How much does a database administrator make?

The average database administrator salary in the United States is $81,960. Database administrator salaries typically range between $60,000 and $111,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for database administrators is $39.4 per hour. Database administrator salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Database administrators earn the highest average salary in Washington.

No, DBA (database administrator) jobs are not dying. In fact, the field of database administration is rapidly growing, with more and more companies tracking large amounts of data and needing technical professionals to store, organize, and troubleshoot their data to ensure it runs efficiently.

Database administrator salary

Q: What state pays Database Administrators the most?

Washington pays Database Administrators the most in the United States, with an average salary of $96,655 per year, or $46.47 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a database administrator?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a database administrator if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Vermont you should be paid close to $88,240 per year.

Q: What is a good starting salary for a Database Administrator?

A good starting salary for a database administrator is $62,000 in the United States. That puts you in the 10th percentile of annual income for a database administrator in the U.S., which is about what you would expect if you were new to the field. The average salary for database administrators is $83,533, but that normally requires some level of experience to achieve. Furthermore, a good starting salary for a database administrator can vary by state.

Q: How much do SQL database administrators make?

SQL database administrators make just over $80,000 a year, on average. That's $38.84 an hour and over $5,000 more than all database administrators. Structured query language (SQL) database administrators (DBAs) manage their company's data using SQL. The entry-level salary for SQL DBAs is $63,000 a year, on average, with the highest earners making in the low six-figures.

Q: How much do database admins make?

Database admins make $74,168 a year, on average. That's $35.66 an hour. Database administrators (DBAs) are tasked with managing their organization's data. On average, entry-level DBAs earn $57,000 a year, with top earners making upwards of $95,000.

Q: Is SQL DBA a good career?

Yes, SQL DBA is a relatively good career. Structured query language database administrators (SQL DBAs) are in high demand and yield high salaries. Their work is dynamic and challenging, though it can be stressful.

Average database administrator salary

$81,960

$39.4 hourly rate

Entry-level database administrator salary

$60,000 yearly salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding Database Administrator Salaries

As of October 2025, the average salary for database administrators stands at $81,960 per year. Various factors influence this figure, including experience level, geographical location, and the industry in which one works. For example, database administrators in technology hubs often earn higher salaries due to increased demand for their skills.

Here’s a breakdown of salary influences:

Experience: Entry-level positions typically start lower, while seasoned professionals can command significantly higher wages.
Location: States like California and New York frequently offer higher salaries, reflecting the cost of living and regional demand for tech talent.
Industry: Sectors such as finance and healthcare may provide premium salaries for database administrators due to the critical nature of their data management requirements.

In addition, pursuing certifications and further education can enhance career prospects, leading to higher pay and more job opportunities. Staying informed about industry trends and salary benchmarks is vital for professionals seeking to advance in their careers.

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Database administrator salary by:

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Where can a Database Administrator earn more?

Compare salary by location

122k

102k

82k

62k

42k

Columbus, OH$96,878

Tampa, FL$71,940

Compare salary by company

182k

162k

142k

122k

102k

The Citadel$158,273

Intuitive Surgical$132,325

Database administrator salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Indeed, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter, SalaryExpert, Comparably and CareerExplorer, the average salary for a database administrator typically falls between $76,675 and $113,532.

zippia

$81,960yearly

glassdoor[1]

$105,980yearly

indeed[2]

$76,675yearly

comparably[3]

$78,931yearly

Salary.com[4]

$101,332yearly

ZipRecruiter[5]

$106,437yearly

SalaryExpert[6]

$113,532yearly

CareerExplorer[7]

$83,038yearly

Average database administrator salary by state

The highest-paying states for database administrators are Washington, Vermont, and California. The lowest average database administrator salary states are Alabama, Mississippi, and Indiana.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for database administrators

