What does it cost to hire a network and computer systems administrator in St. Petersburg?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $101,560 median wage in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $20,312 to $30,468 on the first year salary alone.

Is the talent for this role already in St. Petersburg?

This is a job zone 4 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 41.3% of St. Petersburg adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a workable pool, though the search will reach beyond the city line.

Hiring a network and computer systems administrator in St. Petersburg, FL

Employers in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area pay network and computer systems administrators a median of $101,560 a year, with the middle half of the market between $79,990 and $119,880 (BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 15-1244). Filling it through recruitlocalpros runs Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role rather than by salary or location, and our vetted recruiting partner handles sourcing, screening and placement end to end.

Do St. Petersburg residents in computer and mathematical work earn more than employers in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area pay?

St. Petersburg residents working in computer and mathematical occupations earn a median of $81,321 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $105,670 as the median of the 19 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 23%, with the employers figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole computer and mathematical group, not this one role. In the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area the group covers 19 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from computer user support specialists at $61,050 to database architects at $133,290 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with network and computer systems administrators at $101,560 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 19 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

Published wages across this group in the metro run above what St. Petersburg residents in it earn, which usually means employers here draw this talent from beyond the city line rather than from inside it.

What does a network and computer systems administrator earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid to network and computer systems administrators by employers in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area. BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 15-1244.
25th percentile	$79,990
Median	$101,560
75th percentile	$119,880

Half of network and computer systems administrators in this area earn between $79,990 and $119,880 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $79,990 competes for the bottom quarter of the market. Occupation detail for SOC 15-1244 at O*NET OnLine.

Place of residence

What St. Petersburg residents earn

$81,321

Median annual earnings of St. Petersburg residents working in computer and mathematical occupations, 5,372 people (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011). An occupation group rather than this one role, and where people live rather than where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

Maintain and administer computer networks and related computing environments, including computer hardware, systems software, applications software, and all configurations.
Perform data backups and disaster recovery operations.
Diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve hardware, software, or other network and system problems, and replace defective components when necessary.
Configure, monitor, and maintain email applications or virus protection software.
Operate master consoles to monitor the performance of computer systems and networks and to coordinate computer network access and use.

Task statements for SOC 15-1244, O*NET OnLine 29.1.

Tools and technologies in demand

Amazon Web Services AWS software, Ansible software, Bash, Firewall software, Linux, Microsoft Active Directory, Microsoft Azure software, Microsoft Excel.

Flagged in demand or hot for SOC 15-1244 by O*NET OnLine 29.1. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in St. Petersburg?

This is a job zone four: considerable preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not. O*NET OnLine, SOC 15-1244.

That matters here, because 41.3% of St. Petersburg adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a workable pool, but the search will reach beyond the city line. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of St. Petersburg aged 25 and over.

The average St. Petersburg commute runs 25.4 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 18.3% of St. Petersburg workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for St. Petersburg.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Pinellas County, computer systems design and related services employs 7,372 and turns over 8.1% a quarter, with 901 hires against 759 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $9,093 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5415.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about network and computer systems administrators. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a normal churn rate, where a well-run search closes on schedule.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $101,560 median in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $20,312 to $30,468 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring a network and computer systems administrator in St. Petersburg

What does it cost to hire a network and computer systems administrator in St. Petersburg?: Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $101,560 median wage in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $20,312 to $30,468 on the first year salary alone.
What should an offer for a network and computer systems administrator in St. Petersburg look like?: Employers in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area pay network and computer systems administrators a median of $101,560, with the middle half of the market between $79,990 and $119,880 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $79,990 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.
Do St. Petersburg residents in computer and mathematical work earn more than employers in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area pay?: St. Petersburg residents working in computer and mathematical occupations earn a median of $81,321 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $105,670 as the median of the 19 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 23%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.
Is the talent for this role already in St. Petersburg?: This is a job zone 4 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 41.3% of St. Petersburg adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a workable pool, though the search will reach beyond the city line.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.

Hiring a network and computer systems administrator somewhere else?

Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.

Other computer and mathematical roles in St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg is the 6th largest of 9 Florida cities in this dataset.