What are the main factors that influence a System Operator's salary?

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

How does experience change A System Operator's salary?

A System Operator's salary grows with experience: a Computer Operator I (0-1 years)earns $48,750, a System Operator (1-3 years)earns $61,078, a Computer Operator III (3-5 years)earns $67,769, a Computer Operations Shift Supervisor (5+ years)earns $91,227, a Computer Operations Supervisor (5+ years)earns $108,972,

What are the highest paying states for a System Operator?

System Operator salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for System Operator roles are District of Columbia $66,993, California $66,739, Massachusetts $65,850. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of System Operator roles make?

Salaries for System Operator level roles vary by specialization: Distribution System Operator: $117,613; Fuel Distribution System Operator: $115,239; Senior Power System Operator: $108,200; Water System Operator: $97,062; Transmission System Operator: $93,842.

How do different companies affect a System Operator's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for System Operator 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.

System Operator Salary in the United States

How much does a System Operator make in the United States?

As of March 01, 2026, the average salary for a System Operator in the United States is $60,507 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $29.

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

Top Earners (90th percentile): $77,255
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $52,279 to $69,273
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $44,788

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System Operator Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$69,273	$5,773	$1,332	$33
Average	$60,507	$5,042	$1,164	$29
25th Percentile	$52,279	$4,357	$1,005	$25

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Check out System Operator Job Openings in the United States

Transmission System Operator

American Electric Power - New Albany, OH

Print&amp Insert Operator

FirstEnergy - Akron, OH

Print&amp Insert Operator

FirstEnergy - Akron, OH

Associate System Operator

Spower - Dayton, OH

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Key Factors That Influence System Operator Salaries

A System Operator'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 System Operator Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a System Operator'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): $48,750
Early Career (1-2 years): $61,078
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $67,769
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $91,227
Expert (over 8 years): $108,972

Levels	Salary
Computer ... Level System Operator	$48,750
System Op... Level System Operator	$61,078
Computer ... Level System Operator	$67,769
Computer ... Level System Operator	$91,227
Computer ... Level System Operator	$108,972

View as Graph

What Am I Worth?

How Do System Operator 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 System Operators. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $66,993.
California: $66,739.
Massachusetts: $65,850.

District of Columbia $66,993 California $66,739 Massachusetts $65,850 Washington $65,608 New Jersey $65,583 Alaska $65,499 Connecticut $64,664 New York $64,325

Hawaii $63,242 Rhode Island $62,733 Maryland $62,389 Minnesota $61,917 Colorado $61,735 Illinois $61,675 Oregon $61,445 Delaware $61,275

New Hampshire $61,169 Virginia $60,930 Pennsylvania $60,235 Nevada $59,884 North Dakota $59,769 Michigan $59,587 Wisconsin $59,521 Vermont $59,387

Texas $59,018 Maine $58,994 Arizona $58,958 Ohio $58,915 Georgia $58,359 Indiana $58,080 Wyoming $58,026 Utah $57,941

Iowa $57,905 Kansas $57,615 Louisiana $57,530 North Carolina $57,500 Missouri $57,488 Florida $57,252 Montana $57,124 Nebraska $57,003

Kentucky $56,937 South Carolina $56,695 Tennessee $56,544 Idaho $56,483 New Mexico $56,041 Oklahoma $55,945 Alabama $55,588 South Dakota $54,989

Arkansas $54,662 West Virginia $54,486 Mississippi $53,960

Top Paying Cities for System Operators

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: $76,317
San Francisco: $75,567
Oakland: $73,891

