Systems Analyst Salary

By Henry Steele - January 8, 2018
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The following article discusses the career path of Systems Analyst. Learn about how to become one, education requirements, job duties, traits and qualities, national salary outlook as well as top national employers of Systems Analysts.

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Job Duties

Systems analysts know how to think outside of the box. They come up with innovative solutions to complex problems. They investigate and fix any issues that they come across. To do so, they must be well-versed in programming language, hardware, and operating systems. They should also be educated to understand technology and keep their knowledge up to date.

See also 5 Newest MBA Degree Jobs in Technology

Not only do they have to understand the inner workings of a system, they also have to be able to work with different people. They must work with other IT professionals and also with external vendors. This means they have a lot of direct interaction, but they also have to do office work, focusing on costs and other elements of the technology services. They must be able to identify the best systems and make sure they are fully fit for purpose as well.

Systems analysts can work with a range of different people, from programmers to business managers, and they must be able to explain the inner workings of a project to each of them. This includes how to use a design, how to test systems, and how to maintain efficient documents. They have to be able to think on their feet and to always meet deadlines.

Other job duties of a systems analyst are:

  • To conduct application tests and make sure database management is properly supported
  • To develop and maintain records and documents as required for security and operational audits
  • To put new users in the system, ensuring that they have the right access rights and passwords
  • To analyze any issues on the ticketing system, making sure all tickets are handled properly and in a timely manner
  • To change existing procedures so that they are more befitting to the limitations and capacity of the systems

Where We Work

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 600,500 computer systems analysts in 2016. The largest employers of these professionals were:

  • Computer systems design and related services: 28%
  • Finance and insurance: 13%
  • Management of companies and enterprises: 9%
  • Information: 8%
  • Government: 6%

How to Become

It is common for a systems analyst to have to hold a bachelor’s degree as a minimum, usually in a major such as computer or information science. However, this isn’t always required, and some who have a personal interest in computers and systems but a degree in liberal arts or business can also be hired.

Education Requirements

Usually, a systems analyst holds a bachelor’s degree with a major relating to computers and computer sciences. However, they also handle the business of their organization, which is why those with a major in Management Information Systems (MIS) are also very popular. It is now becoming more common for employers to look for those with a graduate degree, and the master in business administration (MBA) is proving to be particularly popular.

See 10 Best Online MBA Programs

Most of the time, these professionals have a technical degree. However, it is equally possible for someone to have a degree in liberal arts, and to have obtained their technical expertise in other ways. This can include a personal interest in computers.

A system analyst is also expected to keep their knowledge up to date, so that they understand all the latest innovations in technology. These developments are often very quick, which means that, on a practical level, systems analysts spend a lot of their time studying. They must also be able to understand their particular business field, however, which often means they have to complete even further training. if they work for a bank, for instance, they will have to complete finance training, whereas those who work for a hospital may need to understand Medicaid and Medicare.

Learn more about the degrees required for this career path:

Traits & Qualities

The most effective systems analysts have the following traits to some degree or other:

  • Strong analytical skills
  • Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written
  • Very creative

Minimum Education

Bachelor’s Degree

National Salary

The national average salary estimate for Systems Analyst was $72,715. This number is estimated from over 9,792,324 employees, users past and present job advertisements from Indeed.com. This equates to an hourly salary of $37.87 and monthly of $6,060.

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$29,000

$136,000

Salary Distribution

Salary by State

The following section lists Systems Analyst salaries in each state around the country. The figures are based on the total number of job postings through Indeed.com. For example, Washington had the largest quoted salary of $82,728 while Wyoming had the smallest quoted salary of $43,200.

Alaska Kentucky New York
Alabama Louisiana Ohio
Arkansas Massachusetts Oklahoma
Arizona Maryland Oregon
California Maine Pennsylvania
Colorado Michigan Rhode Island
Connecticut Minnesota South Carolina
DC Missouri South Dakota
Delaware Mississippi Tennessee
Florida Montana Texas
Georgia North Carolina Utah
Hawaii North Dakota Virginia
Iowa Nebraska Vermont
Idaho New Hampshire Washington
Illinois New Jersey Wisconsin
Indiana New Mexico West Virginia
Kansas Nevada Wyoming
Alaska – $61,516 Rank: 46th
The average salary ranks 46th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Municipality of Anchorage and University of Alaska.

