Salary comparison
Data Engineer vs Engineering Manager salary
Engineering Managers out-earn data engineers by about $34,660 at the median. Here is the full side-by-side breakdown — pay range, top states, and experience.
Engineering Managers earn more — a median of $167,740 versus $133,080 for data engineers, a gap of about $34,660 (26%). Both figures are national benchmarks (one or both mapped from the nearest tracked occupation).
Data Engineer
Mapped est.$133,080
Median annual wage
- Entry (10th pct)
- $79,850
- Top 10%
- $211,450
- Discipline
- Emerging
Engineering Manager
Verified$167,740
Median annual wage
- Entry (10th pct)
- $111,450
- Top 10%
- $239,200
- Discipline
- Architecture & Engineering
Data Engineer vs Engineering Manager — pay distribution
Percentile-by-percentile comparison of national annual wages.
| Percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentileData Engineer | $79,850 |
| MedianData Engineer | $133,080 |
| 90th percentileData Engineer | $211,450 |
| 10th percentileEngineering Manager | $111,450 |
| MedianEngineering Manager | $167,740 |
| 90th percentileEngineering Manager | $239,200 |
Pay by experience
Modeled progression from entry to principal level for each role (estimated from the national percentile curve).
Data Engineer
Engineering Manager
Where each role pays most
Highest-paying states by published median wage.
Data Engineer
State-level figures aren't published for this title — see the Data Engineer page.
Engineering Manager
- New Mexico$215,730
- California$201,810
- Washington$181,080
- Massachusetts$178,800
- District of Columbia$176,950
Which should you choose?
On pay alone, engineering managers earn about 26% more at the median — but location and specialization routinely move pay by more than that gap.
Pick data engineer if…
Data engineers build and maintain the pipelines and infrastructure that move and transform data at scale, powering analytics and machine learning across a company.
- ▹Cloud and big-data stack depth (Spark, Snowflake, dbt)
- ▹Company type (Big Tech vs. enterprise)
- ▹Years of experience and seniority
Pick engineering manager if…
Engineering managers plan, direct, and coordinate activities in architecture and engineering, leading teams and owning technical delivery.
- ▹Team size and scope of responsibility
- ▹Industry (tech and oil & gas pay above average)
- ▹Years of management experience
Data Engineer vs Engineering Manager — frequently asked
Who earns more, data engineers or engineering managers?
What is the salary range for data engineers vs engineering managers?
Should I become a data engineer or a engineering manager?
Source details
Data Engineer is not a BLS-tracked title. BLS does not publish a separate wage for this title, so the figures shown are the published wage for BLS SOC 15-1252 Software Developers — the closest tracked occupation. Actual pay for this specialization can sit above or below it.
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →