Gov SysAdmins what’s your pay like?

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oubeav@reddit

I work for a DoD contractor in the Dayton area. I’m at $150k.

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oubeav@reddit

Yep.

Linux/Windows SysAdmin

Works primarily in air-gapped environments.

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Classified networks with no Internet. So any software, patches, etc needs to be transferred via approved USB drive and attached to a one-way bridge so nothing can be written to the drive once connected to the system. Trust me, it can get very tedious some days.

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rcp9ty@reddit

Have the new nvme drives that have USB ports made your life easier since you're not stuck with USB speeds when copying data. Or is the old hardware still rocking USB 2.0 so the speeds don't matter. On a side note would the systems ever allow an e-sata port so you could just use a USB powered sata drive and get that theoretical faster speed ?

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Compustand@reddit

What happens to the USB after the data is transferred? Or is it a special USB drive?

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oubeav@reddit

Nothing. The one-way stat bridge that is in between it and the computer “protects” it from any sensitive data being transferred to it.

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floswamp@reddit

Love it! It’s all about compliance I guess.

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oubeav@reddit

Before this setup, we burned discs and shredded them when done. Sooooo many discs. It was brutal.

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floswamp@reddit

Insane. I am guessing that there’s never a huge data transfer.

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oubeav@reddit

Have you ever had to burn an entire dual layer Bluray disc? I believe they hold \~50GB.

\~1.5 hours to burn the data. Then you have to copy it from the disc to the system. Oh, I forgot, you have to virus scan the disc before copying too. Good times when it was time to bring back Windows updates for the month.

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floswamp@reddit

Bluray? Never heard of her.

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bleke_xyz@reddit

Sounds fun, where do I sign up

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loupgaru85@reddit

Means there is no outside internet connection and everything from low to high is sneakernetted

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soul_in_a_fishbowl@reddit

I keep our old network at work airgapped because they refuse to upgrade from Access 2.0 and the newest OS that will run it is XP… so everyone gets two computers, one for the internet and one for an XP VM running on the server.

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oubeav@reddit

That just made me shiver a bit. lol But at least you don't have to really touch it, I assume.

Patching OSes (Win10/11/2019/2022/Ubuntu/Redhat) and any third party software (Office/Visual Studio/MATLAB/etc) every single month via USB drive can get quite maddening sometimes. lol

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soul_in_a_fishbowl@reddit

No it’s hands off until I leave to go out of town. Then it suddenly breaks and I have to try to walk someone through the troubleshooting on a FaceTime call while they’re in the server closet. I wouldn’t even try to patch this system if I could. It will absolutely break something. I feel the pain though I have to transfer documents off the old system all the time and I have two USB hubs right next to each other so I can just pull it out of one and slap it in the other. Need to just put it on a mechanical switch.

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j2thebees@reddit

Me likes an air-gapper.

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Cyberhwk@reddit

Experience? I'm in the DoD too and I make nowhere near that.

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oubeav@reddit

Out of college in 2002. Been working IT ever since. Once I landed a job with a DoD contracting company and had to get a clearance (about 11 years ago) my salary has nearly tripled.

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Top_Form716@reddit

Sounds like a Booz-Allen gig at WP. They seem to pay a lot more than non gov jobs.

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oubeav@reddit

Contractor will almost always pay more than govies.

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rsmutus@reddit

Except for when they don't

looks at my own gov contractor job and the 3k employees we have

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Quartzalcoatl_Prime@reddit

Yup Colorado Springs and $135k at the moment. Never made it as a Space Force ranger but this was a nice second

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Deemer15@reddit

Same. Lead sysadmin in Missouri. 150k GOV contract

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BigDaddyATF@reddit

DoD Contractor in central Florida. $99K

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bonebrah@reddit

State gov't 125k. full remote, full gov't benefits pension, good time off, cheap health etc etc.

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SmoothStrawberry7777@reddit

Michigan, local gov (county equivalent), network admin, $101k. Plus I think I'm getting 10% (employer contribution) of my pay in 401a, another 3% (?) to an RHS and something like 26 days off a year (sick, vacation, personal) + 12 holidays. 1 hour paid lunch.

