Checked
Database Administrators Salary
Database Administrators earn a median $104,620 a year in the U.S., with 69,990 jobs (May 2025).
- Median wage
- $104,620 a year
- Employment
- 69,990
- Excludes self-employed
- Projected growth
- -0.1%
- 2025 to 2035
- Openings per year
- 3,300
- Average, including replacements
Pay range nationally
The middle half of workers earn between the 25th and 75th percentile (shaded)
- Median (50%)
- $104,620 · $50.30 an hour
- Mean (average)
- $110,090 · $52.93 an hour (estimate error ±0.5%)
- 10th percentile
- $60,230 · $28.96 an hour
- 25th percentile
- $79,610 · $38.28 an hour
- 75th percentile
- $135,460 · $65.13 an hour
- 90th percentile
- $163,320 · $78.52 an hour
- Employment
- 69,990 (estimate error ±1.7%)
What they do
Standard Occupational Classification definition
Administer, test, and implement computer databases, applying knowledge of database management systems. Coordinate changes to computer databases. Identify, investigate, and resolve database performance issues, database capacity, and database scalability. May plan, coordinate, and implement security measures to safeguard computer databases. Excludes “Information Security Analysts” (15-1212) and “Database Architects” (15-1243).
Job outlook
BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035
- Jobs in 2025
- 75,000
- Projected for 2035
- 74,900
- Change
- -100 (-0.1%)
- Openings each year
- 3,300
- Typical education
- Bachelor's degree
- Work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- 1.8%
Occupational Outlook Handbook (duties, how to become one, work environment)
Highest paying states
Median wage for this occupation
Swipe the table sideways to see more columns.
| # | State | Median wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utah | $135,750 | 1,200 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $129,300 | 2,310 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $125,860 | 1,810 |
| 4 | Maryland | $124,300 | 2,300 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $118,540 | 560 |
| 6 | Colorado | $118,340 | 1,220 |
| 7 | Washington | $118,140 | 1,730 |
| 8 | Tennessee | $115,500 | 2,020 |
| 9 | Texas | $114,400 | 6,430 |
| 10 | North Carolina | $113,900 | 1,920 |
States with the most jobs
Swipe the table sideways to see more columns.
| State | Employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| California | 7,240 | $113,060 |
| Texas | 6,430 | $114,400 |
| Virginia | 5,940 | $93,320 |
| Florida | 3,810 | $104,120 |
| New York | 3,590 | $105,900 |
| Georgia | 2,460 | $106,810 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,450 | $100,110 |
| Illinois | 2,340 | $104,650 |
| Massachusetts | 2,310 | $129,300 |
| Maryland | 2,300 | $124,300 |
Highest paying metro areas
Metro areas with at least 100 jobs in this occupation
Swipe the table sideways to see more columns.
| # | Metro area | Median wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $138,620 | 580 |
| 2 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $133,180 | 1,010 |
| 3 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $132,370 | 1,910 |
| 4 | Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT | $129,010 | 160 |
| 5 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $127,760 | 1,470 |
| 6 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $125,760 | 200 |
| 7 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $124,560 | 670 |
| 8 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $124,040 | 110 |
| 9 | Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | $123,920 | 750 |
| 10 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $123,830 | 1,110 |
| 11 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $123,730 | 1,190 |
| 12 | Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $123,490 | 170 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Swipe the table sideways to see more columns.
| Metro area | Employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 3,730 | $108,750 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 3,630 | $121,550 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 2,430 | $122,390 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 2,280 | $112,540 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 1,910 | $132,370 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 1,870 | $109,680 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 1,780 | $110,950 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 1,580 | $104,930 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 1,470 | $127,760 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 1,190 | $123,730 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 1,110 | $123,830 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 1,090 | $116,030 |
Visa filings for this occupation
Wages employers offered on Department of Labor filings
- H-1B (FY 2026 through Q3)4,596 certified filingsMedian offered wage $112,000
- PERM green card (FY 2026 through Q3)437 certified filingsMedian offered wage $121,176
Database Administrators pay by state
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Related occupations
- Computer Systems Analysts
- Information Security Analysts
- Computer and Information Research Scientists
- Computer Network Support Specialists
- Computer User Support Specialists
- Computer Network Architects
- Database Architects
- Network and Computer Systems Administrators
- Computer Programmers
- Software Developers
- Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers
- Web Developers
Frequently asked questions
- How much do database administrators make?
- The median wage for database administrators in the U.S. is $104,620 a year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $79,610 and $135,460.
- Which state pays database administrators the most?
- Utah has the highest median wage for this occupation at $135,750 a year.
- What is the job outlook for database administrators?
- BLS projects employment to decline 0.1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,300 openings each year on average.
- What education do database administrators need?
- The typical entry-level education is: bachelor's degree.