Network Engineer Salary: Your 2026 Guide

Key takeaways

The earning potential for network engineers in the United States is notably high. Below are some important facts to know: 

• As of 2025, the median total pay for a network engineer is $122,000, according to Glassdoor [1].

• Typically, organizations seek network engineers with at least a bachelor’s degree.

• You can enhance your salary prospects by obtaining credentials like CompTIA Network+. 

Discover how factors such as education, experience, location, and certification can impact your salary as a network engineer. Afterward, enroll in Google’s IT Support Professional Certificate to build the skills needed to perform routine information technology (IT) support tasks such as wireless networking, computer assembly, end-to-end customer support, and more. 

What does a network engineer do? Duties and responsibilities 

A network engineer is an information technology (IT) professional whose focus is to build and maintain an organization’s computing network. This can include working with computers, firewall needs, as well as network configurations. They also offer technical support to those in and outside the organization.

Some common duties you may encounter as a network engineer include:

• Monitoring computer network performance

• Managing software and hardware maintenance and operation

• Troubleshooting issues

• Diagnosing and resolving bugs

• Managing security policies and tools

• Collaborating with the internal IT team or outside vendors

How much do network engineers make?

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average salary for network and computer systems administrators, which includes network engineers, is $96,800 [2]. However, this is a broad national average based on multiple roles. According to several job posting sites, the average network engineer salary in the US ranges from $78,867 to $122,000. Let’s look at how other sources compare [1, 3, 4, 5, 6].

*All salary data as of October 2025

*Glassdoor salary information represents the median total pay. This figure includes base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

While these averages are good numbers to reference, your actual network engineer salary may vary depending on a range of factors. Some of these factors include your location, education, experience level, and other factors that can play a role in your total compensation. To get a better understanding of how they can impact your potential earnings, let’s take a closer look at each. 

Do network engineers make 6 figures?

Network engineers can command six-figure earnings, with Glassdoor reporting total annual salary for network engineers, including base pay and any bonus, tips, commission, and profit sharing between $97,000 and $156,000 [1].

Location

Whether it’s due to the cost of living, taxes, or employee demand, your geographic location can impact your potential salary in many roles, including as a network engineer. Find some of the highest- and lowest-paying areas below. 

Highest-paying states 

If relocation is an option, moving to a state with a higher average network engineer salary may be beneficial. However, make sure an increased cost of living won’t depreciate the added compensation. The 10 highest-paying states for network engineers, according to Zippia, are [5]: 

• California: $105,643

• Washington: $99,767

• Oregon: $98,236

• Alaska: $94,460

• Nevada: $89,860

• Idaho: $89,093

• Arizona: $86,433

• Massachusetts: $84,380

• New York: $83,611

• Hawaii: $83,540

Highest-paying cities

Average salary data by state gives you a rough idea of where to move, but you can fine-tune your potential relocation search by looking at the top-paying cities in the US. The 10 cities with the highest average network engineer salary in the US are [5]:

• Menlo Park, CA: $113,611

• Seattle, WA: $100,627

• Phoenix, AZ: $86,661

• Boston, MA: $84,392

• New York, NY: $83,638

• Middletown, CT: $82,714

• Germantown, MD: $81,820

• Englewood, NJ: $81,418

• Washington, DC: $81,326

• McLean, VA: $79,238

Education level

Typically, organizations seek network engineers with at least a bachelor’s degree. Typical areas of study include IT-related fields like network engineering, business, and information systems. According to Zippia, 62.1 percent of network professionals hold a bachelor’s degree, 21.3 percent have an associate, and 10 percent have a master’s degree [7]. 

Let’s review how education level can impact the average network engineer salary [5]: 

• Associate: $82,204

• Bachelor’s: $89,932

• Master’s: $92,877

• Doctorate: $95,341

Experience 

The average network engineer salary will vary by years of experience. Zippia reports the average entry-level network engineer salary is $62,000 per year, whereas an average senior network engineer salary starts around $85,000 [5, 8]. As you advance in your career, you may expect to receive an increase in salary. 

Certification

Certifications help display your competence within your chosen field. Earning these credentials may boost your salary potential and improve your chances of being hired. Some certifications that can help you in your network engineer career, and the salaries associated with them, are as follows: 

• Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA): The overarching CCNA course covers networking fundamentals, IP services, security fundamentals, and automation. This certificate proves your competence in these critical networking areas. The average pay with this certification is $93,000 [9].

• Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Security: This certification showcases your knowledge of security solutions. This two-exam certification requires you to choose one core security exam and a second with your choice of focus, allowing you to customize your certification to your career. The average salary with this certificate is $115,000 [10].

• CompTIA Network+: This certification demonstrates your expertise in configuring, managing, and troubleshooting common wired and wireless networks. It also touches on areas like virtualization and cloud computing. The average salary with this certification is $65,000 [11].

• Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE): This series of expert-level certifications is intended for more advanced network engineers. You can choose from six CCIE specialties: Service Provider, Enterprise Infrastructure, Data Center, Enterprise Wireless, Security, and Collaboration. Also part of this certification series are the Cisco Certified Design Expert (CCDE) and Cisco Certified DevNet Expert. The average salary with this advanced certification is $145,000 [12].

Read more: A Quick Guide to Cisco’s CCIE Certifications

Skills required to become a network engineer

For network engineers, you’ll need both technical and workplace skills to succeed in the role. Technical skills are those that represent the practical aspects of your role, while workplace skills contribute to how productive you are in a work environment. To thrive as a network engineer, you’ll need the following collection of skills: 

Technical skills

• Virtual private networks (VPNs)

• Cloud architecture

• Programming

• Border gateway protocol (BGP)

• Infrastructure

• Local area networks (LANs)

• Domain name system (DNS)

• Internet of Things (IoT)

• Wide area networks (WANs)

• Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

• Firewalls

• Virtualization

• Monitoring and troubleshooting networks

Workplace skills

• Communication

• Adaptability

• Organization

• Creativity

• Leadership

• Analytical thinking

• Teamwork

• Problem-solving

Common career paths for network engineers

According to Zippia, after about five years as a network engineer, you may be ready to move on to a more specialized role or senior position within an organization. If you decide to advance your career, some of your options include the following: 

• Network administrator

• Network analyst

• Systems engineer

• Project manager

• IT systems manager

• Network architect

• Senior systems administrator

• Data center manager

• IT manager

• Information systems manager

• IT operations manager

If you prefer staying close to the network engineering field, you can advance into roles like senior network engineer, principal network engineer, or network engineer IV. You can also progress to managerial roles, such as network engineer manager, VP of network engineering, or director of network engineering.

Check out our free resources for network engineers

Join Career Chat, Coursera’s LinkedIn newsletter, for weekly updates on in-demand skills, tools, and certifications in network engineering. Explore these other helpful resources:

• Watch on YouTube: Being a Network Engineer - Bits and Bytes of Computer Networking from Grow with Google

• Hear from a pro: Meet the IT Support Tech Advancing Toward a Cybersecurity Career

• Get expert tips: Reimagining Work and Learning with AI: Expert Insights from Dr. Jules White

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