Hiring a network and computer systems administrator in Worcester, MA

Employers in the Worcester, MA area pay network and computer systems administrators a median of $100,790, with the middle half of the market between $81,800 and $125,570. Worcester residents working in computer and mathematical occupations report a median of $80,943, which is 20% below what the metro pays for this role.

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What does a network and computer systems administrator earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Worcester, MA area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile	$81,800
Median	$100,790
75th percentile	$125,570

Half of network and computer systems administrators in this area earn between $81,800 and $125,570. A band set below $81,800 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Worcester residents earn

$80,943

Median earnings of Worcester residents working in computer and mathematical occupations, 3,096 people. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. Where people live, not where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

The 20% figure is not a pay gap. ACS counts the civilian employed population 16 and over, part-time and part-year work included; OEWS counts wage-and-salary jobs only. The two populations differ, so read this number against other cities rather than as a shortfall: the same definitional difference applies to every city equally, which is what makes a city-to-city reading sound.

The role pays well above the local residential norm, which usually means you can hire from inside Worcester rather than competing for commuters.

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.

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

Tools and technologies in demand

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

O*NET 29.1, flagged in demand or hot for this occupation. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Worcester?

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.

That matters here, because 34.1% of Worcester 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.

The average Worcester commute runs 25.1 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 10.7% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Worcester County, computer systems design and related services employs 3,988 and turns over 5.7% a quarter, with 248 hires against 347 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $11,343 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 low-churn market, where people do not move often and passive candidates are the whole game.

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 median would bill roughly $20,158 to $30,237 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.

Price this search

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