San Jose, CA $76,317

San Francisco, CA $75,567

Oakland, CA $73,891

New York, NY $70,121

Queens Village, NY $69,668

Paramus, NJ $69,183

Passaic, NJ $69,123

Bergenfield, NJ $69,062

Stamford, CT $68,972

Huntington, NY $68,911

Newark, NJ $68,518

Bridgeport, CT $68,397

New Brunswick, NJ $68,197

Vallejo, CA $68,070

Middlesex, NJ $68,034

Somerset, NJ $67,979

Petaluma, CA $67,840

Santa Cruz, CA $67,604

Boston, MA $67,483

Monterey, CA $67,181

Fairbanks, AK $67,138

Los Angeles, CA $67,023

Washington, DC $66,993

Seattle, WA $66,884

Santa Rosa, CA $66,872

Juneau, AK $66,697

Orange, CA $66,497

Anchorage, AK $66,388

Anaheim, CA $66,346

Santa Ana, CA $66,255

Nassau, NY $66,219

Long Beach, CA $66,194

Danbury, CT $66,176

Santa Maria, CA $65,971

Everett, WA $65,958

Bremerton, WA $65,662

Trenton, NJ $65,547

Sacramento, CA $65,523

San Diego, CA $65,493

Brockton, MA $65,468

Tacoma, WA $65,444

Santa Barbara, CA $65,359

Lowell, MA $65,117

New Suffolk, NY $65,093

Nashua, NH $65,021

Lompoc, CA $64,924

Ventura, CA $64,863

Stockton, CA $64,845

New Haven, CT $64,724

Atlantic City, NJ $64,567

Hartford, CT $64,434

Modesto, CA $64,403

Poughkeepsie, NY $64,270

New Britain, CT $64,240

Olympia, WA $64,155

Kennewick, WA $64,155

New London, CT $64,143

Norwich, CT $64,125

Lawrence, MA $64,095

Bakersfield, CA $63,925

Riverside, CA $63,841

New Bedford, MA $63,841

Richland, WA $63,780

Portsmouth, NH $63,732

Vineland, NJ $63,720

San Bernardino, CA $63,671

Boulder, CO $63,502

Worcester, MA $63,453

Portland, OR $63,399

Saint Paul, MN $63,326

Minneapolis, MN $63,326

Philadelphia, PA $63,242

Honolulu, HI $62,921

Springfield, MA $62,709

Providence, RI $62,703

Chicago, IL $62,528

Bellingham, WA $62,455

Baltimore, MD $62,389

Chico, CA $62,237

Wilmington, DE $62,134

Pittsfield, MA $62,074

Manchester, NH $61,959

Spokane, WA $61,693

Denver, CO $61,687

Albany, NY $61,402

Troy, NY $61,378

Schenectady, NY $61,251

Burlington, VT $61,118

Portland, ME $60,906

Salem, OR $60,858

Yakima, WA $60,846

Ann Arbor, MI $60,827

Rochester, MN $60,658

Fresno, CA $60,628

Reno, NV $60,628

Milwaukee, WI $60,573

Detroit, MI $60,513

Allentown, PA $60,495

Carson City, NV $60,489

Houston, TX $60,398

Colorado Springs, CO $60,392

Syracuse, NY $60,362

Eugene, OR $60,247

Bismarck, ND $60,174

Gary, IN $60,174

Galveston, TX $60,174

Springfield, OR $60,126

Medford, OR $59,980

Fort Collins, CO $59,956

Austin, TX $59,908

Mesa, AZ $59,781

Phoenix, AZ $59,769

Dallas, TX $59,750

Reading, PA $59,714

Saint Cloud, MN $59,690

Concord, NH $59,636

Madison, WI $59,611

Utica, NY $59,448

Raleigh, NC $59,400

Las Vegas, NV $59,393

Rochester, NY $59,351

Des Moines, IA $59,345

Atlanta, GA $59,248

Battle Creek, MI $59,230

Salt Lake City, UT $59,212

Lancaster, PA $59,121

Champaign, IL $59,109

Harrisburg, PA $59,036

Durham, NC $58,982

Kansas City, MO $58,976

Kansas City, KS $58,964

Fort Worth, TX $58,958

Boca Raton, FL $58,934

Cleveland, OH $58,928

Columbus, OH $58,915

Pittsburgh, PA $58,909

Richmond, VA $58,885

Indianapolis, IN $58,873

Cincinnati, OH $58,794

Petersburg, VA $58,704

Billings, MT $58,571

Lansing, MI $58,571

Huntsville, AL $58,571

Lebanon, PA $58,565

Dayton, OH $58,558

Pueblo, CO $58,558

Appleton, WI $58,540

Buffalo, NY $58,516

Racine, WI $58,486

Charlotte, NC $58,480

Saint Louis, MO $58,462

Springfield, IL $58,437

Elkhart, IN $58,425

York, PA $58,425

Gastonia, NC $58,419

Benton Harbor, MI $58,419

Beaumont, TX $58,383

Lorain, OH $58,371

Toledo, OH $58,347

Binghamton, NY $58,316

Rock Hill, SC $58,310

Rockford, IL $58,280

Fargo, ND $58,250

Elyria, OH $58,250

Flagstaff, AZ $58,208

Fort Lauderdale, FL $58,171

Miami, FL $58,135

Duluth, MN $58,038

Bangor, ME $57,959

Cedar Rapids, IA $57,893

Louisville, KY $57,863

Grand Rapids, MI $57,851

Hialeah, FL $57,845

Casper, WY $57,760

