DevOps Engineer Salary.
Across 83 U.S. cities.
$132,000
national median salary
$100,000 to $170,000. Last updated April 2026.
Highest Paying
$184,000
San Francisco, CA
Best Purchasing Power
$138,000
Detroit, MI
Lowest Paying
$101,000
Jackson, MS
Salary data sourced from SEC filings, H-1B Labor Condition Applications (DOL), Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and aggregated job postings across 50+ platforms. Ranges reflect 25th to 75th percentile for full-time positions. Cost-of-living adjustments use Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (2025 index). Last updated April 2026.
The average DevOps Engineer salary in the United States is $132,000 in 2026, with the full range spanning $100,000 at the 25th percentile to $170,000 at the 75th. San Francisco pays the most at $184,000, while Detroit offers the best purchasing power after cost-of-living adjustments. Cloud platform depth (AWS, GCP, or Azure), infrastructure as code expertise, and Kubernetes orchestration skills are the main drivers.
DevOps Engineer salary by city
Skills that increase DevOps Engineer pay
The skills below command measurable salary premiums for DevOps Engineers based on job posting data. Learning the top skill here could add $14,520 to your annual compensation.
≈ +$14,520 per year
≈ +$13,200 per year
≈ +$10,560 per year
≈ +$10,560 per year
≈ +$10,560 per year
≈ +$9,240 per year
≈ +$9,240 per year
≈ +$9,240 per year
What you should know
Cloud platform depth (AWS, GCP, or Azure), infrastructure as code expertise, and Kubernetes orchestration skills are the main drivers. Engineers who can build and maintain CI/CD pipelines, implement security automation, and manage large scale production environments command the highest salaries. Multi cloud experience adds further premium.
Junior DevOps engineers start at $80,000 to $105,000, progressing to mid level at $115,000 to $145,000 in two to three years. Senior DevOps engineers earn $145,000 to $185,000. Platform engineering leads and SRE managers at large companies can exceed $230,000 in total compensation.
Equity at tech companies adds $15,000 to $70,000 annually. On call compensation or stipends of $500 to $2,000 per month are common. Bonuses of 8 to 15% are typical. Cloud certification exam fees and training budgets are frequently included in benefits packages.