Computer Systems Engineers/Architects
Design and develop solutions to complex applications problems, system administration issues, or network concerns. Perform systems management and integration functions.
- O*NET-SOC code
15-1299.08 - Preparation Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Wages
BLS doesn't publish wages for Computer Systems Engineers/Architects separately. These are the figures for Computer Occupations, All Other (15-1299), its parent occupation.
Median annual wage, U.S.$116,580
Employment, U.S.435,370
Median hourly wage$56.05
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $55,940 | $79,370 | $116,580 | $157,500 | $188,470 |
By state (51)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 2,630 | $106,330 | 0.44 |
| Alaska | 710 | $105,960 | 0.78 |
| Arizona | 5,510 | $105,240 | 0.61 |
| Arkansas | 1,120 | $86,940 | 0.31 |
| California | 80,150 | $134,440 | 1.57 |
| Colorado | 11,800 | $139,580 | 1.47 |
| Connecticut | 3,100 | $127,720 | 0.65 |
| Delaware | 860 | $137,470 | 0.63 |
| District of Columbia | 17,200 | $156,590 | 8.75 |
| Florida | 13,710 | $105,370 | 0.49 |
| Georgia | 20,630 | $104,610 | 1.51 |
| Hawaii | 2,080 | $120,100 | 1.18 |
| Idaho | 1,040 | $98,700 | 0.43 |
| Illinois | 11,160 | $99,360 | 0.65 |
| Indiana | 3,340 | $93,540 | 0.37 |
| Iowa | 3,850 | $107,340 | 0.88 |
| Kansas | 1,340 | $103,380 | 0.33 |
| Kentucky | 1,850 | $89,420 | 0.33 |
| Louisiana | 5,020 | $77,000 | 0.93 |
| Maine | 900 | $107,990 | 0.50 |
| Maryland | 19,060 | $144,680 | 2.46 |
| Massachusetts | 6,170 | $109,590 | 0.61 |
| Michigan | 7,440 | $105,680 | 0.60 |
| Minnesota | 4,180 | $91,750 | 0.51 |
| Mississippi | 1,450 | $86,940 | 0.45 |
| Missouri | 14,340 | $101,040 | 1.74 |
| Montana | 540 | $81,970 | 0.38 |
| Nebraska | 2,280 | $92,480 | 0.79 |
| Nevada | 2,610 | $100,220 | 0.60 |
| New Hampshire | 970 | $91,720 | 0.51 |
| New Jersey | 12,010 | $108,310 | 1.00 |
| New Mexico | 1,650 | $127,090 | 0.67 |
| New York | 11,460 | $116,990 | 0.42 |
| North Carolina | 15,090 | $104,850 | 1.09 |
| North Dakota | 730 | $78,330 | 0.60 |
| Ohio | 6,150 | $109,780 | 0.40 |
| Oklahoma | 3,320 | $102,520 | 0.69 |
| Oregon | 2,450 | $97,350 | 0.45 |
| Pennsylvania | 14,580 | $107,230 | 0.86 |
| Rhode Island | 830 | $102,210 | 0.59 |
| South Carolina | 4,300 | $112,260 | 0.67 |
| South Dakota | 240 | $105,370 | 0.18 |
| Tennessee | 10,930 | $76,470 | 1.19 |
| Texas | 57,020 | $111,530 | 1.45 |
| Utah | 6,680 | $97,470 | 1.37 |
| Vermont | 1,320 | $111,530 | 1.56 |
| Virginia | 17,000 | $139,030 | 1.48 |
| Washington | 14,360 | $128,940 | 1.44 |
| West Virginia | 3,380 | $107,140 | 1.72 |
| Wisconsin | 4,680 | $88,130 | 0.57 |
| Wyoming | 170 | $94,520 | 0.22 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Database Administrators | 4 | 0.982 |
| 2 | Computer Network Architects | 4 | 0.980 |
| 3 | Computer Systems Analysts | 4 | 0.975 |
| 4 | Information Security Analysts | 4 | 0.973 |
| 5 | Computer and Information Research Scientists | 5 | 0.972 |
| 6 | Computer and Information Systems Managers | 4 | 0.967 |
| 7 | Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | 4 | 0.965 |
| 8 | Web Developers | 3 | 0.963 |
| 9 | Blockchain Engineers | 4 | 0.963 |
| 10 | Database Architects | 4 | 0.963 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Computer Systems Engineers/Architects, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power Distributors and Dispatchers | Operation and Control | 1.74 | 0.922 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Computer Systems Engineers/Architects, excluding software Computer Systems Engineers/Architects already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Visual C# .NET | 8 of 20 | 24.6x |
| Microsoft Visual Basic.NET | 8 of 20 | 21.7x |
| Access management software | 6 of 20 | 39.6x |
| SAP Adaptive Server Enterprise | 6 of 20 | 30.8x |
| System testing software | 6 of 20 | 30.8x |
| Prolog | 6 of 20 | 27.7x |
| RESTful API | 6 of 20 | 25.2x |
| Requirements management software | 5 of 20 | 33.0x |
| SolarWinds | 5 of 20 | 33.0x |