Scranton, PA $57,687

New Orleans, LA $57,669

Virginia Beach, VA $57,663

Akron, OH $57,633

Peoria, IL $57,554

Sarasota, FL $57,542

Green Bay, WI $57,500

Baton Rouge, LA $57,469

Charleston, SC $57,457

Nashville, TN $57,439

Jamestown, NY $57,427

Davenport, IA $57,427

Tucson, AZ $57,397

Cheyenne, WY $57,379

Saint Petersburg, FL $57,360

Tampa, FL $57,348

Omaha, NE $57,336

Port Arthur, TX $57,312

Evansville, IN $57,312

Bradenton, FL $57,288

Santa Fe, NM $57,179

Orlando, FL $57,118

Clearwater, FL $57,052

Canton, OH $56,925

La Crosse, WI $56,925

Grand Forks, ND $56,907

Albuquerque, NM $56,888

Tulsa, OK $56,888

Newport News, VA $56,882

High Point, NC $56,864

Ogden, UT $56,840

Corpus Christi, TX $56,792

Laramie, WY $56,755

Norfolk, VA $56,755

Rock Island, IL $56,719

Saginaw, MI $56,707

Jacksonville, FL $56,701

Salisbury, NC $56,689

Memphis, TN $56,677

Moline, IL $56,646

Fort Myers, FL $56,628

Waterloo, IA $56,550

Spartanburg, SC $56,489

Lincoln, NE $56,459

Fort Wayne, IN $56,447

Birmingham, AL $56,380

Cedar Falls, IA $56,368

Provo, UT $56,362

Springfield, OH $56,356

San Antonio, TX $56,344

Greensboro, NC $56,320

South Bend, IN $56,314

Winston Salem, NC $56,308

Boise, ID $56,289

Savannah, GA $56,247

Muskegon, MI $56,138

Lima, OH $56,066

Lake Charles, LA $56,041

Anderson, IN $56,029

Lexington, KY $56,011

Augusta, GA $55,993

Greenville, SC $55,993

Wichita, KS $55,939

Tuscaloosa, AL $55,939

Columbia, SC $55,884

Bloomington, IN $55,733

Roanoke, VA $55,697

Asheville, NC $55,618

Knoxville, TN $55,515

Shreveport, LA $55,509

Wilmington, NC $55,430

Frankfort, KY $55,315

Oklahoma City, OK $55,273

Chillicothe, OH $55,249

Longview, TX $55,243

Topeka, KS $55,225

Mobile, AL $55,134

Terre Haute, IN $55,110

Erie, PA $55,104

Altoona, PA $55,073

Melbourne, FL $55,055

Amarillo, TX $55,031

Killeen, TX $55,013

Fayetteville, AR $54,964

Sioux Falls, SD $54,922

Chattanooga, TN $54,886

Idaho Falls, ID $54,880

Gainesville, FL $54,753

Portsmouth, OH $54,722

Little Rock, AR $54,710

Lynchburg, VA $54,710

Lafayette, LA $54,686

Youngstown, OH $54,686

Temple, TX $54,662

Daytona Beach, FL $54,650

Clarksville, TN $54,644

Pensacola, FL $54,638

Hopkinsville, KY $54,456

Charleston, WV $54,450

Florence, SC $54,420

Sioux City, IA $54,384

Macon, GA $54,208

Tallahassee, FL $54,202

Fayetteville, NC $54,190

Waco, TX $54,178

Wichita Falls, TX $54,178

Pine Bluff, AR $54,154

Vincennes, IN $54,039

Lubbock, TX $54,014

Great Falls, MT $53,978

Alamogordo, NM $53,972

Abilene, TX $53,924

Rapid City, SD $53,845

Monroe, LA $53,845

Albany, GA $53,809

Huntington, WV $53,803

Jackson, MS $53,797

Greenville, MS $53,791

Parkersburg, WV $53,730

Montgomery, AL $53,718

Johnstown, PA $53,706

Springfield, MO $53,657

Biloxi, MS $53,627

Sumter, SC $53,500

Columbus, GA $53,494

Twin Falls, ID $53,458

Pascagoula, MS $53,379

Kingsport, TN $53,222

Gulfport, MS $53,204

Alexandria, LA $53,004

Fort Smith, AR $52,853

El Paso, TX $52,689

Helena, MT $52,611

Las Cruces, NM $52,417

Harlingen, TX $52,248

Pocatello, ID $52,193

Florence, AL $52,175

Brownsville, TX $52,163

Dothan, AL $52,066

Mcallen, TX $52,036

Columbus, MS $51,588

Altus, OK $51,310

Lawton, OK $51,195

Pierre, SD $50,977

What Skills Can Increase a System Operator's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Troubleshooting (Mentioned in 7.27% Job Postings): Troubleshooting is a form of problem solving, often applied to repair failed products or processes on a machine or a system. It is a logical, systematic search for the source of a problem in order to solve it, and make the product or process operational again. Troubleshooting is needed to identify the symptoms. Determining the most likely cause is a process of elimination—eliminating potential causes of a problem. Finally, troubleshooting requires confirmation