Search Engine Specialist Salary in the United States
How much does a Search Engine Specialist make in the United States?
As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Search Engine Specialist in the United States is $54,645 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $26.
However, a Search Engine Specialist's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $63,095
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $49,192 to $59,068
Key Factors That Influence Search Engine Specialist Salaries
A Search Engine Specialist'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, education
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Search Engine Specialist Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Search Engine Specialist'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:
How Do Search Engine Specialist 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 Search Engine Specialists. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
District of Columbia: $60,503.
California: $60,274.
Massachusetts: $59,470.
District of Columbia$60,503
California$60,274
Massachusetts$59,470
Washington$59,252
New Jersey$59,230
Alaska$59,153
Connecticut$58,399
New York$58,093
Hawaii$57,115
Rhode Island$56,656
Maryland$56,345
Minnesota$55,918
Colorado$55,754
Illinois$55,700
Oregon$55,492
Delaware$55,339
New Hampshire$55,243
Virginia$55,028
Pennsylvania$54,399
Nevada$54,082
North Dakota$53,978
Michigan$53,814
Wisconsin$53,754
Vermont$53,634
Texas$53,301
Maine$53,279
Arizona$53,246
Ohio$53,208
Georgia$52,705
Indiana$52,454
Wyoming$52,405
Utah$52,328
Iowa$52,295
Kansas$52,033
Louisiana$51,957
North Carolina$51,929
Missouri$51,918
Florida$51,705
Montana$51,590
Nebraska$51,481
Kentucky$51,421
South Carolina$51,202
Tennessee$51,066
Idaho$51,011
New Mexico$50,612
Oklahoma$50,525
Alabama$50,202
South Dakota$49,661
Arkansas$49,366
West Virginia$49,208
Mississippi$48,733
Top Paying Cities for Search Engine Specialists
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: $68,924
San Francisco: $68,169
Oakland: $66,733
San Jose, CA$68,924
San Francisco, CA$68,169
Oakland, CA$66,733
New York, NY$62,918
Paramus, NJ$62,153
Queens Village, NY$62,150
Passaic, NJ$62,098
Bergenfield, NJ$62,093
Stamford, CT$61,973
Huntington, NY$61,951
Newark, NJ$61,547
Bridgeport, CT$61,431
Vallejo, CA$61,323
New Brunswick, NJ$61,301
Petaluma, CA$61,268
Middlesex, NJ$61,164
Somerset, NJ$61,126
Santa Cruz, CA$61,055
Boston, MA$60,722
Monterey, CA$60,530
Seattle, WA$60,405
Santa Rosa, CA$60,394
Los Angeles, CA$60,377
Juneau, AK$60,235
Washington, DC$60,175
Orange, CA$59,981
Santa Ana, CA$59,836
Long Beach, CA$59,782
Anaheim, CA$59,771
Anchorage, AK$59,743
Santa Maria, CA$59,580
Everett, WA$59,569
Danbury, CT$59,376
Bremerton, WA$59,301
Tacoma, WA$59,104
New Suffolk, NY$59,103
Sacramento, CA$59,088
Santa Barbara, CA$59,028
Trenton, NJ$58,968
San Diego, CA$58,968
Brockton, MA$58,907
Fairbanks, AK$58,774
Lompoc, CA$58,634
Lowell, MA$58,590