On call is weekend only (rotates between a handful of people) and compensated with time off.

We're union so pay rates are set for the level you're at but you can bump up a little (there's a cap though.)

I think our contact was extended last year for 3% annual bump through 27 or 28.

I love it compared to the private sector except dead weight, bad bosses and the extra complexity of government (slow and inefficient.)

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No_Investigator3369@reddit

Watch, someone is gonna mic drop $300k, Alabama. Living like a king.

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Apprehensive_Tale744@reddit

There’s a guy I know who is a Sys admin for a DOD contractor. Makes $140,000+ and lives very well in north bama lol

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Roquer@reddit

Not quite 300, but I have several former coworkers in Northern AL who took sysadmin roles for 175+. Very low cost of living area.

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Apprehensive_Tale744@reddit

Sys Admin> 25yo> $75,000 wanting to move into director directions after my masters

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djgizmo@reddit

depends on so many factors, region, company industry, responsibilities….

one sys admin at one company will not be the same at another.

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Wild_Competition_716@reddit (OP)

Key word in title, government

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djgizmo@reddit

yea. whoops. fun times.

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Inevitable_Score1164@reddit

Min 53k Max is uncapped, but you rarely see above 110k Indiana

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andrewloveswetcarrot@reddit

$76k in Indiana as a general sysadmin in K12. My yearly “raises” are under 2% and COLA salary adjustments happen every few years and never meet inflation.

It’s a comfortable life, but you’ll never make anything like private sector. I have heard both private and public can have ups and downs just depending on the workplace.

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Raineacha@reddit

61k here in Indiana also, very rural though. Since standard of living is fairly low in this area, it is pretty nice.

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das-@reddit

$77k director of technology for a K-12 in Indiana. Small district with a 3 person team. Love the relaxed environment and PERF. I get a 3% raise every year except this year thanks to recent legislation. I could make more but right now it’s comfortable.

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Banluil@reddit

Yeah, I could EASILY go and make almost double what I make in the private sector. But, I also get state pension plan (even working for county government), a good amount of PTO, and the courthouse is closed for any federal holidays, so I get those paid as well.

I'm pretty happy with staying where I'm at, even with issues with budget, dealing with county boards, and things of that nature.

I'm comfortable, but will never be rich.

But, house will be paid off well before I retire, and I will have both pension and social security (if they don't destroy it), so should be good until I die :)

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fahque@reddit

Hmm. With bene's my salary is higher than I can get around me on the private side.

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WoodenHarddrive@reddit

Sys Admin at small MSP on the East Coast, $119k, 8 years

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flsingleguy@reddit

Local government in Central Florida -> IT Director -> 28 years -> $135k

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DaddyPhat8080@reddit

Special District - South Florida - IT director - 20+ - $113 - (600 on books). The benefits are really good and working on Pay to fall in line with other Govies in the area.

The Stress though in Emergency Services First Responders is crippling. God bless all of us who chose this path. There may not be much left for the other side. Stress in IT is crazy and nobody understands as we make it look easy and never advocate for ourselves. Frontline is a whole other animal. I have a significant role from a call coming into 911 to the staff getting a paycheck. 24/7 365. I do love serving my fellow man and this world needs kindness and hope. I just wish our leadership’s would view us as much as a sworn staff member.

God speed and best to all on this path. And take comfort you are not alone. I feel like starting a support group lol. GITA Government IT Anonymous.

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morilythari@reddit

Local Gov - NE Florida - Rural County - Sys Admin 5 years - $77k/yr

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xendr0me@reddit

Local government in Central Florida -> IT Director -> 20 years -> $110k (1000 hours of PTO on the books) :)

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Elegant_Pizza734@reddit

30k

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CTRL_ALT_06@reddit

Was french local gov, below average at 24k EUR

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craigtho@reddit

That does seem low even for EU.

I worked at the NHS during COVID as SysAdmin and later DevOps Engineer (rolled into one job, as is tradition) for £39300 exactly, which was spine 2, band 7 for any lurkers.

