In challenging economic times, organizations retain and hire network administrators to maximize production from existing systems. In a robust economy, businesses invest in new computing and telecommunications systems (and the network administrators who support them) to solidify infrastructure and spur a competitive advantage. This consistent demand for network professionals, independent of economic conditions, has led many employment experts to dub network administration a "recession proof career."
Here is a dynamic look at the network administrator salary landscape, featuring trends and data from the latest salary surveys and unbiased sources. Use our job search and education tools to maximize your own network administrator salary, and explore the network administrator career path for a deep dive into this hot field.
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Historic Network Administrator Salaries
Average salary ranges for network administrators, network managers and related professionals from 2015 to 2017:
Add these percentages to the networking salary table above for the following skills:
- Add 7% for Cisco Network Administration Skills
- Add 7% for Linux / Unix Administration Skills
- Add 5% for VOIP Administration Skills
- Add 4% for Windows 10 Skills
 | Sources: Robert Half Technology 2015, 2016 and 2017 IT Salary Guides |
Network Administrator Salaries by State
U.S. State / Location | Average Annual Wage | Average Hourly Wage |
Alabama | $65,040 | $31.27 |
Alaska | $70,710 | $34.00 |
Arizona | $68,360 | $32.87 |
Arkansas | $61,140 | $29.39 |
California | $80,300 | $38.60 |
Colorado | $77,740 | $37.37 |
Connecticut | $75,300 | $36.20 |
Delaware | $68,650 | $33.00 |
District of Columbia | $81,500 | $39.18 |
Florida | $72,050 | $34.64 |
Georgia | $72,630 | $34.92 |
Hawaii | $66,000 | $31.73 |
Idaho | $59,760 | $28.73 |
Illinois | $74,340 | $35.74 |
Indiana | $60,800 | $29.23 |
Iowa | $63,160 | $30.37 |
Kansas | $61,040 | $29.35 |
Kentucky | $53,440 | $25.69 |
Louisiana | $59,850 | $28.78 |
Maine | $58,910 | $28.32 |
Maryland | $80,400 | $38.65 |
Massachusetts | $80,280 | $38.60 |
Michigan | $68,350 | $32.86 |
Minnesota | $69,510 | $33.42 |
Mississippi | $52,330 | $25.16 |
Missouri | $67,720 | $32.56 |
Montana | $52,760 | $25.37 |
Nebraska | $65,600 | $31.54 |
Nevada | $69,830 | $33.57 |
New Hampshire | $67,790 | $32.59 |
New Jersey | $80,270 | $38.59 |
New Mexico | $70,310 | $33.80 |
New York | $79,770 | $38.35 |
North Carolina | $71,250 | $34.25 |
North Dakota | $55,780 | $26.82 |
Ohio | $62,810 | $30.20 |
Oklahoma | $54,290 | $26.10 |
Oregon | $68,420 | $32.89 |
Pennsylvania | $74,720 | $35.92 |
Puerto Rico | $44,200 | $21.25 |
Rhode Island | $74,370 | $35.75 |
South Carolina | $64,530 | $31.02 |
South Dakota | $54,160 | $26.04 |
Tennessee | $62,870 | $30.22 |
Texas | $69,300 | $33.32 |
Utah | $67,380 | $32.39 |
Vermont | $62,670 | $30.13 |
Virginia | $81,180 | $39.03 |
Washington | $70,730 | $34.00 |
West Virginia | $60,070 | $28.88 |
Wisconsin | $61,670 | $29.65 |
Wyoming | $55,570 | $26.71 |
 | Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook |
Network Administrator Salaries by Certification, Specialty & Experience
- Junior Network Administrator salary: $50,000
- Network Administrator salary: $65,000
- Microsoft Network Admin salary: $71,000
- Network Designer salary: $81,000
- Cisco Network Administrator salary: $82,000
- Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) salary: $84,000
- Firewall Administrator salary: $85,000
- Network Engineer salary: $86,000
- Cisco Network Engineer salary: $89,000
- Network Maintenance Specialist salary: $90,000
- Network Security Administrator salary: $91,000
- Senior Network Engineer salary: $95,000
- Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) salary: $97,000
- Senior Network Security Engineer salary: $100,000
- Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) salary: $120,000
- Network Administration Lead salary: $123,000
| Source: Indeed.com |
Networking Salaries vs. Other IT Disciplines
- IT Help Desk / Technical Support: $57,286
- Network Administration: $69,993
- System Operations: $71,002
- Web Design / Development: $76,781
- Storage / SAN: $78,799
- .NET Developer: $83,484
- Database Management / Development: $83,752
- Network Engineering: $86,158
- Business Analysis: $86,809
- Systems Engineering: $89,554
- Business Application Development: $92,037
- Data Warehousing / Business Intelligence: $93,522
- Project / Program Management: $98,607
- Enterprise Infrastructure Management: $101,390
- Business Technology: $101,663
- Information Security: $104,949
- IT Architecture: $113,499
- Cloud Computing: $115,826
| Source: 2016 IT Salary Report by Global Knowledge & Windows IT Pro |
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Regardless of your industry or location, network administration is a high-demand profession offering significant advancement opportunities, solid earning potential and protection against economic conditions. Start on your path to a lucrative network administrator salary today; browse our directory of network administration training programs and connect with an experienced educational consultant to build your ideal network administration learning plan.
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Web-based Network Administrator salary data refreshed quarterly.
Salary survey data updated annually upon release dates.