Microsoft Systems Engineer / Architect salary

Based on 1,689 H-1B filings by Microsoft Corporation, fiscal years 2025–2026. Base salary only.

Median salary$168,000
Middle 50%$145.3k–$188.4k
vs. all employers+46%comparison median $114,795
Filings1,689FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $102,966 and $246,337.
PercentileSalary
10th$127,510
25th$145,326
50th (median)$168,000
75th$188,400
90th$210,013

Salary by year

Median salary

$120k $155k $190k FY2020: median $142,800 (1,107 filings) FY2021: median $140,110 (1,154 filings) FY2022: median $145,000 (1,744 filings) FY2023: median $160,443 (943 filings) FY2024: median $160,056 (1,254 filings) FY2025: median $164,800 (1,267 filings) FY2026: median $178,935 (422 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 1,107 filings FY20 FY2021: 1,154 filings FY21 FY2022: 1,744 filings FY22 FY2023: 943 filings FY23 FY2024: 1,254 filings FY24 FY2025: 1,267 filings FY25 FY2026: 422 filings FY26 1,744
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$142,800$122,124$161,5761,107
FY2021$140,110$120,600$160,0001,154
FY2022$145,000$125,000$165,9041,744
FY2023$160,443$137,421$181,635943
FY2024$160,056$140,551$180,7921,254
FY2025$164,800$142,400$183,4581,267
FY2026$178,935$158,073$200,244422

By state

Washington
$175,010
Texas
$144,567
California
$190,366
Georgia
$149,127
North Carolina
$142,510

Bar length: number of filings (Washington 953). Figure: average salary in that state.

By city

Redmond, WA$175,800 · 873 filings
Irving, TX$137,235 · 138 filings
Mountain View, CA$200,912 · 58 filings
Charlotte, NC$136,595 · 48 filings

Cities with at least 10 filings. Figure: median salary.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Level I · Entry $126,700 98
Level II · Qualified $143,901 542
Level III · Experienced $176,839 784
Level IV · Fully competent $211,440 265

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Questions

How much does a systems engineer / architect make at Microsoft?

In H-1B filings, Microsoft Corporation's median base salary for Systems Engineer / Architect is $168,000; half of filings fall between $145,326 and $188,400. Bonus and stock are not included.

Does Microsoft sponsor H-1B visas for systems engineer / architects?

Yes. Microsoft Corporation filed 1,689 certified Labor Condition Applications for this role in FY2025–FY2026. A filing is a step before the visa petition, not an approval.

Which job titles are included?

Filings are grouped by occupation code 15-1299 (Computer Systems Engineers/Architects), so this page covers every job title Microsoft filed under that code.

Where does this data come from?

The U.S. Department of Labor's public LCA disclosure files, updated every quarter. Methodology