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Data communication engineer salary
Average data communication engineer salary
$104,774
Understanding Data Communication Engineer Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Data Communication Engineer stands at $104,774 annually, which translates to about $50 per hour. This figure can vary based on factors such as experience level, geographic location, and industry. Data Communication Engineers are essential in managing and optimizing data flow within organizations, making their expertise highly sought after in sectors like telecommunications, IT services, and finance.
Salary by State
Salary distributions vary by state, with some areas offering significantly higher compensation for Data Communication Engineers. For example, states like California and New York consistently report higher average salaries due to the concentration of tech companies and demand for advanced networking skills.
Top Paying Cities
Moreover, cities like San Francisco, New York City, and Seattle are among the top paying locations for this role, making them attractive options for job seekers aiming for higher earnings. With the ongoing expansion of digital infrastructure, the demand for skilled Data Communication Engineers is expected to grow, along with competitive salaries.
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Where can a Data Communication Engineer earn more?
Average data communication engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for data communication engineers are Washington, Alaska, and California. The lowest average data communication engineer salary states are Alabama, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for data communication engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $135,367 | $65.08 |
| 2 | Alaska | $130,861 | $62.91 |
| 3 | Idaho | $126,729 | $60.93 |
| 4 | Utah | $119,606 | $57.50 |
| 5 | New Mexico | $121,261 | $58.30 |
| 6 | Hawaii | $128,975 | $62.01 |
| 7 | Texas | $119,550 | $57.48 |
| 8 | California | $129,491 | $62.26 |
| 9 | Maryland | $119,109 | $57.26 |
| 10 | Vermont | $115,464 | $55.51 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $119,660 | $57.53 |
| 12 | District of Columbia | $119,080 | $57.25 |
| 13 | Virginia | $113,907 | $54.76 |
| 14 | Montana | $116,609 | $56.06 |
| 15 | Maine | $116,214 | $55.87 |
| 16 | Arkansas | $114,292 | $54.95 |
| 17 | Louisiana | $118,529 | $56.99 |
| 18 | North Carolina | $111,457 | $53.59 |
| 19 | Nevada | $114,196 | $54.90 |
| 20 | Ohio | $112,391 | $54.03 |
| 21 | Massachusetts | $117,687 | $56.58 |
| 22 | South Dakota | $110,088 | $52.93 |
| 23 | Mississippi | $113,134 | $54.39 |
| 24 | New York | $109,678 | $52.73 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $104,958 | $50.46 |
| 26 | Wyoming | $99,384 | $47.78 |
| 27 | North Dakota | $107,295 | $51.58 |
| 28 | Iowa | $107,198 | $51.54 |
| 29 | Oregon | $111,198 | $53.46 |
| 30 | South Carolina | $112,552 | $54.11 |
| 31 | Illinois | $103,814 | $49.91 |
| 32 | Kansas | $106,646 | $51.27 |
| 33 | Michigan | $104,493 | $50.24 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $105,316 | $50.63 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $94,801 | $45.58 |
| 36 | Delaware | $105,300 | $50.63 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $95,947 | $46.13 |
| 38 | Colorado | $92,720 | $44.58 |
| 39 | Arizona | $93,368 | $44.89 |
| 40 | Minnesota | $98,295 | $47.26 |
| 41 | Florida | $96,665 | $46.47 |
| 42 | Georgia | $93,693 | $45.04 |
| 43 | Indiana | $93,658 | $45.03 |
| 44 | Connecticut | $88,305 | $42.45 |
| 45 | Alabama | $91,528 | $44.00 |
| 46 | New Hampshire | $87,216 | $41.93 |
| 47 | Pennsylvania | $90,560 | $43.54 |
| 48 | Kentucky | $92,950 | $44.69 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $92,463 | $44.45 |
| 50 | Wisconsin | $85,483 | $41.10 |
| 51 | Missouri | $83,711 | $40.25 |
Highest paying cities for data communication engineers
The highest-paying cities for data communication engineers are San Francisco, CA, San Antonio, TX, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $138,121 | $66.40 |
| 2 | San Antonio, TX | $120,448 | $57.91 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $119,095 | $57.26 |
| 4 | Detroit, MI | $104,670 | $50.32 |
| 5 | Belleville, IL | $102,914 | $49.48 |
| 6 | Tampa, FL | $97,365 | $46.81 |
| 7 | Midwest City, OK | $92,564 | $44.50 |
| 8 | Milwaukee, WI | $85,637 | $41.17 |
Data communication engineer salary details
A data communication engineer's salary ranges from $84,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $130,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a data communication engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $130,000 | $10,833 | $63 |
| 75th Percentile | $117,000 | $9,750 | $56 |
| Average | $104,774 | $8,731 | $50 |
| 25th Percentile | $93,000 | $7,750 | $45 |
| 10th Percentile | $84,000 | $7,000 | $40 |
Highest paying data communication engineer jobs
The highest paying types of data communication engineers are communications systems engineer, lead data architect, and telecommunications consultant.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOC Analyst | $54,953 | $4,579 | $26.42 | 36,258 |
| Telecom Analyst | $63,580 | $5,298 | $30.57 | 19,698 |
| NOC Technician | $45,884 | $3,824 | $22.06 | 48,270 |
| Lead Data Architect | $112,015 | $9,335 | $53.85 | 150,424 |
| Network Operation Technician | $64,272 | $5,356 | $30.90 | 68,874 |
| Data Center Analyst | $61,669 | $5,139 | $29.65 | 167,264 |
Top companies hiring data communication engineers now:
Which companies pay data communication engineers the most?
Data communication engineer salaries at Precise Systems and Zenetex are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average data communication engineer salary at companies like General Motors and Ho-Chunk are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Precise Systems | $115,810 | $55.68 |
| 2 | Zenetex | $107,976 | $51.91 |
| 3 | General Motors | $107,488 | $51.68 |
| 4 | Ho-Chunk | $105,406 | $50.68 |
| 5 | MITRE | $105,282 | $50.62 |
| 6 | Zillow Group | $102,597 | $49.33 |
| 7 | Makro Technologies Inc. | $99,404 | $47.79 |
| 8 | Amobee | $97,537 | $46.89 |
| 9 | All Native Systems LLC | $95,669 | $45.99 |
| 10 | National Renewable Energy Laboratory | $94,629 | $45.49 |
| 11 | General Dynamics | $89,844 | $43.19 |
| 12 | Penske Logistics | $89,413 | $42.99 |
| 13 | IBM | $84,061 | $40.41 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Data Communication Engineer salary by industry
The average data communication engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average data communication engineer salary in the media industry is $117,622, the highest of any industry.
- The average data communication engineer salary in the finance industry is $109,373.
- Data communication engineers in the telecommunication industry earn an average salary of $96,684, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for data communication engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Media | $117,622 | $56.55 |
| 2 | Technology | $109,373 | $52.58 |
| 3 | Insurance | $99,628 | $47.90 |
| 4 | Telecommunication | $96,684 | $46.48 |
High paying data communication engineer jobs
Data communication engineer salary trends
The average data communication engineer salary has risen by $23,404 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average data communication engineer earned $81,370 annually, but today, they earn $104,774 a year. That works out to a 14% change in pay for data communication engineers over the last decade.
Compare data communication engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average data communication engineer salary over time
Compare data communication engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Data communication engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $105,000 | $50.37 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $101,000 | $48.71 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $99,000 | $47.61 | +4.0% |
| 2022 | $95,100 | $45.70 | +3.3% |
| 2021 | $91,900 | $44.20 | +1.0% |
Recently added data communication engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smxtech | Voice Data Communications Engineer | Fort Belvoir, VA | 03/26/2025 | $92,400 |
| AHU Technologies | Voice and Data Communications Engineer | Washington, DC | 03/09/2025 | $87,654 |
| Techrepublic, Inc. | 2025-RF Data Link & Communication Electrical Engineer II (Onsite) | Huntsville, AL | 02/17/2025 | $64,000 |
| Techrepublic, Inc. | 2025-RF Data Link & Communication Electrical Engineer II (Onsite) | Tacoma, WA | 02/16/2025 | $64,000 |
| Seagate Technology LLC | Engineer II-Data Communications Network | Bloomington, MN | 01/15/2025 | $73,070 |
| Prattwhitney | 2025-RF Data Link & Communication Electrical Engineer I (Onsite) | Tucson, AZ | 12/11/2024 | $53,000 |
| Techrepublic, Inc. | 2025-RF Data Link & Communication Electrical Engineer II (Onsite) | Colorado Springs, CO | 12/11/2024 | $64,000 |
| Techrepublic, Inc. | 2025-RF Data Link & Communication Electrical Engineer II (Onsite) | San Diego, CA | 12/11/2024 | $64,000 |
| Karkidi | Staff Data Engineer, Communication and Connectivity | San Francisco, CA | 10/24/2024 | $204,000 |
| Smxtech | Voice & Data Communications Engineer | Fort Belvoir, VA | 10/16/2024 | $79,700 |
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