Systems Administrator Salary
Official ONS earnings for the UK, covering 69,000 jobs.
Median salary
£34,656
gross, per year, all employees
▲ 1.7% change on the previous year
Full-time only
£35,259
Mean
£38,507
Jobs measured
69,000
What a typical systems administrator takes home
On the median of £34,656, 2026/27 tax year, England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates, no pension or student loan.
Take-home a month
£2,373
Take-home a year
£28,472
Income Tax
£4,417
National Insurance
£1,767
What most systems administrators actually earn
Half of systems administrators earn between £28,218 and £43,949. Earning above £43,949 puts you in the top quarter of the profession.
The full pay range
Each bar is the salary at that percentile — the 25th means a quarter of systems administrators earn less than this.
Systems Administrator salary by region
9 of 11 GB regions have a published figure for this occupation.
| Region | Median | Mean |
|---|---|---|
| North West | £38,695 | £45,630 |
| London | £37,550 | £45,587 |
| West Midlands | £37,293 | £38,778 |
| Scotland | £35,847 | £37,547 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £33,401 | £36,657 |
| South East | £32,952 | £37,067 |
| North East | £32,460 | £35,538 |
| South West | £31,512 | £38,013 |
| East | £31,316 | £34,383 |
Where this figure comes from
- ONS occupation group
- IT operations technicians
- SOC 2020 code
- 3131
- Measure
- Gross annual pay, all employees
- Edition
- ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
ONS doesn't measure “systems administrator” as its own category. These figures are for the wider group “IT operations technicians”, which includes this role alongside others. ONS measures IT operations technicians.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures are estimates from a survey of PAYE jobs and are not financial advice.
Systems Administrator salary FAQs
What is the average Systems Administrator salary in the UK?
The median is £34,656 a year and the mean is £38,507, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. Those cover all employees; full-time employees alone have a median of £35,259.
How much does a systems administrator earn per hour?
Across the UK the median hourly rate is £18.35 excluding overtime, or £18.66 for full-time employees. ASHE publishes hourly pay by occupation nationally only.
What is a good Systems Administrator salary?
Half of systems administrators earn between £28,218 and £43,949. Anything above £43,949 is in the top quarter for the role.
What is the starting salary for a systems administrator?
ASHE does not record experience, so there is no official starting salary. What it does show is that the lowest-paid 10% of systems administrators earn under £24,408 and the lowest quarter under £28,218 — the range a new entrant is most likely to be offered.
Has systems administrator pay gone up in the last year?
ASHE puts the year-on-year change in the median at +1.7% for this occupation in the UK. That compares the latest survey with the one before it and is not adjusted for inflation.
How many systems administrators are there in the UK?
ASHE counts around 69,000 employee jobs in “IT operations technicians” (SOC 3131) in the UK. Self-employed work is not included.
Is this figure official?
Yes. It comes from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, an accredited official statistic based on employer PAYE records.
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