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Compensation
SCADA engineer salary and ADMS pay bands
U.S. SCADA roles commonly post near $120,000, with senior utility seats above $150,000. ADMS pay spreads widely with vendor years; Ameren-ecosystem postings have spanned roughly $84,000–$204,000.
How to read SCADA engineer salary and ADMS pay
U.S. SCADA roles commonly post near $120,000, with senior utility seats above $150,000.
ADMS pay spreads widely with vendor years; Ameren-ecosystem postings have spanned roughly $84,000–$204,000.
ADMS/SCADA QA is usually a step under architecture ADMS, with faster time-to-fill. Utility GIS pay usually tracks specialist or senior-analyst bands, with Utility Network leads closer to ADMS configuration seats. Houston SCADA contractors, Dallas ADMS, Raleigh Duke programs, Phoenix APS, Denver renewables, and St. Louis Ameren each price differently, use the city pages for local bands.
SCADA engineer salary by metro
Houston, TX SCADA engineer salary commonly clusters near $139,000. Energy Corridor and midstream demand push Houston SCADA engineer salary above the national median. Pipeline and utility SCADA contractors price near $120,000–$140,000 on W-2 bands and higher on 1099 when OT security or ICCP is in scope.
Denver, CO SCADA engineer salary commonly clusters near $126,000. Front Range renewables, BESS, and Xcel-adjacent programs keep Denver SCADA pay competitive without a coastal premium. Ignition and historian integration seats often sit in the same band as OEM SCADA engineers.
Cost to hire a SCADA engineer
SCADA engineer salary is only half the cost-to-hire picture. Utilities and integrators also budget recruiter fees, contractor markup, onboarding time, and the cost of a bad screen on a live cutover.
Contingency recruiting on SCADA and ADMS seats commonly runs 20–25% of first-year base for direct hire. Specialist staffing with protocol and vendor screening is often cheaper than a generic agency that relabels PLC resumes.
SCADA contractors bill above W-2 salary because the seat carries no benefits bench, faster start, and cutover risk. A $130,000 W-2 equivalent often maps to roughly $85–$110 per hour depending on vendor depth, travel, and OT security scope.
Time-to-fill matters. A six-week search on a critical integration path can cost more in program delay than the fee difference between two staffing models. A complete brief with vendor stack, city, and non-production scope shortens the screen.
| Metro | SCADA | ADMS | QA / testing | Utility GIS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston, TX | $120k–$140k | $130k–$160k | $110k–$135k | $110k–$138k |
| Dallas, TX | $118k–$138k | $135k–$165k | $108k–$132k | $115k–$145k |
| Raleigh, NC | $110k–$132k | $125k–$155k | $105k–$128k | $102k–$132k |
| Phoenix, AZ | $115k–$135k | $125k–$150k | $108k–$130k | $105k–$135k |
| Denver, CO | $120k–$145k | $130k–$158k | $112k–$138k | $110k–$142k |
| St. Louis, MO | $105k–$130k | $84k–$204k posted band | $100k–$128k | $95k–$128k |
| Seattle, WA | $125k–$150k | $140k–$170k | $118k–$145k | $118k–$150k |
| Portland, OR | $118k–$142k | $130k–$160k | $110k–$138k | $110k–$140k |
| Miami, FL | $112k–$136k | $125k–$155k | $108k–$132k | $100k–$130k |
| Columbus, OH | $112k–$136k | $130k–$165k | $108k–$135k | $105k–$138k |
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ADMS, SCADA, and power-systems talent for electric utilities and grid software, not CEM, nuclear desks, or a replacement EMS.
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