DevOps Engineer

Real salary distribution from 288 tracked cities across 46 states. Compare entry-level, median, and senior compensation — then adjust for cost of living.

Avg Entry (P10)

$78324

Avg Median

$145044

Avg Senior (P90)

$229169

Coverage

288

U.S. cities

Key Findings

• 1 National median Dev Ops Engineer salary: $145,044 (2026)
• 2 Entry (P10): $78,324 → Senior (P90): $229,169 — a $150,845 career spread
• 3 Highest-paying city:
  Sunnyvale, California at $265,000
• 4 Top-paying state:
  California with $175,594 average across 61 cities
• 5 $ 161,250 separates the highest and lowest-paying cities
• 6 Coverage: 288 U.S. cities across 46 states — sourced from BLS OEWS data

A $20K salary difference sounds abstract until you multiply it by a career. The national median salary for Dev Ops Engineers in 2026 is $145,044, with entry-level positions averaging $78,324 and senior roles reaching $229,169. But those numbers flatten a reality with enormous geographic variation — Sunnyvale pays a median of $265,000, while other markets fall well below the national average.

We tracked 288 cities to build the complete picture.

A career as a Dev Ops Engineer sits at the intersection of Technology and Technology. Most professionals enter with Bachelor's in CS, and the field is characterized by very high demand. The work itself is remote-eligible. Understanding that context matters: it explains why certain markets pay premiums and others lag.

$161,250 separates the highest and lowest-paying cities. A Dev Ops Engineer in Sunnyvale, California earns a median of $265,000 — $161,250 more than their counterpart in Toledo, Ohio ($103,750). That gap alone is more than many cities' annual rent. For early-career professionals, the geographic pay premium is worth the math.

The salary distribution for Dev Ops Engineers reveals a $150,845 spread from entry to senior. At $145,044, the median sits $64,677 above the national median household income of $80,367. That's a strong baseline — and it only includes individual earnings, not household. The P10 floor of $78,324 represents early-career or part‑time positions, while the $229,169 ceiling captures experienced professionals in premium markets.

Compare the extremes: the highest‑paying trio of cities (Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Irvine) averages $247,500, while the lowest‑paying trio (Toledo, Detroit, Akron) averages $104,583. The $142,917 difference is the kind of number that reshapes career strategy — assuming the cost of living cooperates.

A Dev Ops Engineer in Sunnyvale, California earns a median of $265,000 — $161,250 more than their counterpart in Toledo, Ohio ($103,750). That gap alone is more than many cities' annual rent.

The national average entry-level (P10) salary for Dev Ops Engineer is $78,324, while senior-level (P90) earners average $229,169. That $150,845 trajectory represents the earning growth a career in this field can deliver.

California pays the highest average median salary for Dev Ops Engineers at $175,594 across 61 tracked cities. The gap between #1 and #5 (New Jersey at $154,375) is $21,219.

At the 90th percentile, Dev Ops Engineers pull in an average of $229,169. In the top-paying markets, that figure climbs even higher — making this one of the more lucrative career trajectories in its field.

At the state level, California leads with an average Dev Ops Engineer median of $175,594 across 61 cities, followed by Massachusetts ($169,688) and Hawaii ($168,750). Contrast that with the lowest-paying markets:
The lowest‑paying states — Mississippi, Ohio, Iowa — offer medians between $105,000 and $110,000. But state averages mask city-level variation that's often just as large.

When you adjust the top-paying cities for cost of living, the ranking reshuffles. Sunnyvale ($265,000 nominal, 212 cost index) delivers $125,000 in purchasing power — maintaining its lead even after cost adjustment. This is the metric that matters for anyone…