that the solution restores the product or process to its working state. In general, troubleshooting is the identification or diagnosis of "trouble" in the management flow of a system caused by a failure of some kind. The problem is initially described as symptoms of malfunction, and troubleshooting is the process of determining and remedying the causes of these symptoms. A system can be described in terms of its expected, desired or intended behavior (usually, for artificial systems, its purpose). Events or inputs to the system are expected to generate specific results or outputs. (For example, selecting the "print" option from various computer applications is intended to result in a hardcopy emerging from some specific device). Any unexpected or undesirable behavior is a symptom. Troubleshooting is the process of isolating the specific cause or causes of the symptom. Frequently the symptom is a failure of the product or process to produce any results. (Nothing was printed, for example). Corrective action can then be taken to prevent further failures of a similar kind.
SOP (Mentioned in 3.39% Job Postings): SOP is A standard operating procedure is a set of step-by-step instructions compiled by an organization to help workers carry out routine operations.
Computer Science (Mentioned in 2.63% 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
Troubleshooting	7.27%
SOP	3.39%
Computer Science	2.63%

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 System Operator's salary.

Logistics: Can increase your salary by up to 10%.
Computer Science: Can increase your salary by up to 8%.
Consulting: Can increase your salary by up to 7%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Logistics	$66,557	10%
Computer Science	$65,347	8%
Consulting	$64,742	7%
Planning	$64,137	6%
Networking	$64,137	6%
Incident Response	$64,137	6%

Get Latest Data

How Education impacts a System Operator's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many System Operators enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate 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 System Operator with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between $55,568 and $59,228).

System Operator Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for System Operator

No Diploma 4.1%

High School 31.7%

Associates 35.9%

Bachelors 25.5%

Masters 2.1%

Doctorate 0.7%

view as table

Degree Level	% of user with this level of education
No Diploma	4.1%
High School	31.7%
Associates	35.9%
Bachelors	25.5%
Masters	2.1%
Doctorate	0.7%

view as graph

System Operator Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a System Operator'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 March 01, 2026

$52,279

Average $60,507/year

$69,273

$4,357

Average $5,042/month

$5,773

$1,005

Average $1,164/week

$1,332

$25

Average $29/hour

$33

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$69,273	$5,773	$1,332	$33
Average	$60,507	$5,042	$1,164	$29
25th Percentile	$52,279	$4,357	$1,005	$25

Salaries of jobs related to System Operator

Salary Trends for System Operator

Salaries for a System Operator can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $54,068 in 2023 to around $52,304 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of System Operator salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of System Operator Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$54,068

2024

$53,087

2025

$52,304

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$54,068
2024	$53,087
2025	$52,304
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for System Operator

Social Security

401(k)

Disability

Healthcare

Pension

Time Off (days)

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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.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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