Federal Systems Engineer Hourly Rates
Systems architecture, integration, and engineering.
Across 1,347 GSA-awarded systems engineer labor rates, the government pays a median of $145/hour, typically ranging from $102 to $179.
Minimum
$40
25th pct
$102
Median
$145
75th pct
$179
Maximum
$485
$4025th–75th percentile$485
By education level
| Education | Rates | Median | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| PhD | 8 | $222 | $104–$304 |
| Masters | 91 | $182 | $63–$379 |
| Bachelors | 1,161 | $145 | $40–$485 |
| Associates | 57 | $101 | $40–$233 |
| High School | 25 | $88 | $62–$220 |
Vendors with the most awarded systems engineer rates
| Vendor | Rates | Median |
|---|---|---|
| LEIDOS, INC. | 28 | $102 |
| THE INFORMATICS APPLICATIONS GROUP, INC. | 22 | $125 |
| CORE4CE LLC | 19 | $229 |
| ZOLON TTS, LLC | 12 | $102 |
| EMPOWER AI, INC. | 11 | $76 |
| KAHU, A LEIDOS AND PUEO JV, LLC | 10 | $124 |
| PERATON INC. | 10 | $123 |
| SWAIN ONLINE INC | 10 | $124 |
| FEDERATED IT, INC | 9 | $75 |
| SYNERGIST JV LLC | 8 | $74 |
Source: GSA CALC+ awarded ceiling rates (buy.gsa.gov), matched on labor-category titles containing “systems engineer”. These are contract ceiling rates on Multiple Award Schedule vehicles — the not-to-exceed rate a vendor may bill, not necessarily the invoiced rate. Use as a fair-and-reasonable benchmark, not a quote.