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$13.50

$58.25

Salary Distribution
Alabama – $67,330 Rank: 31st
The average salary ranks 31st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Executive Recruiting Service, NTT DATA Services, UAB Medicine, and Quadrant 4 System Corporation.

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$22,000

$136,000

Salary Distribution
Arkansas – $63,581 Rank: 43rd
The average salary ranks 43rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Walmart, Accenture, IBM, and Tech Mahindra.

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$26,000

$116,000

Salary Distribution
Arizona – $66,775 Rank: 33rd
The average salary ranks 33rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like NTT DATA Services, Avnet, Intel, and Accenture.

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$25,000

$128,000

Salary Distribution
California – $80,612 Rank: 3rd
The average salary ranks 3rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Capgemini, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, LinkedIn, and PayPal.

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$30,000

$154,000

Salary Distribution
Colorado – $73,980 Rank: 11th
The average salary ranks 11th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Ciber, Elastic Computing Solutions, Inc., Inovant LLC, and Department of the Interior.

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$29,000

$139,000

Salary Distribution
Connecticut – $75,916 Rank: 6th
The average salary ranks 6th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like TIMEX GROUP USA INC, Robert Half Finance & Accounting, Accenture, and Satyam Computer Services Ltd.

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$36,000

$129,000

Salary Distribution
DC – $81,174 Rank: 2nd
The average salary ranks 2nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like TEKsystems, Robert Half Technology, sln software, and Department of Labor.

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$29,000

$158,000

Salary Distribution
Delaware – $72,630 Rank: 14th
The average salary ranks 14th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like TRT LLC, Bristlecone, Barclays, and Delasoft, Inc.

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$36,000

$121,000

Salary Distribution
Florida – $66,918 Rank: 32nd
The average salary ranks 32nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Talbots, Publix, Amzur Technologies, Inc., and NTT DATA Services.

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$24,000

$129,000

Salary Distribution
Georgia – $68,179 Rank: 26th
The average salary ranks 26th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Manhattan Associates, NTT DATA Services, INDU LLC d/b/a Intigrow, and VIRTUE GROUP, LLC.

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$26,000

$130,000

Salary Distribution
Hawaii – $60,571 Rank: 48th
The average salary ranks 48th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Hawaii Medical Service Association, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), NIIT Technologies, and National Security Agency.

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$22,000

$118,000

Salary Distribution
Iowa – $66,567 Rank: 34th
The average salary ranks 34th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like HNI Corporation, SBP Consulting Inc., American Technology Consulting LLC, and NTT DATA Services.

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$31,000

$114,000

Salary Distribution
Idaho – $59,907 Rank: 49th
The average salary ranks 49th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Elwood Staffing, MphasiS, Idaho State University, and IDAHO DEPT. OF LABOR.

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$25,000

$110,000

Salary Distribution
Illinois – $71,810 Rank: 15th
The average salary ranks 15th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like PROFICIENT BUSINESS SYSTEMS, INC., NTT DATA Services, SystemsAccountants, and SBP Consulting Inc.

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$31,000

$128,000

Salary Distribution
Indiana – $66,300 Rank: 36th
The average salary ranks 36th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Liberty Mutual, Dabe & Company, Datum Consulting Group LLC, and Pinnacle Partners, Inc.

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$28,000

$121,000

Salary Distribution
Kansas – $64,769 Rank: 40th
The average salary ranks 40th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like NTT DATA Services, VED Software Services Inc, Accenture, and KANA Software, Inc..

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$24,000

$125,000

Salary Distribution
Kentucky – $66,410 Rank: 35th
The average salary ranks 35th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Coolsoft LLC, NTT DATA Services, INDU LLC, and Aspire Systems.

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$24,000

$129,000

Salary Distribution
Louisiana – $61,751 Rank: 45th
The average salary ranks 45th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like NTT DATA Services, IBM, Tech Mahindra, and Infosytech Solutions Inc..

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$23,000

$118,000

Salary Distribution
Massachusetts – $78,426 Rank: 4th
The average salary ranks 4th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Liberty Mutual, MassMutual Financial Group, NTT DATA Services, and Itech US, Inc..

