286

Lompoc, CA $147,067

Ventura, CA $146,930

Stockton, CA $146,888

New Haven, CT $146,614

Atlantic City, NJ $146,258

Hartford, CT $145,956

Modesto, CA $145,888

Poughkeepsie, NY $145,586

New Britain, CT $145,518

Kennewick, WA $145,326

Olympia, WA $145,326

New London, CT $145,299

Norwich, CT $145,257

Lawrence, MA $145,189

Bakersfield, CA $144,805

New Bedford, MA $144,613

Riverside, CA $144,613

Richland, WA $144,476

Portsmouth, NH $144,367

Vineland, NJ $144,339

San Bernardino, CA $144,229

Boulder, CO $143,846

Worcester, MA $143,736

Portland, OR $143,613

Saint Paul, MN $143,448

Minneapolis, MN $143,448

Philadelphia, PA $143,256

Honolulu, HI $142,530

Springfield, MA $142,050

Providence, RI $142,036

Chicago, IL $141,639

Bellingham, WA $141,475

Baltimore, MD $141,324

Chico, CA $140,981

Wilmington, DE $140,748

Pittsfield, MA $140,611

Manchester, NH $140,351

Spokane, WA $139,748

Denver, CO $139,734

Albany, NY $139,090

Troy, NY $139,035

Schenectady, NY $138,747

Burlington, VT $138,445

Portland, ME $137,966

Salem, OR $137,856

Yakima, WA $137,829

Ann Arbor, MI $137,788

Rochester, MN $137,404

Reno, NV $137,335

Fresno, CA $137,335

Milwaukee, WI $137,212

Detroit, MI $137,075

Allentown, PA $137,034

Carson City, NV $137,020

Houston, TX $136,814

Colorado Springs, CO $136,801

Syracuse, NY $136,732

Eugene, OR $136,472

Gary, IN $136,307

Bismarck, ND $136,307

Galveston, TX $136,307

Springfield, OR $136,198

Medford, OR $135,869

Fort Collins, CO $135,814

Austin, TX $135,704

Mesa, AZ $135,416

Phoenix, AZ $135,389

Dallas, TX $135,348

Reading, PA $135,266

Saint Cloud, MN $135,211

Concord, NH $135,087

Madison, WI $135,033

Utica, NY $134,663

Raleigh, NC $134,553

Las Vegas, NV $134,539

Rochester, NY $134,443

Des Moines, IA $134,430

Atlanta, GA $134,210

Battle Creek, MI $134,169

Salt Lake City, UT $134,128

Lancaster, PA $133,922

Champaign, IL $133,895

Harrisburg, PA $133,731

Durham, NC $133,607

Kansas City, MO $133,594

Kansas City, KS $133,566

Fort Worth, TX $133,552

Boca Raton, FL $133,498

Cleveland, OH $133,484

Columbus, OH $133,456

Pittsburgh, PA $133,443

Richmond, VA $133,388

Indianapolis, IN $133,361

Cincinnati, OH $133,182

Petersburg, VA $132,977

Lansing, MI $132,675

Billings, MT $132,675

Huntsville, AL $132,675

Lebanon, PA $132,662

Pueblo, CO $132,648

Dayton, OH $132,648

Appleton, WI $132,607

Buffalo, NY $132,552

Racine, WI $132,483

Charlotte, NC $132,470

Saint Louis, MO $132,428

Springfield, IL $132,374

York, PA $132,346

Elkhart, IN $132,346

Gastonia, NC $132,333

Benton Harbor, MI $132,333

Beaumont, TX $132,250

Lorain, OH $132,223

Toledo, OH $132,168

Binghamton, NY $132,100

Rock Hill, SC $132,086

Rockford, IL $132,017

Elyria, OH $131,949

Fargo, ND $131,949

Flagstaff, AZ $131,853

Fort Lauderdale, FL $131,771

Miami, FL $131,688

Duluth, MN $131,469

Bangor, ME $131,291

Cedar Rapids, IA $131,140

Louisville, KY $131,072

Grand Rapids, MI $131,044

Hialeah, FL $131,030

Casper, WY $130,839

Scranton, PA $130,674

New Orleans, LA $130,633

Virginia Beach, VA $130,619

Akron, OH $130,551

Peoria, IL $130,373

Sarasota, FL $130,345

Green Bay, WI $130,249

Baton Rouge, LA $130,181

Charleston, SC $130,153

Nashville, TN $130,112

Jamestown, NY $130,085

Davenport, IA $130,085

Tucson, AZ $130,016

Cheyenne, WY $129,975

Saint Petersburg, FL $129,934

Tampa, FL $129,907

Omaha, NE $129,879

Evansville, IN $129,824

Port Arthur, TX $129,824

Bradenton, FL $129,770

Santa Fe, NM $129,523

Orlando, FL $129,386

Clearwater, FL $129,235

La Crosse, WI $128,947

Canton, OH $128,947

Grand Forks, ND $128,906

Tulsa, OK $128,865

Albuquerque, NM $128,865

Newport News, VA $128,851

High Point, NC $128,810

Ogden, UT $128,755

Corpus Christi, TX $128,646

Laramie, WY $128,563

Norfolk, VA $128,563

Rock Island, IL $128,481

Saginaw, MI $128,454

Jacksonville, FL $128,440

Salisbury, NC $128,413

Memphis, TN $128,385

Moline, IL $128,317

Fort Myers, FL $128,276

Waterloo, IA $128,097

Spartanburg, SC $127,960

Lincoln, NE $127,892

Fort Wayne, IN $127,864

Birmingham, AL $127,714

Cedar Falls, IA $127,686

Provo, UT $127,672

Springfield, OH $127,659

San Antonio, TX $127,631

Greensboro, NC $127,577

South Bend, IN $127,563

Winston Salem, NC $127,549

Boise, ID $127,508

Savannah, GA $127,412

Muskegon, MI $127,165

Lima, OH $127,001

Lake Charles, LA $126,946

Anderson, IN $126,919

Lexington, KY $126,878

Augusta, GA $126,836

Greenville, SC $126,836

Wichita, KS $126,713

Tuscaloosa, AL $126,713

Columbia, SC $126,590

Bloomington, IN $126,247

Roanoke, VA $126,165

Asheville, NC $125,987

Knoxville, TN $125,754

Shreveport, LA $125,740

Wilmington, NC $125,562

Frankfort, KY $125,301

Oklahoma City, OK $125,205

Chillicothe, OH $125,151

Longview, TX $125,137

Topeka, KS $125,096

Mobile, AL $124,890

Terre Haute, IN $124,835

Erie, PA $124,822

Altoona, PA $124,753

Melbourne, FL $124,712

Amarillo, TX $124,657

Killeen, TX $124,616

Fayetteville, AR $124,506

Sioux Falls, SD $124,410

Chattanooga, TN $124,328

Idaho Falls, ID $124,314

Gainesville, FL $124,027

Portsmouth, OH $123,958

Little Rock, AR $123,931

Lynchburg, VA $123,931

Youngstown, OH $123,876

Lafayette, LA $123,876

Temple, TX $123,821

Daytona Beach, FL $123,794

Clarksville, TN $123,780

Pensacola, FL $123,766

Hopkinsville, KY $123,355

Charleston, WV $123,341

Florence, SC $123,273

Sioux City, IA $123,191

Macon, GA $122,793

Tallahassee, FL $122,779

Fayetteville, NC $122,752

Wichita Falls, TX $122,725

Waco, TX $122,725

Pine Bluff, AR $122,670

Vincennes, IN $122,409

Lubbock, TX $122,355

Great Falls, MT $122,272

Alamogordo, NM $122,259

Abilene, TX $122,149

Rapid City, SD $121,971

Monroe, LA $121,971

Albany, GA $121,888

Huntington, WV $121,875

Jackson, MS $121,861

Greenville, MS $121,847

Parkersburg, WV $121,710

Montgomery, AL $121,683

Johnstown, PA $121,655

Springfield, MO $121,546

Biloxi, MS $121,477

Sumter, SC $121,189

Columbus, GA $121,176

Twin Falls, ID $121,094

Pascagoula, MS $120,915

Kingsport, TN $120,559

Gulfport, MS $120,518

Alexandria, LA $120,066

Fort Smith, AR $119,723

El Paso, TX $119,353

Helena, MT $119,175

Las Cruces, NM $118,736

Harlingen, TX $118,352

Pocatello, ID $118,229

Florence, AL $118,188

Brownsville, TX $118,160

Dothan, AL $117,941

Mcallen, TX $117,873

Columbus, MS $116,858

Altus, OK $116,228

Lawton, OK $115,967

Pierre, SD $115,474

What Skills Can Increase a Linux Engineer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Networking (Mentioned in 2.41% Job Postings): Ability to maintain, build and expand a personal and business contact list to grow one's career and business opportunities.
Linux (Mentioned in 3.31% Job Postings): Managing a system's hardware and resources using a Unix-like open-source operating system.
Computer Science (Mentioned in 1.99% Job Postings): Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Networking	2.41%
Linux	3.31%
Computer Science	1.99%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Linux Engineer's salary.

Amazon Web Services: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Products and Services: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Flexibility: Can increase your salary by up to 2%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Amazon Web Services	$141,173	3%
Products and Services	$141,173	3%
Flexibility	$139,802	2%
Collaboration	$139,802	2%
Java	$138,432	1%
Kubernetes	$138,432	1%

Get Latest Data

Linux Engineer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Linux Engineer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on May 18, 2021

$125,587

Average $137,061/year

$146,077

$10,466

Average $11,422/month

$12,173

$2,415

Average $2,636/week

$2,809

$60

Average $66/hour

$70

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$146,077	$12,173	$2,809	$70
Average	$137,061	$11,422	$2,636	$66
25th Percentile	$125,587	$10,466	$2,415	$60

Salaries of jobs related to Linux Engineer

Salary Trends for Linux Engineer

Salaries for a Linux Engineer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $126,736 in 2023 to around $125,185 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Linux Engineer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Linux Engineer Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$126,736

2024

$126,636

2025

$125,185

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$126,736
2024	$126,636
2025	$125,185
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Linux Engineer

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

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