Database administrator earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level database administrator earnings begin at:

$61.11 per hour

$127,110 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level database administrator earnings begin at:

$48.51 per hour

$100,910 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level database administrator earnings begin at:

$37.63 per hour

$78,270 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level database administrator earnings begin at:

$26.39 per hour

$54,890 per year

10th percentile

Starting level database administrator earnings begin at:

$20.77 per hour

$43,210 per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

Database administrator salary by state

State Name Average Salary
Massachusetts $97,880
New Hampshire $96,400
Virginia $96,090
Utah $95,600
New York $94,460
Oregon $93,310
North Carolina $93,280
Texas $93,200
Rhode Island $92,410
Colorado $92,260
District of Columbia $92,100
Georgia $92,020
Iowa $90,540
Minnesota $90,100
Ohio $89,980
Delaware $88,750
Nevada $87,180
Florida $85,470
Missouri $84,610
Wisconsin $84,380
Nebraska $83,690
Michigan $82,710
Kansas $82,430
Illinois $80,835
Arizona $80,393
Maryland $80,310
Louisiana $80,020
Alaska $79,240
Tennessee $78,650
Kentucky $78,310
South Carolina $78,270
Alabama $78,114
New Mexico $76,370
Hawaii $76,334
South Dakota $75,880
Indiana $74,340
Maine $73,120
Vermont $72,990
Arkansas $72,980
Pennsylvania $70,483
Idaho $68,962
Mississippi $67,760
North Dakota $66,890
West Virginia $66,290
Oklahoma $66,270
Montana $62,850
Wyoming $55,330
Puerto Rico $45,310
New Jersey $110,150
Washington $109,030
California $101,240
Connecticut $100,180

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 South Carolina. On average, they make less than video game designers but more than informatics nurse specialists.

Career Median Salary
Video game designer salary $93K
Software engineer salary $87K
Electrical engineer salary $87K
Computer hardware engineer salary $86K
Computer network architect salary $83K
Database administrator salary $78K
Computer programmer salary $76K
Industrial designer salary $75K
Computer systems analyst salary $76K
Informatics nurse specialist salary $76K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)