Senior Cloud Engineer some time later at Govt was £63500 + 28.7% pension. It was arguably closer to a SysAdmin role as well, just it was "Azure only".

No disrespect intended btw, I have literally 0 knowledge of government jobs in France, but I'd imagine if you are skilled enough there should be better considering it's nearly double across the water!

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CTRL_ALT_06@reddit

The french local gov payscales are weighted according to your academic qualifications vs just experience. And negociation is a no no especially if you are a not a permenant employee. I have plenty of experience on the job but no paper proving I am qualified or went to school for IT.

The state gov payscales were improved a year or two ago reflect the industry averages but as usual local gov got left out.

I did end up leaving after being offered a job in the private sector though

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Wild_Competition_716@reddit (OP)

Shoooo 😮‍💨 cannot imagine that pay on American cost of living and healthcare

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DariusWolfe@reddit

Twice that would cover my house payments, but not much else. (NW WA, US)

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CTRL_ALT_06@reddit

Not going to start a free debate but yay free healthcare i guess. I am in one of the highest COL areas in france though.

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Ethan-Reno@reddit

Is that livable?

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cornellartworks@reddit

Just got an annual 5% COLA, I'm at 79K in Atlanta.

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Polar_Ted@reddit

Our union got us a 6.5% COLA each year for the last 2 years. Combine that with the annual 4.7% step increase it's been a damn good couple years for us. My wife and I both work in state gov but different agencies and unions. We both saw that bump thanks to rules about all the unions getting equal COLAS.

FWIW our pay scales are broken into 10 steps. Each year you get a step increase plus whatever cola the union negotiated. You max out at 10 steps. After that you just get the COLA unless you get a promotion into a new pay scale. You get set to the closest step that matches your old pay plus a step. IE a promotion likely won't get you more than a 5% bump but you usually get more steps left in the new scale.

Also our insurance benefits are paid 95% Our monthly premium is the 5% remaining. Union dues are1.6% but capped at $80 a month.

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sonic10158@reddit

5% Coca Cola or Pepsi?

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cornellartworks@reddit

Well it is Atlanta, so... Coke.

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sonic10158@reddit

That checks out haha

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iccccceman@reddit

State or city?

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cornellartworks@reddit

city

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abyssea@reddit

5%! Damn, we only get 3%.

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sean0883@reddit

State employee - netadmin - California - $170k

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britechmusicsocal@reddit

Getting into the low six figures with some experience and certifications is not that hard, though I do not know about Ohio.

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cacarrizales@reddit

About 6 years in the industry - at $76k in the Nashville, TN area

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j2thebees@reddit

My first full time programming gig was for Bridgestone, in the building next to the Marriott (Elm Hill and such). 😊 That was in 1999.

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cacarrizales@reddit

Oh nice! My current boss had his first job at Bridgestone after he got out of the Marines. This would have been around 2010-2012. You still in Nashville or have you moved since?

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Hour_Replacement_575@reddit

$113k Oregon. Sys Admin with one classification away from being in a senior role. Union, PTO and semi-decent retirement/pension. COL/taxes doesn't make it feel as cool but I'm happy.

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i-took-my-meds@reddit

Hi CCP!

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Lousyclient@reddit

I’m DoD government civilian around Oklahoma and I’m at 97k leading a team of server admins

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SysThrowawayPlz@reddit

Midwest Small gov't $43/hr - 10 years in this role, 20 yrs exp. Not salaried.

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gwig9@reddit

NOAA Alaska. Position title: Helpdesk Lead Technician but basically Jack of all trades. Salary: ~$137k but HCOL and essentially capped out. Only way to make more is to move up to Supervision.

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Patchewski@reddit

How’s the cost of living in Alaska. For comparison, family of 3 we spend about $350 a week on food. About to pay off a 30 year mortgage, payments are currently $1200/month. Daughter and her fiancé have a 2 br apartment $2500/mo

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gwig9@reddit

Groceries are expensive here. I would average $150/wk for myself. Average houses are $400-500k. Renting is $2k. But... It is the most naturally beautiful place I've ever lived.

