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Data Engineer Salary

Data engineers build and maintain the infrastructure and architecture for data generation, transformation, and storage at scale.

Median: $118,000 Growth: 28% BLS Data

Data Engineer Salary Range

Entry Level

$80,000

0-2 years

Mid Career

$120,000

5-10 years

Senior Level

$165,000

10+ years

Salary Percentiles

10th Percentile $72,000

25th Percentile $93,000

Median (50th) $118,000

75th Percentile $148,000

90th Percentile $178,000

Top Paying States for Data Engineers

1 California

$150,000

2 Washington

$145,000

3 New York

$140,000

4 Massachusetts

$135,000

5 Virginia

$128,000

Job Outlook & Education

Growth Rate

+28%

Much Faster Than Average

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

How Much Do Data Engineers Make?

The median annual salary for a data engineer in the United States is $118,000 as of 2026. This means half of data engineers earn more than this amount, and half earn less.

Salary by Experience Level

Entry Level (0-2 years): $80,000
Mid Career (5-10 years): $120,000
Senior Level (10+ years): $165,000

Calculate Your Take-Home

See exactly how much you'll take home after taxes with our income calculator.

Calculate $118,000 Salary

Hourly Equivalent

Based on 2,080 work hours/year

$56/hr

See $56/hr Breakdown

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What Can a Data Engineer Afford?

Based on median salary of $118,000

Max Rent $3,000/mo

Max Car Payment $1,200/mo

Monthly Savings $1,441/mo

See Full Budget Breakdown

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