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Vermont	$88,240	$42.42
2	Washington	$96,655	$46.47
3	Oregon	$86,919	$41.79
4	Nevada	$86,764	$41.71
5	Utah	$80,405	$38.66
6	New Hampshire	$82,876	$39.84
7	Massachusetts	$85,673	$41.19
8	Arizona	$79,755	$38.34
9	Rhode Island	$80,266	$38.59
10	Hawaii	$86,050	$41.37
11	California	$87,850	$42.24
12	North Carolina	$77,703	$37.36
13	Connecticut	$82,800	$39.81
14	Ohio	$78,068	$37.53
15	Pennsylvania	$77,578	$37.30
16	New York	$83,181	$39.99
17	District of Columbia	$80,374	$38.64
18	Montana	$78,346	$37.67
19	New Jersey	$82,248	$39.54
20	Alaska	$78,952	$37.96
21	Texas	$77,251	$37.14
22	South Dakota	$77,778	$37.39
23	Illinois	$78,725	$37.85
24	Minnesota	$79,152	$38.05
25	Wisconsin	$78,014	$37.51
26	Maine	$77,932	$37.47
27	Idaho	$75,895	$36.49
28	Michigan	$76,997	$37.02
29	Iowa	$77,635	$37.32
30	Colorado	$75,747	$36.42
31	North Dakota	$73,596	$35.38
32	West Virginia	$75,078	$36.10
33	Delaware	$77,069	$37.05
34	Louisiana	$77,100	$37.07
35	Virginia	$78,354	$37.67
36	New Mexico	$72,781	$34.99
37	Alabama	$71,878	$34.56
38	Nebraska	$74,242	$35.69
39	Kansas	$73,367	$35.27
40	Kentucky	$73,858	$35.51
41	Arkansas	$73,653	$35.41
42	Georgia	$74,630	$35.88
43	South Carolina	$73,511	$35.34
44	Florida	$71,026	$34.15
45	Maryland	$76,641	$36.85
46	Missouri	$73,401	$35.29
47	Tennessee	$71,907	$34.57
48	Mississippi	$71,855	$34.55
49	Wyoming	$66,447	$31.95
50	Indiana	$71,030	$34.15
51	Oklahoma	$68,086	$32.73

Top database administrator jobs near you

Highest paying cities for database administrators

The highest-paying cities for database administrators are Seattle, WA, Richmond, CA, and Boston, MA.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Seattle, WA	$96,878	$46.58
2	Richmond, CA	$91,890	$44.18
3	Boston, MA	$85,710	$41.21
4	Troy, NY	$83,497	$40.14
5	Jersey City, NJ	$82,403	$39.62
6	Washington, DC	$80,422	$38.66
7	Phoenix, AZ	$79,905	$38.42
8	Bloomington, MN	$79,137	$38.05
9	Chicago, IL	$78,849	$37.91
10	Reston, VA	$78,804	$37.89
11	Durham, NC	$78,256	$37.62
12	San Antonio, TX	$77,988	$37.49
13	Columbus, OH	$77,907	$37.46
14	Troy, MI	$77,149	$37.09
15	Denver, CO	$75,732	$36.41
16	Alpharetta, GA	$74,695	$35.91
17	Bellevue, NE	$74,242	$35.69
18	Richmond, KY	$74,149	$35.65
19	Saint Louis, MO	$73,558	$35.36
20	Tampa, FL	$71,940	$34.59

Database Administrators are the most in-demand in these five cities:

Database administrator salary details

A database administrator's salary ranges from $60,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $111,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average database administrator salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a database administrator's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$111,000	$9,250	$53
75th Percentile	$96,000	$8,000	$46
Average	$81,960	$6,830	$39
25th Percentile	$69,000	$5,750	$33
10th Percentile	$60,000	$5,000	$29

Highest paying database administrator jobs

The highest paying types of database administrators are senior oracle database administrator, senior database administrator, and lead database administrator.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
SQL Server Developer	$90,179	$7,515	$43.36	135,285
SQL Developer	$88,505	$7,375	$42.55	80,751
Tableau Developer	$91,235	$7,603	$43.86	84,521
Database Developer	$90,837	$7,570	$43.67	91,069
Database Manager	$99,621	$8,302	$47.89	11,126
Development Administrator	$90,963	$7,580	$43.73	99,949

Top companies hiring database administrators now:

Which companies pay database administrators the most?