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codeyh@reddit

A lot of gov has their pay plan posted online. Feel free to take a gander if there’s an area you’re considering.

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DariusWolfe@reddit

A bit shy of $87k, after my first year (up from $83k initially). Hourly, OT authorized, decent vacation policies and holidays. Washington State, Olympia/Tacoma area.

15+ years of IT experience, the vast majority of it while Active military, but transitioned to civilian employment since then.

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Mountain-eagle-xray@reddit

Dod, 185k, southern md, partially sysad mostly syseng. 15 year of xp.

8 years mil > 60k > 80k > 112k > 150k > 165k > 185k, not including cola raises. Every jump was a job change. 112k, 165k, 185k were exactly the same job, I was only at 150 for 6 months.

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Greedy_Ad5722@reddit

I’m M365 GCC HIGH admin at DoD contractor in Utah. I’m getting paid 75K + 10% bonus + 850 stock over 3 year. Not the highest for gov admin but I’m a pure beginner at cloud. Currently we are still trying to meet compliance so I get to mess with everything in Azure including security things as well so I’m happy:)

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morilythari@reddit

Rural County in NE Florida Been the Sys Admin for a little over 5 years. I live in Jacksonville and only go into the office 1-2 days a week.

Currently at 77k with 3% COLAs each year + an "experience" bonus that rolls into my salary each year so it's more like 5% increase each year. But they are doing salary surveys so there's a chance of a larger bump this next FY.

Plenty of flexibility and vacation time and I really enjoy my team. I can make decisions as needed and my boss trusts me explicitly.

I've been working for the county for almost 13 years starting as helpdesk and unless a really really great opportunity comes up I could probably retire from here.

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Patchewski@reddit

NYS small county. Generally the same pay structure. Got a healthy bump beginning of the year from our salary survey. That with COL and “longevity” bonus was pretty nice.

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morilythari@reddit

I'm almost at the top rung of the longevity ladder which will turn into a guaranteed 1k/yr increase. I think once I top out my pay grade I have to do it as a lump sum payment but I have quite a ways for that.

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Patchewski@reddit

Same here. I’m at the top of the union scale so for the next several years, I’ll only get COL and longevity. That’s about 5% annually but if I want a bump, I’ll have to go management which isn’t out of the question, still about 10 years before I can retire fully vetted.

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FloridaManOnceAgain@reddit

Government Contractor for USAF, -> Senior Systems Engineer -> $127k

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Turbulent-Pea-8826@reddit

Fed employees pay is pretty much open information. Most positions are on a GS pay scale and you can look that up online. Be sure to check the locality pay.

I think most system admin are going to fall into a GS11-13 pay scale depending on seniority. Gs13,14,15 is usually supervisory. However, high COLA will govern a bump (or two) on the GS scale to make up for the pay. So you might be a GS-13 doing senior level work but non supervisory. DC area you can be a 14 or 15 non supervisory sometimes.

You usually start at step 1 and go up a step each year for the first three years. Then a step every other year for three years. Then a step every third year. There are often COLA increases each year. The amount varies but I have seen ~2%. There were 0% sometimes during Obama years.

I don’t know about every agency, but my agency does a performance review every year and we can get extra vacation, a 1.5-3% cash bonus or a step increase depending on your evaluation score. Step increases are limited to every other year or something like that.

Hope that gives you an idea.

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sexybobo@reddit

Any time your talking about pay you need to specify the rough cost of living in your area. 100k in LA or NYC is going to cover a lot less then 100K does in Dallas or Orlando.

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Kuipyr@reddit

GS Employees get Locality Pay, same base with an additional amount based on your location.

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Neratyr@reddit

Respectfully, I think I can have this make more sense for you.

They did state midwest / ohio, which may not seem like it but it is enough. CoL is fairly consistent and we can safely assume they do NOT mean they live in a city or especially dense area.

I'm keeping close tabs on real estate and etc lately so this is all fresh in mind anyway.