| Web application software | 5 of 20 | 33.0x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 3.88 | 4.12 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.75 | 4.38 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.62 | 4.12 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 3.50 | 4.25 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.50 | 3.88 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.38 | 4.00 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.62 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Science | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.75 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.50 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.38 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 1.50 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 2.12 |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 2.00 | 1.38 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.12 |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.00 |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.62 |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Computers and Electronics | 4.91 | 6.32 |
| English Language | 4.09 | 3.38 |
| Telecommunications | 3.95 | 4.41 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.86 | 4.55 |
| Engineering and Technology | 3.77 | 4.45 |
| Administration and Management | 3.29 | 3.91 |
| Design | 2.91 | 3.71 |
| Mathematics | 2.91 | 3.71 |
| Administrative | 2.64 | 3.73 |
| Production and Processing | 2.64 | 3.05 |
| Education and Training | 2.55 | 3.19 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.55 | 2.32 |
| Communications and Media | 2.45 | 2.33 |
| Mechanical | 2.36 | 2.52 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.32 | 2.86 |
| Economics and Accounting | 2.14 | 2.18 |
| Law and Government | 2.09 | 2.33 |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.95 | 1.82 |
| Physics | 1.91 | 1.90 |
| Psychology | 1.82 | 1.57 |
| Building and Construction | 1.81 | 1.57 |
| Transportation | 1.59 | 1.19 |
| Geography | 1.59 | 1.14 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.41 | 0.82 |
| Foreign Language | 1.41 | 0.64 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.36 | not rated |
| Chemistry | 1.36 | 0.86 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.36 | 0.77 |
| History and Archeology | 1.32 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.23 | not rated |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.23 | not rated |
| Biology | 1.18 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.14 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Oral Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.50 |
| Written Expression | 4.00 | 4.25 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Written Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Oral Expression | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Information Ordering | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Originality | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Near Vision | 3.50 | 3.62 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.38 | 3.88 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.25 | 3.88 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Number Facility | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Selective Attention | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Visualization | 2.88 | 3.12 |
| Memorization | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Far Vision | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Time Sharing | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Finger Dexterity | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Auditory Attention | 2.00 | 1.88 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 1.88 | 1.50 |
| Control Precision | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Manual Dexterity | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 1.75 | 1.50 |
| Trunk Strength | 1.75 | 1.12 |
| Depth Perception | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 1.62 | 0.62 |