Ventura, CA$58,580
Nashua, NH$58,569
Stockton, CA$58,563
Modesto, CA$58,164
Poughkeepsie, NY$58,044
Olympia, WA$57,940
Kennewick, WA$57,940
New Haven, CT$57,918
Lawrence, MA$57,722
Hartford, CT$57,667
Riverside, CA$57,656
New Bedford, MA$57,601
Richland, WA$57,601
Bakersfield, CA$57,525
San Bernardino, CA$57,503
New Britain, CT$57,498
Atlantic City, NJ$57,498
New London, CT$57,476
Norwich, CT$57,459
Portsmouth, NH$57,448
Boulder, CO$57,333
Portland, OR$57,257
Worcester, MA$57,252
Minneapolis, MN$57,082
Philadelphia, PA$57,006
Honolulu, HI$56,825
Saint Paul, MN$56,799
Vineland, NJ$56,787
Providence, RI$56,629
Chicago, IL$56,470
Bellingham, WA$56,405
Springfield, MA$56,361
Baltimore, MD$56,345
Chico, CA$56,208
Pittsfield, MA$56,060
Manchester, NH$55,957
Spokane, WA$55,716
Denver, CO$55,711
Albany, NY$55,454
Troy, NY$55,432
Nassau, NY$55,374
Schenectady, NY$55,317
Wilmington, DE$55,274
Burlington, VT$55,197
Salem, OR$55,175
Portland, ME$55,006
Yakima, WA$54,951
Rochester, MN$54,782
Reno, NV$54,754
Fresno, CA$54,754
Milwaukee, WI$54,705
Detroit, MI$54,651
Ann Arbor, MI$54,641
Allentown, PA$54,634
Colorado Springs, CO$54,541
Syracuse, NY$54,514
Carson City, NV$54,514
Houston, TX$54,437
Eugene, OR$54,410
Gary, IN$54,345
Springfield, OR$54,301
Bismarck, ND$54,290
Galveston, TX$54,252
Medford, OR$54,170
Fort Collins, CO$54,148
Concord, NH$54,121
Austin, TX$54,104
Mesa, AZ$53,989
Reading, PA$53,984
Phoenix, AZ$53,978
Dallas, TX$53,962
Saint Cloud, MN$53,910
Madison, WI$53,836
Utica, NY$53,689
Rochester, NY$53,601
Des Moines, IA$53,596
Raleigh, NC$53,590
Atlanta, GA$53,508
Battle Creek, MI$53,492
Salt Lake City, UT$53,476
Lancaster, PA$53,394
Harrisburg, PA$53,317
Kansas City, MO$53,263
Champaign, IL$53,252
Kansas City, KS$53,252
Fort Worth, TX$53,246
Columbus, OH$53,237
Boca Raton, FL$53,224
Pittsburgh, PA$53,202
Richmond, VA$53,181
Indianapolis, IN$53,170
Cleveland, OH$53,164
Las Vegas, NV$53,099
Cincinnati, OH$53,099
Petersburg, VA$53,017
Huntsville, AL$52,935
Lansing, MI$52,898
Lebanon, PA$52,891
Pueblo, CO$52,886
Appleton, WI$52,869
Buffalo, NY$52,847
Dayton, OH$52,831
Racine, WI$52,820
Charlotte, NC$52,814
Saint Louis, MO$52,798
York, PA$52,765
Elkhart, IN$52,765
Gastonia, NC$52,755
Billings, MT$52,742
Beaumont, TX$52,727
Lorain, OH$52,716
Benton Harbor, MI$52,705
Toledo, OH$52,694
Binghamton, NY$52,667
Rock Hill, SC$52,661
Rockford, IL$52,634
Springfield, IL$52,612
Elyria, OH$52,607
Fargo, ND$52,607
Flagstaff, AZ$52,569
Fort Lauderdale, FL$52,536
Duluth, MN$52,503
Miami, FL$52,503
Cheyenne, WY$52,465
Grand Forks, ND$52,465
Bangor, ME$52,345
Cedar Rapids, IA$52,284
Durham, NC$52,261
Louisville, KY$52,257
Grand Rapids, MI$52,246
Hialeah, FL$52,241
Casper, WY$52,164
Scranton, PA$52,099
New Orleans, LA$52,082
Virginia Beach, VA$52,077
Akron, OH$52,049
Peoria, IL$51,978
Sarasota, FL$51,967
Nashville, TN$51,929
Omaha, NE$51,929
Green Bay, WI$51,929
Baton Rouge, LA$51,902
Charleston, SC$51,891
Jamestown, NY$51,864
Davenport, IA$51,864
Tucson, AZ$51,836
Saint Petersburg, FL$51,804
Tampa, FL$51,793
Evansville, IN$51,760
Port Arthur, TX$51,760
Bradenton, FL$51,738
Santa Fe, NM$51,640
Orlando, FL$51,541
Clearwater, FL$51,525
Canton, OH$51,410
La Crosse, WI$51,410
Albuquerque, NM$51,377
Newport News, VA$51,372
High Point, NC$51,355
Ogden, UT$51,334
Corpus Christi, TX$51,290
Norfolk, VA$51,257
Laramie, WY$51,257
Rock Island, IL$51,224
Saginaw, MI$51,213
Jacksonville, FL$51,208
Salisbury, NC$51,197
Boise, ID$51,186
Moline, IL$51,159
Fort Myers, FL$51,142
Memphis, TN$51,131
Tulsa, OK$51,104
Waterloo, IA$51,071
Spartanburg, SC$51,017
Lincoln, NE$50,989
Fort Wayne, IN$50,978
Provo, UT$50,973
Cedar Falls, IA$50,907
San Antonio, TX$50,886
Greensboro, NC$50,864
South Bend, IN$50,858
Savannah, GA$50,798
Muskegon, MI$50,776
Birmingham, AL$50,771
Winston Salem, NC$50,744
Lake Charles, LA$50,612
Anderson, IN$50,601
Lexington, KY$50,585
Augusta, GA$50,569
Greenville, SC$50,569
Lima, OH$50,525
Wichita, KS$50,519
Tuscaloosa, AL$50,519
Columbia, SC$50,470
Springfield, OH$50,459
Asheville, NC$50,372
Bloomington, IN$50,334
Knoxville, TN$50,137
Shreveport, LA$50,131
Wilmington, NC$50,060
Roanoke, VA$50,060
Topeka, KS$49,962
Frankfort, KY$49,956
Oklahoma City, OK$49,918
Chillicothe, OH$49,896
Longview, TX$49,891
Melbourne, FL$49,886
Sioux Falls, SD$49,798
Mobile, AL$49,793
Terre Haute, IN$49,771
Altoona, PA$49,738
Amarillo, TX$49,700
Killeen, TX$49,683
Fayetteville, AR$49,640
Chattanooga, TN$49,623
Sioux City, IA$49,574
Idaho Falls, ID$49,563
Lynchburg, VA$49,519
Gainesville, FL$49,448
Portsmouth, OH$49,421
Little Rock, AR$49,410
Lafayette, LA$49,388
Youngstown, OH$49,388
Daytona Beach, FL$49,355
Clarksville, TN$49,350
Pensacola, FL$49,345
Temple, TX$49,341
Hopkinsville, KY$49,181
Erie, PA$49,170
Florence, SC$49,148
Charleston, WV$49,060
Great Falls, MT$49,033
Macon, GA$48,957
Tallahassee, FL$48,951
Fayetteville, NC$48,940
Waco, TX$48,929
Helena, MT$48,891
Pine Bluff, AR$48,870
Vincennes, IN$48,804
Lubbock, TX$48,782
Alamogordo, NM$48,749
Twin Falls, ID$48,700
Rapid City, SD$48,683
Jackson, MS$48,585
Huntington, WV$48,581
Greenville, MS$48,579
Parkersburg, WV$48,524
Montgomery, AL$48,514
Wichita Falls, TX$48,459
Springfield, MO$48,459
Biloxi, MS$48,432
Monroe, LA$48,377
Johnstown, PA$48,339
Sumter, SC$48,317
Columbus, GA$48,312
Pascagoula, MS$48,208
Abilene, TX$48,208
Kingsport, TN$48,066
Albany, GA$48,066
Gulfport, MS$48,049
Alexandria, LA$47,869
Fort Smith, AR$47,732
El Paso, TX$47,585
Las Cruces, NM$47,339
Harlingen, TX$47,200
Pocatello, ID$47,192
Florence, AL$47,120
Brownsville, TX$47,110
Mcallen, TX$46,995
Dothan, AL$46,918
Columbus, MS$46,594
Altus, OK$46,339
Lawton, OK$46,235
Pierre, SD$46,038
What Skills Can Increase a Search Engine Specialist's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Problem Solving (Mentioned in 6.66% Job Postings): Analyzing and identifying the root cause of problems and applying critical thinking skills to solve problems.