The ohio region is relatively cheap as they have space, low demand, yet convenient location - logistics of physically getting stuff there isnt so bad. Right now, housing sucks all over, however in Ohio you can save 100k on a single family home compared to my region, D.C. metro. Thats very roughly abstracted mind you lol.

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Janus67@reddit

For the house prices, it entirely depends on how close to a city you are. If you want to live in one of the nicer suburbs around Columbus you're looking at minimum 400k for a 2000-2500sqft 3-4bed/2-bath house with a .2-.3 acre lot.

Obviously moving further out than a suburb with a good school system you can find cheaper/larger/etc.

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fahque@reddit

Damn, I live in the south and a 2k sqft home with a half acre lot would run you 500-750k. My 1200sqft maybe 1/8 acre lot is just under 400k.

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sexybobo@reddit

Location can play a major factor as well. In my area if your in the city a 3 bedroom apartment will run \~2.5k a month, in the suburbs its closer to 1.5k. if you go a bit rural you can rent a 3 bedroom house with an acre or more of land for 1.5k. I have \~2000sqft on 3 acres that I paid $140k for but my commute to work is \~40 min usually.

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sexybobo@reddit

I didn't see they stated Ohio in the their post. I either missed it or they edited the post.

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Wild_Competition_716@reddit (OP)

Edited, not on you bobo :)

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rs217000@reddit

Southeastern OH school district admin $80k

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PurpleRadiant@reddit

Dutch gov here, working half-time (19h/w). Pay is 0.9k Euro a month after tax. About 11.5k a year with bonuses and such.

Since someone mentioned to specify living cost; Average home here is 450k but has to be renovated. Average rent is around 750 Euro.

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srirachastephen@reddit

I'm a Desktop Support Specialist and I get paid 105k, eventually it'll be about 125k after 4 more years of work here. Work for the city.

Sysadmin makes about 25k more than me.

California Bay Area.

Generally we get 4% COLA increases per year. Hoping to get the sysadmin role soon!

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Brett707@reddit

I'm right at 90k for a desktop admin at a community college.

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No_Investigator3369@reddit

You have it great. Is this one of those jobs that after 20 years you get to retire with like 80% of your last 3 years pay for life?

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Brett707@reddit

It took 17 years to get here. But, its awesome. Yes Retirement is based on your highest earning year. 2023 we received an 11% pay raise then in 2024 we received another 10% raise. Rumor has it we are getting another 10% this year as well.

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Ethan-Reno@reddit

Good for you!

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Brett707@reddit

Thank you.

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Unhappy_Clue701@reddit

Have literally just broken into six figures basic salary, about a month ago when I got a promotion and nice pay boost. But I can add about another 25% for overtime, of which I do quite a lot. It’s pretty good by UK standards for technical IT (I have a small team to manage, in a much larger company, but I’m mostly hands-on). Figures in GBP, obviously. Live just outside London so high COL, especially housing.

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jedimaster4007@reddit

Texas municipality

2020: Started at 58k, after two years up to 62k

2022: Left to be a manager at another city making 77k, after two years up to 82k

2024: Back at the first city as assistant director (but still doing most of the sysadmin work) making 100k

I will say for Texas cities, TMRS is one of the best retirement systems I've ever seen. Almost all Texas cities participate, so even if you leave to work for another city, your retirement account stays the same. After 5 years in participating cities, you are vested which means your contributions will be matched 2:1, $2 for every $1 you contribute, and it's retroactive and ongoing. 5% interest compounded annually. You're eligible to retire at 60 OR after 20 years of service in participating cities but with the compounding interest if you do an extra 5-10 years it can quadruple your balance. If you can pull off 40 years you'll be sitting very pretty. If you're young, you can do 20 years and "retire" in your early 40s or so, then have a decent retirement check for the rest of your life while you continue your career elsewhere.

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ForPoliticalPurposes@reddit

Local gov, near Chicago. I'm the department manager / occasional sysadmin, $104k exempt (but with comp time). 2.5-5% annual. Been here 16 years, started as tech then sysadmin then current role.