| Extent Flexibility | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Rate Control | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Reaction Time | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Dynamic Strength | 1.25 | not rated |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Explosive Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Coordination | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 1.00 | not rated |
| Multilimb Coordination | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Response Orientation | 1.00 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.00 | not rated |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.00 | not rated |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.00 | not rated |
| Stamina | 1.00 | not rated |
| Static Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Amazon Web Services AWS CloudFormation in demand
- Amazon Web Services AWS software in demand
- Ansible software in demand
- Atlassian JIRA in demand
- Bash in demand
- C++ in demand
- Docker in demand
- Git in demand
- GitHub in demand
- Go in demand
- IBM Terraform in demand
- JavaScript in demand
- Jenkins CI in demand
- Kubernetes in demand
- Linux in demand
- Microsoft Active Directory in demand
- Microsoft Azure software in demand
- Microsoft PowerShell in demand
- Oracle Java in demand
- Python in demand
- Structured query language SQL in demand
- Firewall software in demand
- AJAX hot
- Adobe Acrobat hot
- Adobe Creative Cloud software hot
- Adobe Photoshop hot
- Amazon DynamoDB hot
- Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud EC2 hot
- Amazon Redshift hot
- Apache Airflow hot
All 267
- Apache Cassandra hot
- Apache Hadoop hot
- Apache Hive hot
- Apache Kafka hot
- Apache Maven hot
- Apache Spark hot
- Apache Subversion SVN hot
- Apache Tomcat hot
- Apple macOS hot
- Atlassian Bitbucket hot
- Atlassian Confluence hot
- Autodesk AutoCAD hot
- Autodesk Revit hot
- Bentley MicroStation hot
- Border Gateway Protocol BGP hot
- C hot
- C# hot
- Cascading style sheets CSS hot
- Chef hot
- Cisco Webex hot
- Dassault Systemes SolidWorks hot
- Django hot
- ESRI ArcGIS software hot
- Eclipse IDE hot
- Elasticsearch hot
- Epic Systems hot
- Extensible markup language XML hot
- GitLab hot
- Google Analytics hot
- Google Angular hot
- Grafana Labs Grafana Cloud hot
- GraphQL hot
- Hibernate ORM hot
- Hypertext markup language HTML hot
- IBM DB2 hot
- IBM SPSS Statistics hot
- IBM WebSphere MQ hot
- JUnit hot
- JavaScript Object Notation JSON hot
- MEDITECH software hot
- Marketo Marketing Automation hot
- Microsoft .NET Framework hot
- Microsoft ASP.NET hot
- Microsoft Access hot
- Microsoft Active Server Pages ASP hot
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft Power Platform software hot
- Microsoft PowerPoint hot
- Microsoft Project hot
- Microsoft SQL Server hot
- Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services SSIS hot
- Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services SSRS hot
- Microsoft SharePoint hot
- Microsoft Teams hot
- Microsoft Visio hot
- Microsoft Visual Basic hot
- Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications VBA hot
- Microsoft Visual Studio hot
- Microsoft Windows hot
- Microsoft Windows Server hot
- MongoDB hot
- MySQL hot
- NoSQL hot
- Node.js hot
- Oracle Cloud software hot
- Oracle Database hot
- Oracle Java 2 Platform Enterprise Edition J2EE hot
- Oracle PL/SQL hot
- Oracle PeopleSoft hot
- Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management hot
- PHP hot
- Perl hot
- PostgreSQL hot
- Prometheus hot
- Puppet hot
- R hot
- React hot
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux hot
- Red Hat OpenShift hot
- Redis hot
- Ruby hot
- SAP software hot
- SAS hot
- Salesforce software hot
- Scala hot
- Selenium hot
- ServiceNow hot
- Shell script hot
- Slack hot
- Splunk Enterprise hot
- Spring Boot hot
- Spring Framework hot
- Swift hot
- Tableau hot
- Teradata Database hot
- The MathWorks MATLAB hot
- Transact-SQL hot
- Trimble SketchUp Pro hot
- TypeScript hot
- UNIX hot
- UNIX Shell hot
- jQuery hot
- 3M Post-it App
- Adobe AIR
- Adobe ActionScript
- Adobe Dreamweaver
- Adobe Flex
- Adobe FrameMaker
- Advanced business application programming ABAP
- Altia Design
- Amazon Simple Storage Service S3
- Aonix Software Through Pictures
- Apache Ant
- Apache Groovy
- Apache HTTP Server
- Apache Pig
- Apache Solr
- Apache Struts
- Apple Final Cut Pro
- Atlassian Bamboo
- BEA Tuxedo
- Backbone.js
- Basecamp
- Blink
- Borland VisiBroker
- BroadVision software
- Cisco IOS
- Citrix cloud computing software
- Clarity Systems IBM Clarity
- Common business oriented language COBOL
- Computer aided design and drafting CADD software
- Customer information control system CICS
- DBTools Software DBManager Professional
- Dassault Systemes CATIA
- Delphi Technology
- Dropbox
- Drupal
- Dynamic hypertext markup language DHTML
- Eko
- Enterprise JavaBeans
- Ext JS
- Extensible hypertext markup language XHTML
- FileMaker Pro
- Formula translation/translator FORTRAN
- Geographic information system GIS software
- Google Ads
- Google Cloud software
- Grails
- Hewlett Packard HP-UX
- Hewlett Packard LoadRunner
- Human resource management software HRMS
- IBM AIX
- IBM Cognos Impromptu
- IBM Domino
- IBM ILOG
- IBM InfoSphere DataStage
- IBM Infosphere Information Server
- IBM Lotus SameTime
- IBM Notes
- IBM Power Systems software
- IBM Rational Application Developer
- IBM Rational Build Forge
- IBM Rational ClearCase
- IBM Rational Rose XDE
- IBM WebSphere
- IONA Orbix
- InScribe
- Integrated development environment IDE software
- Intrusion detection system IDS
- Job control language JCL
- Jupyter Notebook
- KornShell
- LAMP Stack
- LexisNexis
- Local area network LAN software
- Magellan Firmware
- McAfee
- MicroStrategy
- Microservices Architecture
- Microsoft ASP.NET Core MVC
- Microsoft ActiveX
- Microsoft Dynamics
- Microsoft Dynamics GP
- Microsoft Exchange
- Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)
- Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition VBScript
- Minitab
- Nagios
- National Instruments LabVIEW
- NetSuite ERP
- Network intrusion prevention systems NIPS
- NortonLifeLock cybersecurity software
- Objective C
- Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition
- Oracle E-Business Suite Financials
- Oracle Eloqua
- Oracle Fusion Applications
- Oracle Fusion Middleware
- Oracle Hyperion
- Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne
- Oracle JDBC
- Oracle JavaServer Pages JSP
- Oracle Solaris
- Oracle Taleo
- Oracle WebLogic Server
- PTC Creo Parametric
- Perforce Helix software
- Qlik Tech QlikView
- Quest Erwin Data Modeler
- Red Hat WildFly
- Relational database management software
- Ruby on Rails
- SAP Business Objects
- SAP Crystal Reports
- Salesforce Visualforce
- Skype
- Smalltalk
- Snort
- Software as a service SaaS
- StataCorp Stata
- Storage area network SAN software
- Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software
- Symark PowerBroker
- ToadSoft Toad
- Ubuntu
- Unified modeling language UML
- VMWare ESX Server
- VMware
- Verilog
- Veritas NetBackup
- Virtual private networking VPN software
- Voice over internet protocol VoIP system software
- Web browser software
- Wide area network WAN software
- Wireshark
- xQuery
Where it concentrates
BLS doesn't publish wages for Computer Systems Engineers/Architects separately. These are the figures for Computer Occupations, All Other (15-1299), its parent occupation.
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ | 500 | 5.29 | $118,120 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 16,680 | 5.25 | $184,430 |
| Lexington Park, MD | 1,000 | 5.05 | $144,680 |
| Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | 350 | 3.46 | $106,330 |
| Warner Robins, GA | 690 | 3.26 | $100,260 |
| Elizabethtown, KY | 450 | 3.14 | $106,330 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 10,100 | 2.79 | $129,470 |
| Fayetteville, NC | 970 | 2.65 | $101,800 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 16,930 | 2.55 | $161,700 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | 840 | 2.51 | $121,850 |