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Contracts Administrator salary

Quoted Expert
Dr. Richard Huff Ph.D.

Average contracts administrator salary

$52,876

$25.42 hourly rate

Entry-level contracts administrator salary
$35,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

How much does a contracts administrator make?

The average contracts administrator salary in the United States is $52,876. Contracts administrator salaries typically range between $35,000 and $78,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for contracts administrators is $25.42 per hour.

Contracts administrator salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Contracts administrators earn the highest average salary in Maryland.

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Contracts administrator salary by: 

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Where can a Contracts Administrator earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
94k
74k
54k
34k
14k
District of Columbia$67,046
Wichita, KS$44,107
Compare salary by company
Vs
132k
112k
92k
72k
52k
Ngam Advisors, L.P.$105,784
Analog Devices$82,375

Contracts Administrator salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Comparably, the average salary for a contracts administrator typically falls between $52,876 and $92,560.
zippia
$52,876yearly
glassdoor[1]
$68,514yearly
comparably[2]
$92,560yearly
ZipRecruiter[3]
$72,000yearly

Average contracts administrator salary by state

The average contracts administrator salary in Maryland, California, and Virginia are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average contracts administrator salary states are Georgia, South Dakota, and Montana.

  • State View
  • County View
Average Salary:

Highest paying states for contracts administrators

RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly Rate
1Arizona$58,083$27.92
2Oregon$58,681$28.21
3North Dakota$54,672$26.28
4District of Columbia$67,032$32.23
5California$63,444$30.50
6Nevada$57,571$27.68
7Mississippi$56,230$27.03
8West Virginia$59,220$28.47
9Washington$55,064$26.47
10Texas$51,603$24.81
11Pennsylvania$52,853$25.41
12Alabama$51,060$24.55
13Maryland$64,112$30.82
14Delaware$57,183$27.49
15Virginia$59,967$28.83
16Alaska$52,307$25.15
17Idaho$51,217$24.62
18Wisconsin$52,840$25.40
19Colorado$49,559$23.83
20Nebraska$51,667$24.84
21Hawaii$52,989$25.48
22Ohio$50,236$24.15
23Wyoming$48,068$23.11
24Illinois$49,917$24.00
25Indiana$50,267$24.17
26Utah$46,394$22.30
27Connecticut$50,893$24.47
28North Carolina$47,767$22.96
29Florida$47,698$22.93
30Missouri$49,375$23.74
31Michigan$49,014$23.56
32Minnesota$48,180$23.16
33New York$49,946$24.01
34Oklahoma$47,966$23.06
35New Jersey$50,862$24.45
36New Mexico$45,168$21.72
37Louisiana$48,257$23.20
38Kentucky$47,473$22.82
39Massachusetts$45,190$21.73
40Arkansas$46,724$22.46
41Kansas$44,119$21.21
42Rhode Island$43,572$20.95
43Tennessee$44,318$21.31
44New Hampshire$41,869$20.13
45South Carolina$43,655$20.99
46Iowa$44,488$21.39
47Montana$42,700$20.53
48Vermont$42,342$20.36
49Georgia$43,358$20.85
50South Dakota$42,748$20.55
51Maine$31,615$15.20

Highest paying cities for contracts administrators

The highest-paying cities for contracts administrators are Washington, DC, San Francisco, CA, and Annapolis, MD.

RankCityAvg. SalaryHourly Rate
1Washington, DC$67,046$32.23
2San Francisco, CA$66,379$31.91
3Annapolis, MD$64,477$31.00
4Alexandria, VA$60,181$28.93
5Phoenix, AZ$58,356$28.06
6Portland, OR$58,190$27.98
7Seattle, WA$55,397$26.63
8San Antonio, TX$52,693$25.33
9Huntsville, AL$51,342$24.68
10New York, NY$50,872$24.46
11Chicago, IL$50,108$24.09
12Colorado Springs, CO$49,797$23.94
13Saint Louis, MO$49,768$23.93
14Durham, NC$49,087$23.60
15Miami, FL$48,631$23.38
16Minneapolis, MN$48,301$23.22
17Oklahoma City, OK$47,908$23.03
18Salt Lake City, UT$46,142$22.18
19Boston, MA$44,800$21.54
20Wichita, KS$44,107$21.21

Contracts Administrator salary details

A contracts administrator's salary ranges from $35,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $78,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average Contracts Administrator Salary Graph
Average Contracts Administrator Salary Graph, Trends, and Summary

What is a contracts administrator's salary?

PercentileAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly Rate
90th Percentile$78,000$6,500$38
75th Percentile$65,000$5,417$31
Average$52,876$4,406$25
25th Percentile$42,000$3,500$20
10th Percentile$35,000$2,917$17

Highest paying contracts administrator jobs

The highest paying types of contracts administrators are operations, senior specialist, landman, and senior buyer.