Sysadmin that works under me is at $69,500 currently (about 2 years in).

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Brenseks@reddit

around $74k. Just started last year as a fresh grad. WA based (small town)

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Neratyr@reddit

I dont do this currently, but I keep tabs. Federal sysadmin roles in the greater D.C. area have a higher minimum but a similar cap - Which makes sense bc of cost of living and pay grades.

For those unaware, gov and mil have 'tiers' of paygrades and at a certain level you have to legally take on certain duties to earn more. 120K USD is around that range, although I do not know the current firm number before IT staff must manage other stuff ( unless that changed in past 5 years, which I doubt as it had been the case for decades prior. ) Job roles are permanently attached to paygrades in many cases. They are immutable.

Cost of living is high around here but not so bad if you step just outside the density and work remote alot. It would be difficult to live ( commute range ) and work in office in D.C. at the lower ends of that range for sure.

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Wild_Competition_716@reddit (OP)

GS13 is the highest non management for federal jobs In my area that’s around 125k/yr

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Neratyr@reddit

ahh I had recalled that right! I almost said that too but did not want to be confidently wrong haha, thanks!

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oaxacamm@reddit

I was a GS13 Step 4 before DOGE came in. I was going to make over 132k this year here in the DC area.

My team lead (just made the schedule with no ability to fire or do performance reviews) is a GS14. I’m not sure what step he’s on as he’s been a fed for over 20yrs.

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unethicalposter@reddit

About 10 years ago I was gs14 but the salary max was like 101. I didn't make that though. Shit job got out about as fast as I got in.

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mycatsnameisnoodle@reddit

Local school district in Rochester, NY - COL is 1% lower than the national average. Currently, the lowest starting salary is $80k/year. No cap on the maximum. I started in 1999 at \~35k. Now at $105K. Yearly raise averages about 3.5%.

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hurkwurk@reddit

Gov pay scales are public, you can look them up for any area you want. you dont have to ask. hell, in california, you can see what individuals make, http://transparentcalifornia.com/

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Securityrookie9er@reddit

70k-Kentucky-School District

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jcwrks@reddit

West TX - local gov't - 92K

salaried exempt, 10/hr vacay & sick accumulated per mo., limited on-call, 6am-3pm, 12 min commute, state retirement package, other perks

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AviationLogic@reddit

Net Admin(Sys Admin) - City Gov.
Position is Hourly, not salaried.

Range currently is 86K - 114K
3% COLA - Step increase each year.

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Tricky_Tower_7487@reddit

Reno, NV general sysadmin for 4 years 65k

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wired-one@reddit

8 years ago: Florida - Systems Programmer III - 80k Fantastic Healthcare, Pension. No COLA raises, workplace sucked. I was pretty close to top of band without becoming a manager/bureau chief/CTO/CIO There haven't really been increases in pay there since.

I left for the private sector, oddly enough, supporting the government.

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KV42@reddit

Gov adjacent, contracted at a federal loan servicing company- $60/hr

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Starforce900@reddit

Technically a federal contractor systems engineer, but worked up from Sysadmin, 150K. Still remote for now at least.

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Tonkatuff@reddit

Salary or 1099? Insurance included?

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Starforce900@reddit

Salaried and insurance included.

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Tonkatuff@reddit

Nice!

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tduy87@reddit

140k GS-13 in Northern Virginia area

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HomeRunMidget@reddit

GS12, 97k a year. Kansas City area Sys admin for USDA

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crzdcarney@reddit

Wait … you guys get raises?

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Wild_Competition_716@reddit (OP)

Yall gettin paid?

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Tonkatuff@reddit

Live in mid michigan, 95k/yr.

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Banluil@reddit

I'm in VERY RURAL Wisconsin. 62k a year. 3% yearly.

But, COL is low here. I split the mortgage with my better half, and each of us pay $200 a month.

I can't complain.