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$29,000

$152,000

Salary Distribution
Maryland – $71,212 Rank: 19th
The average salary ranks 19th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Apex IT Services, LLC, Accenture, UNIFY SOLUTIONS INC, and Tri-S Recruiters, Inc..

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$29,000

$132,000

Salary Distribution
Maine – $68,683 Rank: 25th
The average salary ranks 25th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders, Rite Pros Inc, Cognizant Technology Solutions, and State of Maine Office of Information Technology.

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$30,000

$122,000

Salary Distribution
Michigan – $69,199 Rank: 23rd
The average salary ranks 23rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Meijer, Accenture, General Motors, and CyberCoders.

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$33,000

$119,000

Salary Distribution
Minnesota – $72,933 Rank: 12th
The average salary ranks 12th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Metropolitan Airports Commission, NTT DATA Services, iTech Solutions, and Lancet Data Sciences, Inc..

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$32,000

$130,000

Salary Distribution
Missouri – $68,829 Rank: 24th
The average salary ranks 24th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Perficient, Inc, INDU LLC, Nigel Frank International, and Sovereign Technologies.

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$30,000

$124,000

Salary Distribution
Mississippi – $58,260 Rank: 50th
The average salary ranks 50th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Compunnel Software Group, Cognizant Technology Solutions, StaffMe.net, LLC, and Idexcel technologies.

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$15,000

$129,000

Salary Distribution
Montana – $65,022 Rank: 39th
The average salary ranks 39th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Cognizant Technology Solutions, State of Montana, University of Montana, and Montana State University.

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$24,000

$125,000

Salary Distribution
North Carolina – $71,602 Rank: 17th
The average salary ranks 17th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like NTT DATA Services, Principle Solutions Group, Clear Thought Solutions LLC, and First tek.

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$27,000

$137,000

Salary Distribution
North Dakota – $62,498 Rank: 44th
The average salary ranks 44th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Tavant Technologies, Compunnel Software Group, Tech Mahindra, and InfoNero Inc.

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$18,000

$134,000

Salary Distribution
Nebraska – $65,442 Rank: 38th
The average salary ranks 38th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like HDR, Prokarma, Conagra Brands, and System Soft Technologies LLC.

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$28,000

$117,000

Salary Distribution
New Hampshire – $72,827 Rank: 13th
The average salary ranks 13th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Liberty Mutual, DEEBECON INC, Accenture, and IGATE.

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$30,000

$132,000

Salary Distribution
New Jersey – $75,666 Rank: 7th
The average salary ranks 7th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Diaspark, First tek, Intone Networks, and Accenture.

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$34,000

$132,000

Salary Distribution
New Mexico – $70,622 Rank: 21st
The average salary ranks 21st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Benefitalign, LLC, Nigel Frank International, ITVision, Inc, and Web Yoga, Inc..

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$19,000

$154,000

Salary Distribution
Nevada – $63,930 Rank: 42nd
The average salary ranks 42nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Southwest Gas, IGT, Inc., Tech Mahindra, and IGATE.

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$24,000

$123,000

Salary Distribution
New York – $75,272 Rank: 8th
The average salary ranks 8th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like NTT DATA Services, Accenture, Morgan Stanley, and IBM.

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$26,000

$149,000

Salary Distribution
Ohio – $69,859 Rank: 22nd
The average salary ranks 22nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders, NTT DATA Services, Westfield Insurance, and Defense Finance and Accounting Service.

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$27,000

$132,000

Salary Distribution
Oklahoma – $70,985 Rank: 20th
The average salary ranks 20th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Technology, GDH Consulting, Astra Solutions, and Rowland Group, The.

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$25,000

$139,000

Salary Distribution
Oregon – $71,268 Rank: 18th
The average salary ranks 18th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Accenture, Oregon Health Sciences University, Anu Software Consultants, Inc., and Quadrant 4 System Corporation.

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$30,000

$129,000

Salary Distribution
Pennsylvania – $68,118 Rank: 28th
The average salary ranks 28th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like NTT DATA Services, Siemens AG, PPG Industries, and TE Connectivity.