Job TitleAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
Purchasing Agent$51,950$4,329$24.9845,856
Planner/Buyer$54,261$4,522$26.0933,452
Landman$82,853$6,904$39.83364
Procurement Agent$72,384$6,032$34.8045,198
Contract Worker$70,825$5,902$34.0536,853
Contracts Manager$72,691$6,058$34.9513,218

How would you rate the starting salaries for Contracts Administrators, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Dr. Richard Huff Ph.D.

Assistant professor, assistant chair, Virginia Commonwealth University

While MPA students are not drawn to public service by high salaries, it is reasonable to expect remuneration, which respects their credentials and experience. Many students are mid-level careerists and are likely to remain in their jobs where an advanced degree may improve their opportunities for advancement, and others may be looking for a career change. Also, a cohort of students moving from undergraduate to graduate degrees with internships is common.

These groups likely present varying degrees of salary requirements and qualifications. In the federal service, an MPA qualifies as one at the GS-9 entry-level. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) publishes salary tables at Link The beginning salary varies by location from $53K to $61K, with the higher amount near large metropolitan areas. Higher salaries are common in overseas areas. Progression is based on performance with opportunities to achieve salaries of $150K and over at the executive levels. Overall, beginning salaries for the MPA considering nonprofits and government agencies is estimated at $53K.

Top companies hiring contracts administrators now:

  1. Oracle Jobs (46)
  2. IBM Jobs (100)
  3. General Electric Jobs (40)
  4. Fluor Corporation Jobs (69)
  5. Lockheed Martin Jobs (96)

Which companies pay contracts administrators the most?

Contracts administrator salaries at Ngam Advisors, L.P. and Vista Equity Partners are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average contracts administrator salary at companies like BP America Inc and EquiLend are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly Rate
1Ngam Advisors, L.P.$105,784$50.86
2Vista Equity Partners$104,364$50.17
3BP America Inc$103,159$49.60
4EquiLend$101,982$49.03
5Apple$96,915$46.59
6Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group$96,444$46.37
7Urban Institute$96,311$46.30
8Parsons$94,197$45.29
9REV Group$93,168$44.79
10Astronics$92,925$44.68
11HP$92,662$44.55
12Ncar - The National Center For Atmospheric Research$91,329$43.91
13Booz Allen Hamilton$90,366$43.45
14Dolby Laboratories$89,659$43.11
15Argonne National Laboratory$89,508$43.03
16Oracle$87,113$41.88
17Boston Scientific$87,097$41.87
18Maxim Healthcare Group$84,124$40.44
19BioMed Realty$84,093$40.43
20Analog Devices$82,375$39.60

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$57,000$56,200$55,400$54,600$53,800$53,000
MaleFemale

Contracts Administrator salary by industry

The average contracts administrator salary varies across industries:

  • The average contracts administrator salary in the finance industry is $72,687, the highest of any industry.
  • The average contracts administrator salary in the finance industry is $62,101.
  • Contracts administrators in the hospitality industry earn an average salary of $46,385, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for contracts administrators

RankIndustryAverage SalaryHourly Rate
1Finance$72,687$34.95
2Technology$62,101$29.86
3Government$58,166$27.96
4Health Care$58,136$27.95
5Construction$57,137$27.47
6Manufacturing$56,901$27.36
7Hospitality$46,385$22.30

High Paying Contracts Administrator Jobs

Contracts Administrator salary trends

The average contracts administrator salary has risen by $8,945 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average contracts administrator earned $43,931 annually, but today, they earn $52,876 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for contracts administrators over the last decade.

Compare contracts administrator salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average contracts administrator salary over time

Compare contracts administrator salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

    Contracts Administrator salary by year

    YearAvg. SalaryHourly Rate% Change
    2025$52,900$25.42+3.8%
    2024$50,900$24.45+2.3%
    2023$49,700$23.88+1.1%
    2022$49,100$23.62+1.7%
    2021$48,300$23.22+1.7%

    Recently added contracts administrator salaries

    CompanyJobLocationDate AddedSalary
    General Dynamics Information TechnologyContract Administrator AdvisorChesapeake, VA12/17/2024$83,300
    Northrop GrummanContracts Administrator/Principal Contracts Administrator (13750)Huntsville, AL12/16/2024$76,600
    Northrop GrummanContracts Administrator/Principal Contracts Administrator (13750)Roy, UT12/16/2024$76,600
    Nebraska Furniture Mart, Inc.Contract Administrator-LegalOmaha, NE12/16/2024$51,572
    SimonteamContract AdministratorConde, SD12/16/2024$56,349
    Bill Wright Toyota, Inc.New & Used Car Contracts AdministratorBakersfield, CA12/16/2024$37,566
    Shield HealthcareContracts AdministratorBoone, CO12/16/2024$66,784
    Bernhard Link Theatrical LLCContract Administrator II-Commercial ConstructionMetairie, LA12/16/2024$43,500
    Butler Aerospace and DefenseButler Aerospace and Defense | Contract Administrator AZPhoenix, AZ12/16/2024$52,175
    Butler Aerospace and DefenseButler Aerospace and Defense | Contract Administrator NCMonroe, NC12/16/2024$70,958

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