Systems Engineer salary in Washington, DC
Based on 95 certified H-1B filings in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Ashburn, Herndon, Mclean, Vienna, Reston.
Median salary$125,000
Middle 50%$112k–$156.2k
vs. national median+12%comparison median $111,112
Filings95FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years
Salary range
National median
$50k$75k$100k$125k$150k$175k$200k
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $97,174 |
| 25th | $112,000 |
| 50th (median) | $125,000 |
| 75th | $156,229 |
| 90th | $167,377 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $100,000 | $96,600 | $110,000 | 117 |
| FY2021 | $110,000 | $97,406 | $120,000 | 98 |
| FY2022 | $109,400 | $99,000 | $130,000 | 85 |
| FY2023 | $105,500 | $101,338 | $121,545 | 82 |
| FY2024 | $111,973 | $101,207 | $125,549 | 76 |
| FY2025 | $124,728 | $111,960 | $155,688 | 62 |
| FY2026 | $126,090 | $118,310 | $158,762 | 33 |
Cost of living
Washington's median Systems Engineer salary of $125,000 is worth about $114,800 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Washington = 108.9).
Top employers filing
| Employer | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Visa | too few | 8 |
| Navy Federal Credit Union | too few | 6 |
| Qualtrics | too few | 5 |
| Recursion Technologies | too few | 4 |
| Cloudflare | too few | 3 |
| Artek Solutions | too few | 2 |
| Aurality | too few | 2 |
| Compunnel Software Group | too few | 2 |
| Digital Management | too few | 2 |
| Exelon Business Services Company | too few | 2 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $95,784 | 15 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $122,699 | 39 |
| Senior · Level III | $150,379 | 26 |
| Expert · Level IV | $160,000 | 11 |
Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.