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Buzzbait_PocketKnife@reddit

I work as a sysadmin for a local government IT department in a relatively unpopulated county in upstate New York. I make $90K currently, after 26 years. No OT, but I do earn comp time. Rarely have a work at night. Working 2 days home per week, 3 days in the office, with weekends off. Earning 5 weeks of vacation per year.

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bash_M0nk3y@reddit

110k with 6 YoE. I'm guessing a similar cost of living area to OP

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touchytypist@reddit

Senior Systems Engineer - 150K Very High Cost of Living State/City

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EricBorgen@reddit

When I worked for State Gov, the pay was lower but the vacation and sick time made it more appealing. That said, I did stay too long. Finally adjusting to real life when I left was a thing.

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Wild_Competition_716@reddit (OP)

What was the biggest change? Did you have to give up big retirement savings? Pay change to make up for it etc?

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EricBorgen@reddit

No, that could be converted into a different retirement plan - or just leave it where it is.
But at State Gov, a lot of decisions (technological and otherwise) were out of step with the rest of the business world. We stayed on Netware longer than we should have, because it was superior to Windows NT - but that meant that everything we needed to implement felt like swimming upstream.
At that time, we had building security locked down and 'a firewall' but we weren't taking security seriously. We also logged into and clicked on every change we made - even though PowerShell was starting to really pick up steam (and is now essential to my work).
I hope this helps - maybe it is all different now, but that was my experience.

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Wild_Competition_716@reddit (OP)

Oh how some things never change through time :)
Helpful to hear perspective

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Beazt_801@reddit

6 years in the industry. Utah Gov, DevOps Engineer 80k just got a new Jr DB Architect position that’ll put me at 91K.

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JohnnyUtah41@reddit

Do you care about network engineer pay? I'm in North Carolina and make $100k,. Just got 4.5% increase too, (Went into effect today) and city gives me free 5% to 401k plus 13.6% to state pension, i contribute 6% to state pension.

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Wild_Competition_716@reddit (OP)

Horizontal field, good to know. We get OPERS, 10% in and 14% match. Currently at 5.4% gross into deferred compensation myself.

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Panta125@reddit

Mid 90s Chicago

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Ssakaa@reddit

Fed level, pay scales are open info.

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/#url=2025

IT varies a good bit on level. Technical focused roles from GS11 through 13 are common for sysadmin/infosec adjacent type work on usajobs.

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Impossible_IT@reddit

If federal, it really depends on grade & step. I believe the IT specialist starts out at GS-5 goes up to GS-13. There are 10 steps in each grade. There’s also locality pay involved. Some localities go from GS-5 to GS-12, while others go from GS-5 to GS-11. Some localities may only be from GS-5 to GS-9 for the special salary rate. Too many variables.

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whiskeyandfries@reddit

Hey man, state gov in Ohio here as well. 70k about to hit 3 YOE. Looking at a raise but we don’t know how much yet.

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code1team@reddit

LVL 2 Desktop support under 2 SysAdmins, $72K, about to get a 2% COLA, with $106K cap

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blaisenduke@reddit

92k NC

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_cacho6L@reddit

what level of government? Federal, state, local?

I'm local government, K12 specifically and make $130K in King County, WA.

Our technical people are on a tier system and your job role places you in one of the tiers. So salary isn't negotiable. The lowest possible tier starts at $60K a year (no job role is at that tier is my understanding) and the highest tier the pay starts at $148K (no job roles there either). Each tier has 3 steps based on years of experience, so every 3 years your base salary jumps up (assuming you haven't maxed out experience). This is separate from cola adjustments.

Pay is considered low for the area but the flexibility is crazy good and the benefits are great.

Tiet 1 techs (deskside school support and general helpdesk) are in a separate union with their own hourly payscale. I'm not aware of how that scale works.

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Wild_Competition_716@reddit (OP)

Local, County. Jobs listed as a scale #9, no steps or scale within that scale. Just annual review that’s either 1,3,5% “based on performance” supposedly. Fav part is public record seeing my boss consistently get 5% and everyone else 3%

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DiogenicSearch@reddit

I’m sitting at 90k right now. About to hit 8 years in and I started at 60k as a tech.