Database administrator earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level database administrator earnings begin at:

$67.39 per hour

$140,170 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level database administrator earnings begin at:

$59.17 per hour

$123,070 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level database administrator earnings begin at:

$48.20 per hour

$100,260 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level database administrator earnings begin at:

$37.12 per hour

$77,210 per year

10th percentile

Starting level database administrator earnings begin at:

$29.33 per hour

$61,000 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Database administrator salary by state

State Name Average Salary
Michigan $99,830
New Mexico $98,450
Louisiana $98,270
Ohio $97,190
Oklahoma $95,320
Alabama $93,900
South Carolina $93,640
Virginia $93,320
New Hampshire $92,110
Indiana $90,090
Mississippi $87,790
Kentucky $87,390
Idaho $85,660
Hawaii $85,500
Montana $83,120
South Dakota $82,540
Arkansas $82,480
Wyoming $82,480
North Dakota $78,730
West Virginia $73,490
Maine $70,500
Puerto Rico $45,310
Utah $135,750
Massachusetts $129,300
New Jersey $125,860
Maryland $124,300
District of Columbia $118,540
Colorado $118,340
Washington $118,140
Tennessee $115,500
Texas $114,400
North Carolina $113,900
California $113,060
Nevada $109,670
Alaska $108,810
Connecticut $108,270
Georgia $106,810
Rhode Island $106,020
New York $105,900
Illinois $104,650
Arizona $104,280
Vermont $104,230
Florida $104,120
Iowa $101,210
Delaware $100,910
Minnesota $100,700
Missouri $100,270
Oregon $100,260
Kansas $100,170
Pennsylvania $100,110
Nebraska $100,020
Wisconsin $100,020

How much does a Database Administrator earn?

In the IT world, database administrator salaries are amongst the highest base wages. Experienced database administrators and database managers can have salaries well into the six-figure range. Database administration is a sought after career offering top salary potential and significant opportunities to move upwards, regardless of industry and/or database system specialization(s).

Geography can play a significant role in entry-level database administrator salaries. States with a large number of database administrators typically start their administrators at a higher salary. The five states with the largest number of database administrators are California, Texas, New York, Virginia and Florida.

It may be wise to add specialized training in cyber-security to increase your starting salary. Companies routinely hire database administrators and other information technologists to secure data. This area can lead to a higher salary for a beginning database administrator, especially in companies that can't afford to hire a separate specialist. In addition, possessing a Microsoft or Oracle certification can give you a huge leg up when it comes to a strong starting salary, and it will also give you a competitive advantage over your peers.

How do database administrator salaries compare to similar careers?

Database administrators earn about the same as related careers in Oregon. On average, they make less than computer programmers but more than online merchants.

Career Median Salary
Computer programmer salary $100K
Computer systems administrator salary $102K
Operations research analyst salary $102K
Distance learning coordinator salary $96K
Database administrator salary $100K
Technical writer salary $84K
Statistician salary $94K
Bioinformatics scientist salary $86K
Graphic designer salary $66K
Online merchant salary $77K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)