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$28,000

$125,000

Salary Distribution
Rhode Island – $67,506 Rank: 30th
The average salary ranks 30th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like FMR LLC, Accenture, Conperio Technology Solutions, Inc, and Adaequare Inc.

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$33,000

$114,000

Salary Distribution
South Carolina – $64,275 Rank: 41st
The average salary ranks 41st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Technology, Nigel Frank International, Accenture, and NTT DATA Services.

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$22,000

$127,000

Salary Distribution
South Dakota – $65,603 Rank: 37th
The average salary ranks 37th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Black Hills Corporation, NIIT Technologies, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and Cognizant Technology Solutions.

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$23,000

$130,000

Salary Distribution
Tennessee – $68,130 Rank: 27th
The average salary ranks 27th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like FedEx, NTT DATA Services, Eastman Chemical, and Accenture.

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$31,000

$119,000

Salary Distribution
Texas – $71,788 Rank: 16th
The average salary ranks 16th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like NTT DATA Services, Washington Frank, Halliburton, and Amdocs.

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$33,000

$124,000

Salary Distribution
Utah – $76,492 Rank: 5th
The average salary ranks 5th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Mason Frank International, Nigel Frank International, Mason Frank, and NTT DATA Services.

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$32,000

$138,000

Salary Distribution
Virginia – $74,234 Rank: 10th
The average salary ranks 10th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CGI Group, Request Technology, Mastech Inc, and Freddie Mac.

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$29,000

$138,000

Salary Distribution
Vermont – $75,122 Rank: 9th
The average salary ranks 9th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like NTT DATA Services, Itech US, Inc., CyberCoders, and Cognizant Technology Solutions.

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$29,000

$142,000

Salary Distribution
Washington – $82,728 Rank: 1st
The average salary ranks 1st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like T-Mobile, Virginia Mason, Capgemini, and Microsoft.

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$31,000

$158,000

Salary Distribution
Wisconsin – $68,080 Rank: 29th
The average salary ranks 29th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like NTT DATA Services, Elastic Computing Solutions, Inc., Astute Business Solutions, and Scepter Technologies Inc.

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$32,000

$117,000

Salary Distribution
West Virginia – $60,842 Rank: 47th
The average salary ranks 47th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Cognizant Technology Solutions.

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$23,000

$117,000

Salary Distribution
Wyoming – $43,200 Rank: 51st
The average salary ranks 51st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Union Telephone/Union Wireless, Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, and Green House Data.

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$7.25

$47.55

Salary Distribution

Top 20 National Employers

According to Indeed.com, the following states had employers looking to hire a Systems Analyst. The quoted salary figure represents the average salary from all job postings by this employer.

Employer Name Location Average Salary
BP Systems Analyst Texas $165,139
Department of Labor Systems Analyst DC $144,678
Capgemini Systems Analyst Oklahoma $141,972
Huxley Associates Systems Analyst New York $140,529
Haywayrd Group Systems Analyst Massachusetts $136,816
Virginia Mason Systems Analyst Washington $132,544
OPTOMI LLC Systems Analyst Maryland $130,000
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Systems Analyst California $127,833
New York Technology Partners, Inc. Systems Analyst New Jersey $127,681
EY Systems Analyst New York $127,385
Experis Systems Analyst New York $126,895
Microsoft Systems Analyst Washington $126,101
LinkedIn Systems Analyst California $125,700
Quviant Systems Analyst Maryland $125,000
PayPal Systems Analyst California $124,452
CyberCoders Systems Analyst New Mexico $124,110

Learn More

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Technical Analyst $76,186
Real Estate Manager $76,119
Business Development Manager $75,226
Benefits Manager $74,059
Information Technology Specialist $73,668
Health Information Management Manager $72,216
Management Analyst $72,076
Marketing Manager $71,419
Purchasing Manager $70,974
Program Officer $70,926

Henry Steele
Managing Editor
Henry is Managing Editor of BusinessStudent.com. He is a seasoned business professional who regularly consults with local business's throughout Southern California. Henry pursued his undergrad in Business and Economics at the University of San Diego and gained valuable life changing experience through a unique internship upon graduation.

"It doesn't matter how many times you have failed, you only have to be right once." - Mark Cuban