What is the salary and career path for a noc engineer?
NOC engineer is most reasonably mapped, on a broad basis, to Network and Computer Systems Administrators (SOC 15-1244), the BLS code for staff who run and maintain network infrastructure day to day. OEWS May 2025 reports a median of $99,130 a year ($47.66 an hour), from $62,640 at the 10th percentile to $155,050 at the 90th, with escalation tier and automation skills setting the range. Employment Projections show this administrator code declining 4.2% over 2024–2034 as cloud and automation absorb routine work, yet churn still leaves roughly 14,300 openings a year. No license applies; CCNA-level networking credentials and monitoring-tool fluency are the hiring bar.
- NOC Engineers earn a national median $99,130/yr ($47.66/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 15-1244); the top 10% clear $155,050.
- No license is required; CCNA or Network+ plus monitoring-tool fluency and shift readiness are what get NOC engineers hired.
- BLS projects the network-administrator code to decline 4.2% for 2024–34 as automation grows, though churn still opens about 14,300 jobs a year.
- The tiers run from Tier 1 analyst through Tier 3 senior engineer to NOC manager near $155,050.
Career Path
How do you become a noc engineer?
NOC Analyst (Tier 1)
Watches alarms and opens tickets on a monitoring console; pay near the BLS 10th percentile.
NOC Engineer (Tier 2)
Triages and restores incidents and tunes monitoring — around the $99,130 median.
Senior NOC Engineer (Tier 3)
Leads major-incident bridges and automation; earnings near the 75th percentile.
NOC Manager / Network Operations Lead
Runs the operations center and shift teams; top-decile pay near the 90th percentile.
BLS Salary Data
Which state pays noc engineers the most in 2026?
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 15-1244. National median: $99,130. Full salary guide →
Pay Comparison
How does noc engineer pay compare to related roles?
Head-to-head against the roles noc engineers most often weigh against. BLS OEWS May 2025 medians.
Takeaway: noc engineers rank 2 of 4 on median pay among the comparable roles above, with a projected −4.2% employment change 2024–34 (BLS Employment Projections). Pay position and projected demand together are what determine how quickly noc engineers clear offers across the GlobalCybers placement network.
Methodology & Sources
How this guide is sourced and reviewed
Wages (BLS): All median and percentile figures are BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 15-1244 (noc engineers) and the matching SOC codes for each comparison role. OEWS is sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection, so treat it as a firm anchor rather than a spot rate.
Job growth: Projected 2024–34 employment change, and the average annual openings figure, are from the BLS Employment Projections program, by occupation. Openings are a per-year average over the projection decade, not a decade total.
Licensing & credentials:Requirements are drawn from the issuing state licensing boards and the certifying body behind each credential — not from third-party aggregators.
Demand signal:Any statement about how quickly this role clears offers reflects GlobalCybers placement request volume across the trailing 12 months — our own network data, offered as a directional real-world indicator alongside BLS, not a market-wide survey.
Credentials
What licences and certifications do noc engineers need?
Core routing-and-switching certification that establishes networking competency for NOC work. See all state licences →
Vendor-neutral networking cert commonly required for Tier 1 and Tier 2 NOC roles.
Service-management framework certification useful for incident and change processes in a NOC.
Tools & Software
What tools and software do noc engineers use on the job?
⚙️ Core Tools & Equipment
📊 BLS Employment Data, SOC 15-1244
Salary Levers
How do noc engineers earn above the $99,130 BLS median?
Escalation tier
Moving from Tier 1 monitoring toward Tier 3 restoration lifts pay from the $62,640 entry toward the median and above.
Automation and scripting
Python and automation skills that reduce toil push earnings toward the $155,050 top decile.
Shift differential and on-call
Night, weekend and on-call premiums add meaningfully to base pay in a 24/7 NOC.
This Route vs. College
Is becoming a noc engineer worth it vs. a 4-year degree?
The entry route into this role, set against a four-year degree. Same starting line, side by side.
Entry-level (10th percentile) and all-level median wages: BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 15-1244. Student-debt figure: median federal borrower balance for bachelor's-degree completers. Starting-salary comparison is illustrative and varies by field and region.
FAQ
NOC Engineer Career, Frequently Asked Questions
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