Database administrator salaries at The Citadel and Meta are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average database administrator salary at companies like Levi Strauss & Co. and Apple are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	The Citadel	$158,273	$76.09
2	Meta	$149,279	$71.77
3	Levi Strauss & Co.	$147,361	$70.85
4	Apple	$146,985	$70.67
5	PayPal	$145,127	$69.77
6	Grubhub	$141,501	$68.03
7	Barnes & Noble	$139,990	$67.30
8	StubHub	$138,178	$66.43
9	eBay	$137,780	$66.24
10	Google	$137,590	$66.15
11	Logitech	$137,151	$65.94
12	Amazon	$136,796	$65.77
13	Costco Wholesale	$136,206	$65.48
14	Lord Abbett	$134,097	$64.47
15	NVIDIA	$133,770	$64.31
16	OpSource	$133,370	$64.12
17	Twitter	$133,109	$63.99
18	Microsoft	$132,688	$63.79
19	Expedia Group	$132,546	$63.72
20	Intuitive Surgical	$132,325	$63.62

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$84,000$81,400$78,800$76,200$73,600$71,000

MaleFemale

Database Administrator salary by industry

The average database administrator salary varies across industries:

The average database administrator salary in the health care industry is $92,665, the highest of any industry.
The average database administrator salary in the finance industry is $91,912.
Database administrators in the finance industry earn an average salary of $84,578, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for database administrators

Rank	Industry	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	Health Care	$92,665	$44.55
2	Technology	$91,912	$44.19
3	Manufacturing	$90,928	$43.72
4	Professional	$89,137	$42.85
5	Telecommunication	$87,289	$41.97
6	Finance	$84,578	$40.66

High paying database administrator jobs

Database administrator salary trends

The average database administrator salary has risen by $17,293 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average database administrator earned $64,667 annually, but today, they earn $81,960 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for database administrators over the last decade.

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

Average database administrator salary over time

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

Database administrator salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$82,000	$39.40	+3.3%
2024	$79,300	$38.11	+2.3%
2023	$77,500	$37.24	+3.4%
2022	$74,800	$35.98	+2.4%
2021	$73,100	$35.13	+3.8%

Recently added database administrator salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
Barr Systems	Database Administrator (Hybrid)	Minneapolis, MN	06/30/2025	$80,000
Nbcuniversal	Dreamworks Technology-Database Administrator	Glendale, CA	06/29/2025	$105,000
Perspecta	Database Administrator	Reston, VA	06/29/2025	$104,000
Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines	Database Administrator III	Des Moines, IA	06/29/2025	$106,467
l a Federal Credit Union	Database Administrator	Glendale, CA	06/29/2025	$74,318
Get It-Professional Services	Database Administrator-Remote	Washington, DC	06/29/2025	$83,480
Get It-Professional Services	Database Administrator-Remote \| WFH	Gaithersburg, MD	06/29/2025	$41,740
Steampunk	Database Administrator	McLean, VA	06/29/2025	$115,000
Significance, Inc.	Database Administrator-Journeyman	Washington, DC	06/29/2025	$117,000
Contact Government Services, LLC	Discovery Database Administrator (DBA) (TOP Secret Clearance Required)	Washington, DC	06/29/2025	$142,100

Database administrator salary FAQs

What state pays Database Administrators the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a database administrator?

What is a good starting salary for a Database Administrator?

Are DBA jobs dying?

How much do SQL database administrators make?

How much do database admins make?

Is SQL DBA a good career?

Have more questions? See all answers to common computer and mathematical questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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