SQL (Mentioned in 1.53% Job Postings): Structured Query Language) is a domain-specific language used in programming and designed for managing data held in a relational database management system (RDBMS), or for stream processing in a relational data stream management system (RDSMS).
PowerPoint (Mentioned in 0.91% Job Postings): A computer software created by Microsoft which allows the user to create slides with recordings, narrations, transitions and other features in order to present information.
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 Search Engine Specialist's salary.
Data Analytics: Can increase your salary by up to 62%.
Client Relationship: Can increase your salary by up to 60%.
Quality Assurance: Can increase your salary by up to 39%.
How Education impacts a Search Engine Specialist's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Search Engine Specialists enter the field with a Associate's Degree degree,
higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data,
the median salary for a Search Engine Specialist with a Associate's Degree is between
$52,466
and $55,912).
Understanding how a Search Engine Specialist'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.
Hourly
Monthly
Weekly
Yearly
Table View
Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$49,192
Average$54,645/year
$59,068
$4,099
Average$4,554/month
$4,922
$946
Average$1,051/week
$1,136
$24
Average$26/hour
$28
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$59,068
$4,922
$1,136
$28
Average
$54,645
$4,554
$1,051
$26
25th Percentile
$49,192
$4,099
$946
$24
Salaries of Jobs related to Search Engine Specialist
Salaries for a Search Engine Specialist can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $45,995 in 2023
to around $45,329 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Search Engine Specialist salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Search Engine Specialist Over Time
$???
$45,995
$45,599
$45,329
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$45,995
2024
$45,599
2025
$45,329
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Search Engine Specialist
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Search Engine Specialist
Here are companies hiring for Search Engine Specialist and their salaries, click below for more details.
P$125,704/per year
PayPal IncFinancial Servicesthe United States
M$121,485/per year
MUFG Americas Holding CorpFinancial Servicesthe United States
B$120,306/per year
Bloomberg LPFinancial Servicesthe United States
S$119,966/per year
Santander Holdings USA IncFinancial Servicesthe United States
J$119,358/per year
JP Morgan India Private LtdFinancial Servicesthe United States
M$118,491/per year
Mastercard International IncFinancial Servicesthe United States
S$117,692/per year
Santander Bank, NAFinancial Servicesthe United States
I$115,310/per year
INTL FCStone IncFinancial Servicesthe United States
T$111,455/per year
The Jordan CoFinancial Servicesthe United States
U$108,529/per year
US BancorpFinancial Servicesthe United States
O$106,912/per year
OSI Group LLCFinancial Servicesthe United States
V$106,450/per year
Vanguard AGFinancial Servicesthe United States
R$106,297/per year
Rocket Companies IncFinancial Servicesthe United States
T$105,841/per year
Transform SR Brands LLCFinancial Servicesthe United States
E$105,321/per year
Edward D Jones & Co. LPFinancial Servicesthe United States
K$103,337/per year
Kobe Steel LtdFinancial Servicesthe United States
W$100,369/per year
Wells Fargo Clearing Services LLCFinancial Servicesthe United States
U$100,185/per year
US BankFinancial Servicesthe United States
B$99,591/per year
Branch Banking and Trust CoFinancial Servicesthe United States
S$98,411/per year
somoscmi.comFinancial Servicesthe United States
B$97,291/per year
BBVA USA Bancshares IncFinancial Servicesthe United States
G$96,699/per year
Greentown China Holdings LtdFinancial Servicesthe United States
G$96,473/per year
General Motors Financial Company IncFinancial Servicesthe United States
P$96,405/per year
Principal Financial Services IncFinancial Servicesthe United States
S$94,129/per year
Synchrony BankFinancial Servicesthe United States
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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
