Side-by-side compensation comparison across national and state-level data.
Site Reliability Engineers out-earn DevOps Engineers by $25,200 (15%) on median.
Percentiles for 2026. Higher percentile values reflect senior/specialized roles.
| Percentile | DevOps Engineer | Site Reliability Engineer | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | $110,300 | $131,300 | $21,000 |
| Median (50th) | $145,000 | $170,200 | $25,200 |
| 75th | $187,000 | $220,600 | $33,600 |
| 90th (top earners) | $231,100 | $278,400 | $47,300 |
Which job wins in each state (based on median annual salary).
| State | DevOps Engineer | Site Reliability Engineer | Higher Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $217,500 | $263,800 | Site Reliability Engineer |
| Texas | $156,600 | $183,800 | Site Reliability Engineer |
| Florida | $147,900 | $173,600 | Site Reliability Engineer |
| New York | $191,400 | $229,800 | Site Reliability Engineer |
| Pennsylvania | $150,800 | $177,000 | Site Reliability Engineer |
| Illinois | $158,000 | $185,500 | Site Reliability Engineer |
| Ohio | $134,800 | $158,300 | Site Reliability Engineer |
| Georgia | $149,300 | $175,300 | Site Reliability Engineer |
| North Carolina | $143,500 | $168,500 | Site Reliability Engineer |
| Michigan | $139,200 | $163,400 | Site Reliability Engineer |
| New Jersey | $182,700 | $214,500 | Site Reliability Engineer |
| Virginia | $163,800 | $192,300 | Site Reliability Engineer |
| Washington | $205,900 | $246,800 | Site Reliability Engineer |
| Arizona | $146,400 | $171,900 | Site Reliability Engineer |
| Massachusetts | $188,500 | $221,300 | Site Reliability Engineer |
Automates infrastructure, CI/CD, and deployments. Bridge between dev and ops.
Keeps production systems alive at scale. Originated at Google, now industry-standard.
Nationally, Site Reliability Engineers out-earn DevOps Engineers by approximately $25,200 per year (15% difference). However, this varies by state, experience level, and specific employer.
Both fields have positive 2026 growth outlooks. DevOps Engineers are projected at +2.5% YoY wage growth, while Site Reliability Engineers are at +2.5%. Beyond wage growth, consider opportunity density (job openings) and your geographic flexibility.
DevOps Engineer typically requires: Automates infrastructure, CI/CD, and deployments. Bridge between dev and ops.. Site Reliability Engineer typically requires: Keeps production systems alive at scale. Originated at Google, now industry-standard.. Compare the formal requirements against your existing skills and education to assess the switching cost.
Salary is one input among many. Job satisfaction, skills transferability, geographic fit, and long-term ceiling matter as much as median pay. Use this as a benchmark, then dig into job descriptions and talk to people in both fields before deciding.