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The differences between senior database engineers and database developers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a senior database engineer and a database developer. Additionally, a senior database engineer has an average salary of $123,540, which is higher than the $90,837 average annual salary of a database developer.
The top three skills for a senior database engineer include AWS, java and ETL. The most important skills for a database developer are ETL, C++, and java.
| Senior Database Engineer | Database Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $123,540 | $90,837 |
| Hourly rate | $59.39 | $43.67 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 110,265 | 91,069 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 46 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior database engineer specializes in designing and developing databases for a company. Among their responsibilities include identifying and understanding the company's needs, creating and maintaining database projects and programs, writing scripts, troubleshooting errors, fixing bugs, and performing upgrades. They must also provide technical support to employees, addressing and resolving issues promptly and efficiently. Furthermore, as a senior engineer, it is essential to lead and serve as a mentor to junior engineers while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
A database developer specializes in designing and creating storage programs according to a client's needs. Their responsibilities revolve around meeting with clients to discuss their preferences and requirements, coordinating with other teams, identifying errors or inconsistencies by conducting regular maintenance tests, and monitoring its performance to ensure smooth workflow. A database developer may also respond to inquiries and concerns, provide corrective measures, produce instructional materials for the database users, and develop strategies to keep the data safe and secure.
Senior database engineers and database developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Database Engineer | Database Developer | |
| Average salary | $123,540 | $90,837 |
| Salary range | Between $95,000 And $159,000 | Between $69,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | |
| Best paying industry | Internet | Finance |
There are a few differences between a senior database engineer and a database developer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Database Engineer | Database Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior database engineers' and database developers' demographics:
| Senior Database Engineer | Database Developer | |
| Average age | 46 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.6% Female, 14.4% | Male, 73.0% Female, 27.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.4% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 23.4% White, 54.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.7% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 8% |