Learn about the salary you can earn as a site reliability engineer, the skills needed, and the highest-paid locations to work.
Site reliability engineers (SREs) typically earn a six-figure income, which generally increases with experience, advanced education and training, or employment at larger corporations. Learn more about the SRE role, the salary you can earn, and the factors that typically affect pay.
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Site reliability engineers use software to address IT issues and keep systems running smoothly. They remove bottlenecks, ensure software reliability, solve complex problems, and bridge the gap between development and operations in a DevOps organization.
SREs are valuable to businesses because they keep systems operational and updated. In this role, you’ll work on automation and minimize service interruptions. You’ll also oversee systems performance, incidents, and outages and be responsible for front-end and back-end systems.
According to Glassdoor, the average annual salary for a site reliability engineer in the US is $124,623 [1]. However, many factors can affect your salary.
Your years of experience can significantly impact your earning potential. Glassdoor lists the following average annual base salaries for SREs in the US by years of experience [1]:
Up to one year of experience: $91,044
1–3 years of experience: $102,790
4–6 years of experience: $113,496
7–9 years of experience: $123,211
10–14 years of experience: $135,892
15-plus years of experience: $147,180
An SRE’s salary can also vary by location because each city has a different cost of living. The areas that typically offer higher wages are major cities with greater living expenses. Large cities pay well above the average annual wage, while other cities’ salaries align with the average. The top 10 highest-paying cities for SREs, along with their average annual salaries, are as follows, according to ZipRecruiter [2]:
Nome, AK: $164,469
Cupertino, CA: $163,574
Mercer Island, WA: $162,378
Berkeley, CA: $162,340
Redwood City, CA: $162,329
Sitka, AK: $159,720
South San Francisco, CA: $159,322
San Bruno, CA: $158,395
Sunnyvale, CA: $157,735
The skills you need for an SRE career include programming and computer languages, but you’ll also need communication and problem-solving skills. You may work as part of a team, so you must work well with others.
Technical skills include using version control and monitoring tools, distributed computing, strong operating systems knowledge, and coding.
Payscale reports that having the following skills can increase a site reliability engineer’s salary between 2 and 22 percent [3]:
Google Cloud Platform: 19 percent
Go: 22 percent
Kubernetes: 8 percent
Puppet: 7 percent
Amazon Web Services (AWS): 4 percent
DevOps: 3 percent
Red Hat Enterprise Linux: 2 percent
SREs can work in-house or remotely, which offers you the flexibility to earn more working for a large company in a busy city from your location in a lower-cost city.
You can typically find SRE positions nationwide; many large corporations hire on-site and remote SREs. Glassdoor reports top SRE salary ranges from the following companies:
Cisco: $181,000–$259,000
Google: $250,000–$393,000
LinkedIn: $226,000–$343,000
Microsoft: $179,000–$258,000
IBM: $129,000–$177,000
JPMorgan Chase: $134,000–$194,000
Target: $134,000–$200,000
Cohesity: $151,000–$213,000
VMware: $198,000–$285,000
Apple: $215,000–$321,000
*Note: The above salaries reflect Glassdoor’s total pay figures, which is a combination of base pay plus additional compensation, such as profit sharing and bonuses.
Most employers seek candidates with a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field. Knowledge of programming languages and operating systems are attractive skills to have on your resume.
While pursuing your bachelor’s degree, you may also complete an internship to help you gain experience for an entry-level position. You can enhance your education by attending boot camps and earning certificates related to SRE work.
Pursuing a graduate degree or certification is a good start when seeking to advance your SRE career. You can also transition into closely related fields, including software engineering or DevOps engineering.
Advancement by years of experience:
Five years: You may be able to advance to a lead site reliability engineer with an annual income of $111,000 to $166,000 [4].
Five to seven years: You might become a site reliability engineer manager, with a yearly salary range of $151,000 to $230,000 [5].
Eight years: You may qualify for a principal site reliability engineer position, with an annual salary range of $203,000 to $308,000 [5]. Advancement to a senior manager of site reliability engineering is also possible. The typical annual salary range is $215,000 to $329,000 [5].
Ten years: The most advanced SRE positions include director of site reliability engineering, with an annual wage of $219,000 to $340,000, and senior principal site reliability engineer, with an annual salary of $235,000 to $359,000 [5].
Site reliability engineering (SRE) is a growing field with a high demand for qualified professionals. SREs are responsible for keeping a company’s IT infrastructure running smoothly and efficiently. In this role, you address issues, automate tasks, and ensure system reliability. While the average annual salary for an SRE is $124,623 [1], your income can vary depending on various factors, including your experience level, skill set, location, and the company you work for.
To become an SRE, your next step is to earn a bachelor’s degree. Then you can expand your knowledge with certificate programs. Consider taking Google Cloud’s Site Reliability Engineering: Measuring and Managing Reliability course on Coursera, which can help you explore the field more or build upon your existing knowledge and skills. You might also explore Developing a Google SRE Culture offered by Google Cloud, which you can complete remotely in about seven hours.
Glassdoor. “Site Reliability Engineer Salaries, www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/site-reliability-engineer-salary-SRCH_KO0,25.htm.” Accessed February 11, 2025.
ZipRecruiter. “Site Reliability Engineer Salary, https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Site-Reliability-Engineer-Salary.” Accessed February 11, 2025.
Payscale. “Average Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) Salary, https://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Site_Reliability_Engineer_(SRE)/Salary.” Accessed February 11, 2025.
Glassdoor. “Lead Site Reliability Engineer Salaries, https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/lead-site-reliability-engineer-salary-SRCH_KO0,30.htm.” Accessed February 11, 2025.
Glassdoor. “Site Reliability Engineer Career Path, https://www.glassdoor.com/Career/how-to-become-site-reliability-engineer_KO14,39.htm.” Accessed February 11, 2025.
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