Network Administrator
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
A Network Administrator manages the day-to-day operations of an organization's computer networks.
Job Outlook
There were 256 Network Administrator job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 10566 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Network / Systems Administrator industry, which includes the Network Administrator career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:
Salary
Many new Network Administrator jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $74,599.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $76,047.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Network Administrator postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $62,892.
Education and Experience
Posted Network Administrator jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 0% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 55.93% |
| Master's Degree | 7.32% |
| Doctoral Degree | 2.8% |
| Other | 12.39% |
Posted Network Administrator jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 20.27% |
| 3 to 5 years | 52.34% |
| 6 to 8 years | 16.2% |
| 9+ years | 11.18% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Network Administrator positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Troubleshooting (Problem Solving) (58.82%)
- Operations (40.34%)
- Communication (40.08%)
- Management (38.8%)
- Problem Solving (26.94%)
- Information Technology (23.2%)
- Planning (21.29%)
- Customer Service (17.34%)
- Detail Oriented (12.49%)
- Microsoft Office (10.48%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Network Infrastructure (25.24%)
- Computer Science (27.04%)
- Operating Systems (26.52%)
- Firewall (45.32%)
- Network Security (22.42%)
- Virtual Private Networks (VPN) (23.84%)
- Networking Hardware (28.71%)
- Local Area Networks (35.79%)
- Network Administration (71.32%)
- Network Switches (42.58%)
- Wide Area Networks (32.98%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Network Support (7.97%)
- Microsoft 365 (3.77%)
- Cisco Networking (7.61%)
- IT Infrastructure (8.75%)
- Active Directory (17.9%)
- Auditing (8.56%)
- Automation (8.65%)
- Telecommunications (9.22%)
- Technical Support (18.15%)
- Backup Devices (14.61%)
- Microsoft Azure (11.47%)
- Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) (13.7%)
- Linux (11.5%)
- Juniper Network Technologies (7.64%)
- Border Gateway Protocol (11.36%)
- Cyber Security (11.27%)
- Computer Networks (17.82%)
- Computer Hardware (7%)
- Disaster Recovery (12%)
- Information Systems (10.68%)
- System Administration (13.99%)
- Network Troubleshooting (16.82%)
- Network Engineering (12.41%)
- Help Desk Support (10.21%)
- Network Performance Management (19.98%)
- Network Planning And Design (7.59%)
- Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN) (12.31%)
- Project Management (10.13%)
- Microsoft SharePoint (3.52%)
- Windows Servers (15.34%)
- TCP/IP (13.06%)
- Routing Protocols (8.95%)
- Network Protocols (10.56%)
- SQL (Programming Language) (4.63%)
- Information Technology Infrastructure Library (5.95%)
- Virtualization (8.11%)
- Wireless Networks (8.24%)
- Network Monitoring (12.08%)
- Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) (10.29%)
- Microsoft Office 365 (5.44%)
- Network Routing (41.66%)
- Scripting (10.37%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Cisco Routers (6.05%)
- Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocols (5.43%)
- Network Management (6.89%)
Salary Boosting Skills
A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.
- Firewall (100%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Network Administrator skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Network Systems Administrator
- Systems Administrator
- Network and Computer Systems Administrator
- Systems/Network Administrator
- IT Systems and Network Administrator
- LAN Administrator
- Network Operations Administrator
- Network and Systems Administrator
- Provider Network Administrator
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Network Analyst / Specialist
- Network Support Technician
- Network Engineer / Architect
- IT Administrator
- Cisco Engineer
- Systems Administrator
- Windows Administrator
- Technical Support Engineer / Analyst
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Network Administrator jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Robert Half (409)
- Leidos (362)
- GovCIO (221)
- General Dynamics (202)
- Allegis Group (177)
- Logicalis (159)
- TEKsystems (152)
- ManTech (130)
- Insight Global (117)
- Motion Recruitment (95)
North Carolina
- General Dynamics (18)
- Robert Half (11)
- Allegis Group (10)
- Booz Allen Hamilton (9)
- Peraton (9)
- TEKsystems (7)
- GovCIO (5)
- Getronics (5)
- Insight Global (4)
- Motion Recruitment (4)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.