Data Engineer salary

Q: How much does a data engineer make?

The median data engineer salary in the U.S. is about $126,000 per year. Most data engineers earn between $84,000 and $197,000, and top earners (90th percentile) make $197,000 or more. Data Engineer is a newer title that standard salary surveys don't track on its own, so these figures are labeled, mapped estimates benchmarked against closely related engineering work.

Q: What is the highest data engineer salary?

Top-earning data engineers (90th percentile) make about $197,000 or more nationally. In the highest-paying metros, estimated data engineer pay can run even higher — for example around $186,480 (median) in San Jose. Metro figures are cost-of-labor estimates, not direct BLS metro data.

Q: How much do entry-level data engineers make?

Entry-level data engineers (0–2 years) earn about $98,500 per year, rising to roughly $136,000 at mid-level and $170,000+ at the principal/staff level. These by-experience figures are modeled estimates based on typical engineering career progression.

Q: Do data engineers make good money?

Yes. The median data engineer salary of $126,000 is 8% above the roughly $116,537 median across engineering occupations, and experienced data engineers can earn $197,000 or more.

Q: Which cities pay data engineers the most?

Estimated data engineer pay is highest in San Jose ($186,480), San Francisco ($178,920), Seattle ($163,800). These are cost-of-labor estimates that adjust the national baseline by local wage levels — not direct BLS metro wages.

Mapped est.

Updated January 2025

Data engineers build and maintain the pipelines and infrastructure that move and transform data at scale, powering analytics and machine learning across a company.

Median pay

$126,000

U.S. typical

Top earners

$197,000

90th percentile

Entry level

$98,500

0–2 yrs

Senior

$170,000

15+ yrs

The median data engineer salary in the U.S. is about $126,000 per year. Entry-level pay starts near $84,000, while top earners (90th percentile) make $197,000 or more. Data Engineeris a newer title that standard salary surveys don't track on its own, so this figure is a labeled estimate benchmarked against closely related engineering work.

Median annual wage

$126,000

Mean

$132,000

10th pct · $84,00090th pct · $197,000

What data engineers do

Design data pipelines and warehouses, build ETL/ELT systems, and ensure data quality, reliability, and access for analytics and ML.

Data engineers build and maintain the pipelines and infrastructure that move and transform data at scale, powering analytics and machine learning across a company.

What affects data engineer pay

▹Cloud and big-data stack depth (Spark, Snowflake, dbt)
▹Company type (Big Tech vs. enterprise)
▹Years of experience and seniority
▹Metro cost of labor
▹Equity and bonus

Data Engineer salary by experience

Pay typically climbs from about $98,500 for entry level engineers to $170,000+ at the principal / staff level.

Entry level 0–2 yrs

$98,500

Early career 3–5 yrs

$118,500

Mid level 6–9 yrs

$136,000

Senior 10–14 yrs

$153,500

Principal / Staff 15+ yrs

$170,000

Your actual offer depends on company, location, and specialization — run the calculator for a tailored range.

Highest-paying cities for data engineers

Estimated data engineer pay in the top-paying metros, vs the national median.

8results

Metro	State	Median	90th pct	vs U.S.	Data
San Jose California	CA	$186,480	$291,560	+48%	Estimate
San Francisco California	CA	$178,920	$279,740	+42%	Estimate
Seattle Washington	WA	$163,800	$256,100	+30%	Estimate
New York City New York	NY	$158,760	$248,220	+26%	Estimate
Boston Massachusetts	MA	$153,720	$240,340	+22%	Estimate
Washington, D.C. District of Columbia	DC	$151,200	$236,400	+20%	Estimate
Los Angeles California	CA	$148,680	$232,460	+18%	Estimate
San Diego California	CA	$144,900	$226,550	+15%	Estimate

Data Engineer salary by state

State	Est. median	Est. 90th pct
California	$156,240	$244,280
Texas	$131,040	$204,880
New York	$143,640	$224,580
Washington	$148,680	$232,460
Massachusetts	$146,160	$228,520

State figures are estimates — open a state for its full city-by-city breakdown.

Data Engineer salary — frequently asked questions

How much does a data engineer make?

The median data engineer salary in the U.S. is about $126,000 per year. Most data engineers earn between $84,000 and $197,000, and top earners (90th percentile) make $197,000 or more. Data Engineer is a newer title that standard salary surveys don't track on its own, so these figures are labeled, mapped estimates benchmarked against closely related engineering work.

What is the highest data engineer salary?

Top-earning data engineers (90th percentile) make about $197,000 or more nationally. In the highest-paying metros, estimated pay can run even higher — for example around $186,480 in San Jose. Metro figures are cost-of-labor estimates, not direct BLS metro data.

How much do entry-level data engineers make?

Entry-level data engineers (0–2 years) earn about $98,500 per year, rising to roughly $136,000 at mid-level and $170,000+ at the principal/staff level. These by-experience figures are modeled estimates based on typical engineering career progression.

Do data engineers make good money?

Yes. The median data engineer salary of $126,000 is 8% above the roughly $116,537 median across engineering occupations, and experienced data engineers can earn $197,000 or more.

Which cities pay data engineers the most?

Estimated data engineer pay is highest in San Jose ($186,480), San Francisco ($178,920), and Seattle ($163,800). These are cost-of-labor estimates that adjust the national baseline by local wage levels — not direct BLS metro wages.

How can a data engineer earn more?

Data Engineer pay rises most with cloud and big-data stack depth (spark, snowflake, dbt), company type (big tech vs. enterprise), and years of experience and seniority. Moving to a higher-cost metro, specializing, and taking on senior or lead scope are the biggest levers — the salary calculator lets you model each one.

Source details

Data Engineer is not a BLS-tracked title. Mapped to BLS SOC 15-1252 Software Developers. Not a direct BLS-tracked title — treat as an estimate.

Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →