Database Administrators Salary: $122,296 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 73,180 database administrators nationally earn a mean of $122,296. CA accounts for about 7,610 jobs in our geographic extract; much hiring sits in professional, scientific, and technical services.
Key Statistics
Database Administrators: what the data shows
Common questions about database administrators careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a database administrators?
Database Administrators is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 15-1242.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 73,180 workers.
What does a database administrators do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Analyzing Data or Information, Processing Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a database administrators make?
BLS national median annual wage: $104,620 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $122,296 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $64,907 |
| 25th percentile | $86,889 |
| Median (50th) | $114,109 |
| 75th percentile | $153,060 |
| 90th percentile | $180,732 |
What education do you need?
For Database Administrators, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Active Learning, and knowledge areas including Computers and Electronics, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Mathematics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is database administrators in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.3% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 1.6%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 3.2%.
Current U.S. headcount: 73,180.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do database administratorss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 73,180 | 18.3% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 62,300 | 15.6% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 18,360 | 4.6% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 18,360 | 4.6% |
| Educational Services | 14,300 | 3.6% |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services | 11,450 | 2.9% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Database Administrators in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Systems Analysts | 497,800 | $103,790 |
| Information Security Analysts | 179,430 | $124,910 |
| New Accounts Clerks | 38,030 | $46,610 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers | 219,010 | $84,130 |
| Gambling Cage Workers | 13,490 | $36,990 |
| Gambling and Sports Book Writers and Runners | 7,600 | $30,460 |
| First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers | 600,680 | $78,300 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Database Administrators workforce.
Employment Over Time
73,180 Workforce in 2023
The Database Administrators workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Database Administrators.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$122,296 Average Wage
In 2023, Database Administrators earned an average of $122,296.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Database Administrators.
Salary distribution for Database Administrators.
Employment Growth Projections
0.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
32,826 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 1.6%
33,340 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 3.2%
This occupation is projected to grow at 0.3% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Database Administrators.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Database Administrators and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Database Administrators employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Database Administrators.
Wage Trends by Industry
-0.6% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Database Administrators.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Database Administrators.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 7,610 employees, $122,452 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Database Administrators.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 1,810 employees, $115,809 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 1,100 employees, $134,713 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 810 employees, $116,934 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 800 employees, $115,639 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 700 employees, $152,279 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 700 employees, $125,748 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 490 employees, $121,299 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 400 employees, $111,788 avg wage
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA: 130 employees, $114,263 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 100 employees, $98,814 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Database Administrators.
Diversity
Demographic information on Database Administrators in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Database Administrators in 2023 was 73,180 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Database Administrators.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Database Administrators.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Database Administrators.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Database Administrators in 2023 were Engineering, Business Administration, Management.
Common majors for Database Administrators.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Database Administrators workers.
Education level distribution for Database Administrators.
Skills
Database Administrators need many skills, but most especially Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening.
Required skills for Database Administrators.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Database Administrators.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Database Administrators include Computers and Electronics, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Mathematics, Telecommunications.
Knowledge areas required for Database Administrators.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Database Administrators include Deductive Reasoning, Problem Sensitivity, Oral Comprehension, Information Ordering, Inductive Reasoning.
Required abilities for Database Administrators.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Database Administrators.
Daily Activities
Database Administrators spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Analyzing Data or Information.
Most important work activities for Database Administrators.
About
Database Administrators
The average yearly wage for Database Administrators was $122,296 in 2023.
SOC Code
15-1242 - Database Administrators
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Database Administrators reports an average salary of $122,296, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 73,180 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 0.3%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.