DevOps Engineer Salary Guide

DevOps Engineers design, build, and maintain the infrastructure and tooling that enable rapid, reliable software delivery. They own CI/CD pipelines, cloud provisioning, monitoring, automation, and collaborate with development and operations to improve reliability, scalability, and security.

Free resume check

A number is easier to defend when the resume proves it

Review whether your resume explains your actual responsibilities and achievements. Use verified examples alongside pay research when preparing for a salary discussion.

Check my resume free — no signup

Free · No signup

What is the average DevOps Engineer salary?

Entry Level

$80,000 - $110,000

Mid Level

$110,000 - $150,000

Senior Level

$150,000 - $210,000

How does DevOps Engineer salary grow with experience?

$80,000 - $100,000
0-2
$100,000 - $140,000
2-5
$130,000 - $180,000
5-10
$160,000 - $220,000++
10+
Base (min)
Top of range (max)
Max: $220k

DevOps Engineer salary by location

San Francisco / Bay Area, CA$160,000 - $240,000
Seattle, WA$140,000 - $210,000
New York City, NY$135,000 - $205,000
Austin, TX$115,000 - $175,000
Remote (US)$100,000 - $190,000
Base (min)
Top of range (max)

What factors affect a DevOps Engineer's salary?

  • Cloud platform expertise (AWS, GCP, Azure) and specialization
  • Kubernetes, container orchestration, and platform-building experience
  • Industry and company size (startups vs. FAANG/large enterprise)
  • Security, compliance, and regulatory experience (healthcare, finance)
  • Geographic location, remote policies, and total compensation structure (equity, bonuses)

How to compare DevOps Engineer pay figures

The generated ranges in this guide have not been independently source-verified. Check the underlying occupation, location and data period before using a range as a market benchmark. Keep the original source alongside any figure you save. A page updated recently can still contain wages measured in an earlier year, and a broad occupational category may cover several different job titles.

Compare the work as well as the title

Read a vacancy's responsibilities, required experience, working hours and location before placing it beside another role. Two positions called DevOps Engineer can have different scope. Record the duties you would own, the team or customers you would support, and any supervisory expectations. Use those details to decide whether a comparison is relevant instead of assuming that a matching title means matching pay.

Keep compensation definitions consistent

Confirm the currency and whether a figure is hourly, monthly or annual. Check the paid hours before converting between periods. Separate guaranteed base pay from bonuses, commissions, overtime, equity and benefits. Ask which parts are guaranteed and which depend on targets, company results or vesting conditions. Compare the same components across offers; a total-compensation figure and a base-salary figure answer different questions.

Identify the statistic too. A median divides the measured workforce into two equal halves. A percentile describes a point in that distribution; it does not automatically describe an entry-level or senior employee. Do not turn national survey percentiles into a personal experience-based pay prediction. Use local, role-relevant evidence when it is available and record any mismatch in coverage.

Build a comparison you can check later

For each job listing, survey or offer, save the role, responsibilities, location, currency, pay period, compensation components, source link and date checked. Mark missing information as unknown. Keep the employer's stated range separate from any expectation you calculate yourself. If the figures differ, first check their definitions and scope rather than averaging incompatible numbers into a new estimate.

When discussing an offer, prepare clear examples of the responsibilities and results you can support with your experience. Ask the recruiter about the role's level, the approved range and how the package is structured. Keep those answers with your comparison so you can assess the offer using confirmed information. This guide gives you questions to investigate; the employer's written terms establish the actual package being offered.

Read the salary source and comparison checklist

Frequently Asked Questions About DevOps Engineer Salaries

What is the average salary for a DevOps Engineer in the US?

Average US salaries vary by level: entry $80k–$110k, mid $110k–$150k, senior $150k–$210k, with total comp higher in top tech hubs and for cloud specialists.

Which skills increase a DevOps Engineer's pay the most?

High-impact skills include Kubernetes, cloud platform expertise (AWS/GCP/Azure), infrastructure as code (Terraform), CI/CD automation, and experience with distributed systems or security.

How does location affect DevOps Engineer compensation?

Location shifts base pay significantly: San Francisco, New York, and Seattle pay premium rates (often 20–40% higher than national averages), while smaller markets and some remote roles pay less.

Can certifications boost DevOps salaries?

Relevant certifications (AWS/GCP/Azure professional, CNCF/Kubernetes, HashiCorp Terraform) can improve marketability and may lead to a salary bump, especially when paired with demonstrable experience.

Earn what you're worth as a DevOps Engineer

A strong resume gets you to the negotiation table. Build one tailored to your role and level.

Build my DevOps Engineer resume free

Free to start · No card

Explore Related Salary Guides

See how salaries compare across similar roles in the same field.