Database administrator earnings by seniority

90th percentile

Top-level database administrator earnings begin at:

$50.10 per hour

$104,210 per year

75th percentile

Senior-level database administrator earnings begin at:

$40.00 per hour

$83,210 per year

50th percentile

Mid-level database administrator earnings begin at:

$31.87 per hour

$66,290 per year

25th percentile

Junior-level database administrator earnings begin at:

$24.06 per hour

$50,050 per year

10th percentile

Starting level database administrator earnings begin at:

$19.63 per hour

$40,840 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 6% more than similar careers in West Virginia. On average, they make less than informatics nurse specialists but more than hydroelectric plant technicians.

Career Median Salary
Informatics nurse specialist salary $73K
Computer systems analyst salary $73K
Online merchant salary $66K
Bioinformatics scientist salary $71K
Computer systems administrator salary $65K
Database administrator salary $66K
Operations research analyst salary $52K
Drafter salary $51K
Web developer salary $54K
Hydroelectric plant technician salary $57K

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)